The Mayflower II will not make its scheduled voyage to Rhode Island on Thursday due to Gov. Charlie Baker’s updated coronavirus travel restrictions, Plimouth Plantation officials said.
The Mayflower II planned to leave New Bedford’s State Pier Thursday morning to visit Newport’s Fort Adams State Park. Instead, due to Massachusetts travel restrictions, which Rhode Island was added to earlier this week, the replica of the pilgrims’ ship will remain in New Bedford until Saturday.
Visitors leaving the Rhode Island to enter Massachusetts must now quarantine for 14 days or provide proof of a negative coronavirus test.
The decision to remain New Bedford, Plimouth Plantation officials said, was made out of an abundance of caution.
The vessel arrived in the Whaling City earlier this week to take advantage of the city’s hurricane barrier in its port ahead of Tropical Storm Isaias.
The Mayflower II is still scheduled to arrive at its home port in Plymouth Harbor on Aug. 10.
If weather permits, the Mayflower II will continue sea trials in Buzzards Bay on Thursday and possibly Friday, accompanied by the tugboat Jaguar, operated by Fairhaven’s Mitchell Towing.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced the addition of Rhode Island to its travel restrictions list on Tuesday, citing the increase in the state’s positive test rate and cases per capita. To be exempt from the order, a state must keep its positive test rate below 10 per 100,000 people and its seven-day average of positive tests below 5%.
The order applies not only to tourists, but to residents returning from any of those states. Those who fail to comply with the new order face a $500 fine per day.
Visitors from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and Hawaii remain exempt from the Bay State’s restrictions. Workers are also exempt from the travel order.
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