News

About the SF travel quarantine (Dec 18 to Feb 23) - new guidelines for vaccinated individuals

Between December 18, 2020 and February 23, 2021, people coming in from outside the Bay Area counties were required to quarantine for 10 days. Update for vaccinated individuals April 2, 2021: Fully vaccinated individuals do not have to quarantine after travel.
January 25, 2021

Update: The travel quarantine became a recommendation on February 23, 2021,

The mandatory travel quarantine was lifted on February 23, 2021. After that, anyone traveling from outside California is still strongly recommended to quarantine for 10 days.

Update on April 2, 2021: Fully vaccinated individuals do not have to test or quarantine before or after travel unless they have symptoms of COVID-19.

All travelers must still follow local and state guidelines of their travel destination. Unvaccinated individuals are urged to delay unnecessary travel until they are fully vaccinated (2 weeks after last vaccination). Everyone must still wear a mask and take other precautions while traveling.

More details about the travel quarantine

See official guidance, including translations, from the Department of Public Health.

No longer active: People traveling from outside the Bay Area must quarantine for 10 days

You must stay put, in your home or hotel room. Do not leave, except to get healthcare. Get food or groceries delivered. See guidance about quarantining.

This rule applies to people coming into San Francisco from outside the Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Solano, Sonoma).

You do not have to quarantine when traveling to:

  • Do essential work
  • Work at a business allowed to be open (if otherwise short on staff)
  • Get needed healthcare
  • Care for someone
  • Comply with a court order
  • Play sports on an approved team
  • Work on an approved film or media crew
  • Get on a connecting flight at SFO
  • Go through SF and not staying overnight

You should still quarantine when you are not actively doing any of the above.

Avoid traveling even within the Bay Area

You should avoid traveling outside of San Francisco. There is a large surge across the country. You could bring more COVID-19 back to SF.