Two 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.
Florida, Hawaii and Washington, D.C., 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, according to a public health department announcement.
“We must continue to be vigilant with vaccinations and mask-wearing if we’re going to keep COVID down as the temperatures come down,” public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady wrote in a tweet.
Tuesday’s change to Chicago’s travel advisory means there are now 45 states and two territories under Chicago’s travel advisory. California, Connecticut and Puerto Rico are the only other areas not subject to the recommended COVID-19 mitigations for unvaccinated travelers. Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland and Mississippi might get off the list next week.
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. Chicago is at 10.7 daily cases per 100,000 residents — the lowest rate since late July.
Other city stats on COVID-19 include an average of 291 new cases per day and a 2% positivity rate.
