KDHE approves trips to several countries, adds 1 country to the quarantine list
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The Kansas Ministry of Health and the Environment (KDHE) has changed its quarantine list for travel and removed 10 countries, but added another to the quarantine list.
The countries removed from the list are Austria, Belgium, the Cayman Islands, the Czech Republic, Gibraltar, Jersey, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Slovenia.
The country of Andorra has been added to the list of travel quarantines. An unvaccinated individual must be quarantined if he meets the following criteria:
- He traveled to Slovenia between November 4 and December 17
- Traveled between 18 November and 17 December to Austria, the Cayman Islands and Gibraltar
- Traveled between 2 and 17 December to Belgium, the Czech Republic, Jersey, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands and Slovakia
- He traveled to Andorra on December 17 or later
- Attendance at any mass gatherings outside the country or in a country of 500 or more, where individuals do not socially distance themselves (6 feet) and wear a mask
- You were on a cruise or river cruise on March 15, 2020 or later
KDHE says the next travel quarantine update will be sent in the first week of January.
The quarantine period is seven days with a negative test result or 10 days without testing, with release from quarantine on days 8 and 11. Further information on quarantine periods can be found at KDHE Web page.
For those traveling abroad, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires testing within three days of flying to the United States. For more information on this and other requirements, visit theirs Web page.
For those who have been fully vaccinated (meaning that more than two weeks have passed since the vaccination was completed), they do not need to be quarantined for travel or mass gatherings if they meet all of the following criteria:
- are fully vaccinated (ie ≥2 weeks after receiving the second dose in a 2-dose series or ≥2 weeks after receiving one dose of a single dose vaccine)
- They remained asymptomatic since the trip
People who do not meet the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidelines for travel or mass gatherings.
In addition, people with pre-existing COVID-19 disease do not need to be quarantined if they meet all of the following criteria:
- Have evidence of previous infection supported by a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test or an antigen test
- They are within 6 months of infection. If an investigation has been performed documenting the date on which symptoms resolved or the date on which isolation measures for asymptomatic patients were discontinued, the 6-month period may begin from that end date. If these dates are not available, the period starts from the date of the positive laboratory test. A serological or antibody test should not replace a laboratory report of a viral diagnostic test.
- They remained asymptomatic since the trip
People who do not meet all three of the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidelines for travel.
The travel quarantine list is determined by a formula to estimate new cases over a two-week period and then adjusted to the size of the population to ensure a case rate per 100,000 population. This provides a number that can then be compared to the rate in Kansas. Locations with significantly higher rates are added to the list – about 3x higher.
For more information on COVID-19, visit the KDHE website at kdhe.ks.gov/coronavirus.