CHICAGO — Five states and two territories are being added to Chicago’s COVID-19 Travel Advisory this week.
That means just one state — Vermont — isn’t on the list.
The entire United States is facing another wave of COVID-19 fueled by the highly contagious Delta surge. Other parts of the country have seen deaths soar and hospitals fill up.
Despite that, Chicago’s travel advisory is still just a recommendation, meaning people can go to states on the list — but it’s not recommended.
Under the advisory, unvaccinated people who come from spots on the list to Chicago are asked to get a negative COVID-19 test no more than 72 hours prior to arriving or to quarantine for 10 days upon arriving.
Vaccinated people are exempt.
Dr. Allison Arwady, head of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said Tuesday the city is also now recommending unvaccinated people get tested before they travel and wear masks when in other places, even if they’re not required there.
Unvaccinated people who travel should get tested three to five days after getting back to Chicago, and they should stay home and quarantine for a full seven days after their arrival even if they test negative, Arwady said.
In all, there are 48 states and four territories on the advisory:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Guam
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Southa Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Virgin Islands
- Washington
- Washington, D.C.
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
The federal government requires all people to wear masks on public transit — including planes, buses and trains — and at airports and stations.
Arwady has previously urged Chicagoans who aren’t fully vaccinated not to travel to places on the list, as they could be at risk.
Anyone 12 and older is eligible to get vaccinated in Chicago. The shots are free and do not require health insurance.
Block Club Chicago’s coronavirus coverage is free for all readers. Block Club is an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom.
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.
Already subscribe? Click here to support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.
Listen to “It’s All Good: A Block Club Chicago Podcast” here: