As of Saturday morning, New Hampshire and Maine were removed from the lower-risk travel list to catch COVID-19, and people entering or returning to Massachusetts from either state are now required to complete, quarantine, or travel a travel form have negative COVID. 19 test after the Public Health Department.

New Hampshire and Maine joined 46 other states to maintain high risk for COVID-19. Hawaii and Vermont are the only states classified as low risk. This means that individuals do not have to comply with travel orders upon arrival or return to Massachusetts. Other exceptions are commuters who cross state lines for work, those coming for medical treatment, military personnel, and those traveling for work or essential services. The state also exempts certain short trips across the border and back on the same day referred to as “critical life activities”.

Under current travel rules, anyone entering Massachusetts from high risk states must complete a Massachusetts travel form and quarantine for two weeks unless they can get a negative result from a COVID-19 test done no more than 72 hours before they arrive in the state. Failure to comply with the requirements could result in a fine of $ 500 per day.

Hawaii and Vermont are the only two states rated as lower risk.Mass.gov

According to the DPH, states will be added to the list if they have an average of more than 10 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents.

New Hampshire and Maine had an average of 27 and 14 new cases per 100,000 residents, respectively, on Friday. according to the COVID-19 tracking website. Vermont had an average of more than 10 new cases per 100,000 population this week – but not last week. States must exceed the threshold for two consecutive weeks to be removed from the lower risk list. Massachusetts had an average of 38 cases per 100,000 population as of Friday.

The new travel rules come less than a week before Thanksgiving, when many are considering traveling despite the fact that health officials have ordered people to stay home for the holidays. Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say travel increases the likelihood of contracting and spreading COVID-19. If you need to hit the road, they recommend that you get a flu shot, bring extra masks and hand sanitizer, and be aware of the latest travel restrictions.

Brittany Bowker can be contacted at brittany.bowker@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @ Brittbowker.