We recently traveled from Massachusetts to Camden, Maine for our lovely getaway at the Camden Harbor Inn. Lots of people have reached out to us asking about the new Maine travel restrictions, so we wanted to write a blog post explaining the current situation and how visitors can safely and respectfully make a trip up to Maine this summer. Please remember to double check all current guidelines and rules for all summer travel as the situation can evolve quickly. These Maine travel guidelines are up to date as of July 2^nd.

Keep Maine Healthy Plan

According to Maine.gov, the Maine state government has put together the “Keep Maine Healthy” plan to “protect Maine people, protect visitors, and support Maine small businesses by reducing, to the greatest extent possible, COVID-19 risks associated with travel.” There are three main parts to their plan:

1) Testing that encourages all visitors to “know before you go”

2) Screening for symptoms among travelers

3) Engaging Maine communities to promote COVID-19-prevention best practices and public health education.

Maine Travel Restrictions & Getting Tested

The easiest way to meet their requirements is to take a COVID-19 test and bring proof of a negative result with you on your trip, as long as the test was taken no longer than 72 hours prior to arrival. This allows visitors to skip the 14-day quarantine in Maine. The goal behind this requirement is to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 to Maine residents. And if you are unable to get tested within 72 hours of arriving in Maine, visitors are allowed to be tested in Maine, but must quarantine until results are received. Maine.gov recommends visiting Get Tested COVID-19 to find local testing options near you.

Maine Travel Restrictions & Quarantine Exempt States

However, their quarantine and testing requirements are not needed from visitors from all states. Several states have been marked as exempt, including: Connecticut (Effective July 3, 2020), New Hampshire (Effective June 26, 2020), New Jersey (Effective July 3, 2020), New York (Effective July 3, 2020) and Vermont (Effective June 26, 2020). According to their website, “Maine considers a number of quantitative and qualitative measures in making this determination, which is designed to protect public health. The State will continue to evaluate exemptions based on public health information.” So this means that over time more states will likely be added to the exemption list. However, for now Massachusetts is not on the exemption list so people from the state (like us) need to get tested before heading to Maine.

Maine Certificate of Compliance Form

Once you have your negative test result, you must complete a Certificate of Compliance form, which lets you attest to the fact that you have received a negative COVID-19 test result. All hotels and lodging facilities will be requiring this from guests if they are coming from a state that is non-exempt. New Hampshire and Vermont are also requiring guests to sign similar forms.

While this process is a lot different than any of us are used to for summer travel, as long as you play by the rules your trip will not be interrupted. Get tested and you are all set (as long as you are negative!). There are many free ways to get tested in the Boston area, here is a great site that can help you find out where to do so.

Once you meet Maine’s requirements, why not explore a few destinations? Read about our trips to Portland, Higgins Beach, and Camden!