A week after warning unvaccinated travelers to avoid any state outside of Illinois, Chicago officials on Tuesday removed Connecticut and Washington, D.C., from the city’s travel advisory.
That means there are 48 states and three territories left on the list of “orange” areas in the U.S. where the city is recommending unvaccinated travelers follow additional COVID-19 mitigation tactics, Chicago public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said on Facebook Live. Those recommendations include a one-week quarantine after returning to the city, although Arwady continued to urge unvaccinated people to avoid the states on the travel advisory altogether.
“It’s nice to see a little bit of progress,” Arwady said. “Reminder that if you are unvaccinated, we’re advising against travel to any orange state.”
Sign up for The Spin to get the top stories in politics delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.
States get on the list by surpassing 15 daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents, but Illinois is not subject to the advisory because the city does not want to restrict intrastate travel.
Friends for 40-years, Sophia Taylor-Edwards, left, and Recina Reynolds, right, hug with Cacina Reynolds after receiving COVID-19 vaccinations from volunteers with the Northern Connecticut Black Nurses Association on July 14 in Hartford, Connecticut. The state was recently removed from Chicago's travel advisory. (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant)
The most updated guidance from the city advised unvaccinated people get tested one to three days before leaving for their trip. Upon return, they should get a COVID-19 test three to five days as well as quarantine for seven days. If they choose not to get tested, they should quarantine for 10 days.
Last week, the city said New Hampshire could be taken off the travel list this week but the state ended up seeing a rise in daily case rates. California, Puerto Rico and Vermont could be removed from the advisory next week if they keep their numbers down.
Chicago itself is seeing about 16 daily cases per 100,000 residents. Most recently, city data was showing an average of 433 daily cases and a positivity rate of 3.7%, both down from the previous week.
ayin@chicagotribune.com
Chicago will pay $20.5 million to two men who say ex-detective framed them for murder; both spent 23 years in prison
12m
From booster shots to mixing and matching vaccines, 5 things to know for those who got Johnson & Johnson
21m
Criminal Justice Lightfoot proposes new ordinance targeting gang members for fines and forfeiture in civil court
1h
Breaking News Chicago removes Connecticut and Washington, D.C., from COVID-19 travel advisory
2h
Business BMO Harris Bank closing nine Chicago-area branches
Sep 13, 2021