Know before you go: COVID-19 travel restrictions

Dale Denwalt
A sign welcomes drivers to Texas at the end of Oklahoma's State Highway 33 on the edge of western Oklahoma. [THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVES]

While many Oklahomans will be staying home for the Thanksgiving holiday, there will be many others who plan to travel across state lines.

Normally this interstate travel is free and unfettered, but the coronavirus pandemic has led some states to implement restrictions for those who cross their borders.

Oklahoma borders one of the states with the most restrictive rules on travel. Visitors to New Mexico are required to self-isolate for 14 days or the duration of their stay. Other states, however, have few or no restrictions on people coming from Oklahoma who don't have or haven't been exposed to COVID-19, according to a national database compiled by AAA.

Check with local authorities for the most up-to-date restrictions. Here's what we found before deadline.


Texas has no traveler quarantine and few limits on where people can spend time while visiting. The governor briefly implemented a quarantine for people coming into Texas from Louisiana, but that order expired in April.

Currently, Texas requires masks while in public spaces and local governments can impose restrictions on some outdoor gatherings.


Like many other states, Colorado has no mandatory quarantine order for out-of-state visitors. However, the state government implemented gathering and restaurant dine-in restrictions in some counties based on how prevalent cases are.

Masks are required for most people over 10 years old if they're moving within any indoor public space or using public transit.


Kansas only requires a location-specific quarantine for travelers from South Dakota, North Dakota and some overseas countries. The state also requires visitors to isolate if they've recently attended a mass gathering of 500 people or more where individuals did not socially distance and wear masks.

The quarantine order also applies to those who've been on a cruise ship or river cruise.

An executive order signed in July requires statewide mask usage in public and in other places where social distancing is not possible.

New Mexico

Travelers visiting New Mexico will face strict requirements for self-isolating, no matter where they've been. According to the state's website, just one other state in the country is considered "low risk": Vermont.

New Mexico's governor implemented a mandatory isolation order for people from high-risk states that have a 5% positivity rate or greater. Travelers must physically separate themselves from others in a residence or hotel for two weeks, or for as long as they stay, whichever is greater.

Visitors can have guests, but those guests must also then self-isolate for 14 days.


Missouri has no limits on travel, gatherings or visits to indoor public areas, aside from statewide social distancing requirements.


Arkansas's governor issued a statewide mask mandate and restricted indoor gatherings to a maximum of 10 people. Travelers from out of state are asked, but not required, to self-quarantine for 14 days.

Restaurants are limited to 66% capacity.