Travel Guidance

To help mitigate risk for our global travelers, Brown University regularly monitors world health, safety and security events using a variety of assessment sources, including taking input from the U.S. Department of State, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), International SOS, Brown faculty and staff regional experts, among other reputable oversight agencies. Any individual arriving from out of state or out of the country must follow the current Rhode Island law regarding quarantine, testing, and the completion of a certificate of compliance and out-of-state travel screening form. Requirements may also include the completion of a 14-day quarantine before conducting any activities outside your residence.

International Travel

The University strongly urges Brown community members to avoid personal travel to any country with a CDC Level 2 or Level 3 and/or a U.S. Department of State Level 3 or Level 4 risk designation and advises all travelers to follow CDC and State Department travel health, safety and security directives.

Travelers should continue to prepare for the possibility of local quarantines in some locations. Numerous airlines are still operating under limited capacity, and return to the U.S. from some international destinations may be delayed or even impossible. For these reasons and others, Brown community members are urged to avoid all non-essential international travel.

Effective Jan. 26, 2021, a new federal policy requires that all air travelers entering the United States from any international destination show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of boarding their flight or provide documentation of having recovered from COVID-19. Airlines are required to check each passenger's documentation and will deny boarding to those who do not comply or cannot show proof of a negative test result or recovery. More information about this requirement can be reviewed on the CDC website.

Travelers must also comply with the guidance from the Rhode Island Department of Health regarding returning to Rhode Island from abroad. 

Travelers who must engage in essential international travel are encouraged to review the International SOS pandemic website for up-to-date specific travel restrictions per country. (Travelers will need to log in with Brown’s membership number: 11BSGC000031.)

Travel in the United States

With COVID-19 cases continuing to emerge across the nation, travel within the United States remains challenging. Anyone with domestic travel plans should carefully consider whether they should be adjusted or canceled and be sure to follow all federal and state travel directives that may apply.

Brown follows the guidelines for COVID-19 travel restrictions set forth by the Rhode Island Department of Health regarding return to Rhode Island from international and domestic travel. Individuals returning from states with a community spread rate of higher than 5% as set forth on a list maintained by RIDOHmust immediately self-quarantine for 14 days or until they receive a negative COVID-19 test. Faculty and staff returning from traveling within the United States who would like to test out of the 14-day quarantine requirement can schedule a test through portal.ri.gov. Employees will be asked to submit documentation of their test results directly to UHR by emailing [email protected] before their first day of returning to work. Please refer to this website for any applicable exceptions, and note that Brown University COVID-19 testing locations cannot be used to test out of quarantine for personal travel.

More information on travel guidance can be found on the Healthy Brown website.