- Credibility:
CHICAGO — The city has updated its Emergency Travel Order — but it still recommends Chicagoans don’t travel anywhere.
The Chicago Department of Public Health simplified its travel order so there are now only two categories a state or territory can fall into. The order is meant to keep Chicagoans safe and protect the city by limiting the chances for coronavirus to spread during the pandemic.
Regardless of which category a place falls into, the Chicago Department of Public Health is advising people to avoid any kind of travel since COVID-19 is surging across most of the United States.
Just one state — Hawaii — falls into the less serious category, dubbed Yellow. That category is for states with a rolling, seven-day average of fewer than 15 confirmed cases per day per 100,000 residents.
People traveling to Chicago from a place in the Yellow category don’t need to quarantine or get a negative COVID-19 test. But they must still wear masks, practice social distancing and avoid in-person gatherings in the city, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health.
The other category, dubbed Orange, is for states with a rolling, seven-average of 15 or more confirmed cases per day per 100,000 residents. Every state besides Hawaii is currently in the Orange category, as are the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
People traveling from a place in the Orange category to Chicago must quarantine for 10 days upon arrival or must get a negative COVID-19 test no more than 72 hours before getting to the city.
Even those who get a negative test must still wear masks, practice social distancing and avoid in-person gatherings, according to the city’s rules.
There are still some exceptions: People can travel for medical care and parental shared custody, and essential workers can travel for business. But essential workers who travel for business must limit their activities to work-related functions and avoid public spaces.
And people who have had layovers in Orange states do not need to quarantine.
The latest update goes into effect Friday. The list of states in each category is updated every two weeks.
People found violating the quarantine order could be fined $100-$500 per day, up to $7,000.
The list:
Yellow
• Hawaii
Orange
• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
•.Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Massachusetts
• Maryland
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• New Mexico
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Puerto Rico
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Washington
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming
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