Chicago Travel Advisory Applies To Every State Except Montana

CHICAGO — Unless they're headed to Montana or Guam, unvaccinated travelers should be tested for coronavirus before and after visiting to every other state and U.S. territory, and quarantine upon arriving in Chicago, public health officials recommend.

On Tuesday, city public health officials added Louisiana, South Carolina and the U.S. Virgin Islands to its weekly COVID-19 Travel Advisory.

National daily coronavirus case rates have nearly doubled from 31 per 100,000 residents to a case rate of 62, officials said. Chicago's daily case rate is 140, a more than 500-percent increase over three weeks ago.

"If you must travel during this time, please make sure you are fully vaccinated – and that includes a booster shot," public health commissioners Dr. Allison Arwady said in a statement. "You don’t know the vaccination status of your fellow travelers, so take the extra precaution of wearing your mask whenever you are in enclosed spaces with other people. If you’re not vaccinated, you probably shouldn’t be traveling."

The testing and quarantine recommendations don't apply to fully vaccinated people traveling domestically.

Daily COVID-19 case rates must be below 15 per 100,000 residents for two consecutive weeks for a state to be removed from the advisory.

Three states – Alaska, Idaho, and Mississippi – are eligible to come off the advisory next week.

More details are available online.