Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has issued a travel order, effective August 1, which carries implications for people traveling to or returning to Massachusetts from other states. According to the regulations, all visitors entering Massachusetts who do not meet an exemption are required to:

• Complete the Massachusetts Travel Form prior to arrival, unless you are visiting from a lower-risk state designated by the Department of Public Health.
• Quarantine for 14 days or produce a negative COVID-19 test result that was administered up to 72 hours prior to your arrival in Massachusetts. A negative COVID test after arrival in Massachusetts also qualifies.

Travelers from COVID-19 lower-risk states — Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Vermont — are not required to fill out the Massachusetts Traveler Form and do not need to quarantine. Gov. Baker recently removed Rhode Island from the list of lower-risk states.

Exemptions to the above regulations can be found here.

What does this mean for Clark students and families?

• This travel rule applies to students arriving from states or foreign countries to attend college or university in Massachusetts.  Clark students, however, will meet the state requirements by following the University’s testing protocols. Students will be given a COVID-19 test on their day of arrival and they will quarantine until they receive their results (about 24 hours).

The rule also applies to parents, guardians, and family members who are dropping their students off at Clark IF they intend to stay overnight in Massachusetts. However, if they enter Massachusetts only to drop off their student and then immediately leave the campus and the state, they would meet the exemption for “transitory travel.”

Read the full travel order here.