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A30 FEATURE
Saturday 1 auguSt 2020
Summer road trip? Quarantines are crimping some US travelers
By DAVID SHARP quarantine order includes
Associated Press neighboring Wisconsin. But
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — people who cross the state
Families trying to squeeze line for work are exempted.
in a summer vacation be- In Connecticut, Paula Sim-
fore school starts better do chock and her husband
some homework on CO- are planning to hit the
VID-19 restrictions before beaches in Delaware with
loading up the minivan. their daughter en route to
The web of state and lo- dropping her off at college
cal quarantines is growing in South Carolina. But be-
more tangled by the day: cause both of those states
New York, New Jersey and are on Connecticut's quar-
Connecticut have ordered antine list, they expect to
visitors from a whopping 34 have to isolate upon re-
states to quarantine for 14 turning home.
days. Chicago and Wash- "We're definitely stir crazy.
ington, D.C., have each So we're really looking for-
singled out travelers from ward to getting down to
about two dozen states. Delaware and enjoying our
Other states have their own favorite restaurants and
lists. Some have an option surf shop. We're really ex-
for visitors to get tested in- cited about it," Simchock
stead. Passengers boards a Casco Bay Lines ferry bound for Peaks Island, Thursday, July 30, 2020, in said. "To see that it's on the
"Complicated doesn't be- Portland, Maine. Connecticut hot spot list is
gin to describe it. I feel sorry Associated Press disappointing."
for people. They just want The U.S. Travel Association
to go to Cape Cod. They believes that with prop-
want to go to Vermont. er precautions — masks,
I don't know what to tell hand-washing, and proper
them. People are pretty sanitation — people can
much left on their own to travel safely.
figure out," said Kathy Kutr- More than a third of jobs
ubes, owner of a travel lost during the pandemic
agency in Boston. are in the travel and tour-
The restrictions — and may- ism industry, said Tori Emer-
be the confusion, too — son Barnes, spokeswoman
are contributing to a sharp for the association.
drop in travel, dealing a "Really and truly, the only
blow to a key industry. way that we can have a
Before the outbreak, Amer- sustained economic re-
icans were expected to bound is to have people
take 2.3 billion domestic moving again," she said.
trips this year, according Mike Stumpf and his wife,
to the U.S. Travel Associa- who live outside Philadel-
tion. But that's expected phia, were supposed to
expected to drop about take a cruise in Alaska in
30% to 1.6 billion, the lowest June. Then a trip to Colo-
level since 1991. Normally rado was canceled this
nearly a third of domestic In this July 2, 2020, file photo, people wear masks while walking on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk week. A fall cruise to Eu-
travel happens in the sum- during the coronavirus outbreak in Santa Cruz, Calif. rope was delayed this fall,
mer. Associated Press and they bagged their an-
Abroad, a drop-off in tour- easing of some more of solid 5.6%, helping to re- where around the world. nual trip to Florida.
ism from U.S. visitors and its virus-related restrictions gain some of the ground When it comes to travel re- Between different state
restrictions on crossing bor- with just a few hours' notice lost when the virus-related strictions in the U.S., the situ- regulations and health
ders have also led many because case numbers are economic slowdown be- ation varies widely. Many concerns, there's just too
travel-related businesses to on the rise for the first time gan in March. But the virus's states have no restrictions much uncertainty, he said.
wonder if they will survive. since May. resurgence in much of the whatsoever for domestic "We won't because it's not
In other pandemic news: — U.S. consumer spend- country could hamper fur- travel. But the number of the worth the risk and every
— Britain put on hold the ing increased in June a ther gains. states with quarantines is state has different regula-
— Federal infectious-dis- growing as governors move tions," he said.
ease expert Dr. Anthony to protect residents amid Others don't want to risk it,
Fauci assured Congress flareups in places such as either.
that once a vaccine wins Florida, Texas and Arizona. In New York, Lyndie Cal-
approval, it will become The results are confusing, to lan had to cancel her 60th
widely available within a say the least. birthday celebration in
"reasonable" amount of For example, Maine re- Spain this summer because
time. quires Massachusetts visi- of the country's restrictions
The coronavirus is blamed tors to either quarantine on U.S. visitors. But even
for more than 150,000 or take a test, but Main- without the restriction, she
deaths in the U.S. and more ers may travel freely in wouldn't have felt comfort-
than a half-million else- Massachusetts. Chicago's able traveling.q