Travel Advisory: California residents should not travel more than 120 miles from home

Monday, January 11, 2021

The California officials have issued a travel advisory this past week that said residents should not travel more than 120 miles away from home for nonessential purposes during the COVID-19  surge.

The advisory on Jan. 6 also strongly discouraged traveling between different states and that if visitors are coming, or residents are returning, from other states or countries, they should quarantine for at least 10 days.

“Persons arriving in California from other states or Californians returning from other states or countries could introduce new sources of infection (potentially including new strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus) to California,” said the release. “Intra-state travel, likewise threatens to exacerbate community spread within California—particularly because travel itself (especially the use of shared conveyances in air, bus, or rail travel) can increase a person’s chance of spreading and getting COVID-19. Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.”

The state issued the following recommendations:

Nonessential Travel

1. Except in connection with essential travel, Californians should avoid nonessential travel to any part of California more than 120 miles from one’s place of residence, or to other states or countries. Avoiding travel reduces the risk of virus transmission, including by reducing the risk that new sources of infection and, potentially, new virus strains will be introduced to California.

2. Non-essential travelers from other states or countries are strongly discouraged from entering California, and should adhere to the quarantine procedures set forth in Paragraph 3.

Quarantine Post Travel

All persons arriving in or returning to California from other states or countries, should self-quarantine for 10 days after arrival, except as necessary to meet urgent critical healthcare staffing needs or to otherwise engage in emergency response. Additionally, this recommendation does not apply to individuals who routinely cross state or country borders for essential travel.

The state said that a local health officer may determine if and when the situation within the officer’s jurisdiction warrants measures that are more restrictive than this statewide order, and retains authority to implement such measures.

Nonessential travel includes travel that is considered tourism or recreation in nature.

Essential travel is associated with the operation, maintenance, or usage of critical infrastructure or otherwise required or expressly authorized by law (including other applicable state and local public health directives), including work and study, critical infrastructure support, economic services and supply chains, health, immediate medical care, and safety and security.

The quarantine period was updated consistent with emerging science and the CDC’s latest recommendations. directives), including work and study, critical infrastructure support, economic services and supply chains, health, immediate medical care, and safety and security.

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