Four states were removed from Chicago’s travel advisory, which lists places in the U.S. where unvaccinated people should take extra COVID-19 precautions when visiting, officials said Tuesday.
Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland and Mississippi are no longer on the list of states where travelers who are not fully vaccinated are asked to quarantine upon return to Chicago and to take COVID-19 tests before and after, public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said on Facebook Live.
“What we’re seeing here is that overall the country is definitely improving,” Arwady said.
Tuesday’s change to Chicago’s travel advisory means there are now 41 states and two territories under Chicago’s travel advisory. California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. are the only other areas not subject to the recommended COVID-19 mitigation measures for unvaccinated travelers.
Travelers awaiting flights at O'Hare International Airport Monday. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
New Jersey, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and the Virgin Islands might get off the list next week.
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The most updated guidance from the city advised that unvaccinated people get tested one to three days before leaving for their trip. Upon return, they should get a COVID-19 test within three to five days as well as quarantine for seven days. If they choose not to get tested, they should quarantine for 10 days.
States get on the travel advisory if they average at least 15 daily cases per 100,000 residents for two consecutive weeks.
Illinois — which is not subject to the list because authorities don’t want to restrict intrastate travel — is faring better than all other Midwestern states, with 12.9 daily cases per 100,000 residents, Arwady said.
Chicago is even lower, at 10.5 daily cases per 100,000 residents.
Other city stats on COVID-19 include an average of 285 new cases per day and a 1.6% positivity rate.
ayin@chicagotribune.com
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