Two States Added To Chicago's Travel Advisory Amid COVID-19 Surge

CHICAGO – The city's coronavirus travel advisory list grew by two states — California and Mississippi — as cases of COVID-19 surge across America before the Christmas holiday.

As of Tuesday, 42 states and the District of Columbia were on the city's "orange list" for reaching a coronavirus threshold of 15 cases per day per 100,000 people. Only, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, and the Virgin Islands are below the 15-cases-per-day threshold.

"This week’s data is not surprising to anyone who has been tracking it day-to-day, as we have at CDPH," Chicago's top doc, Dr. Allison Arwady, said. "The highest COVID rates are currently in the Midwest and New England, but this week two warm weather states – California and Mississippi – are back on the advisory. Don’t assume you’ll be fine if you travel someplace warmer than the Midwest. The only way to ensure you’re protected as well as you can be, is to be fully vaccinated and wear a mask when you’re around other people in public."

CDPH’s Travel Advisory guidance is aligned with the CDC’s traveler recommendations.

Before traveling, unvaccinated individuals should:

• Get tested 1-3 days prior to departure.

While traveling:

• Everyone should wear a mask on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States and while indoors airports and stations.
• In Chicago, wear a mask in all indoor public settings, regardless of vaccination status.
• Avoid crowds as much as you can and wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer.

After travel, unvaccinated individuals should:

• Get tested with a viral test 3-5 days after travel and stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days.
• Even if you test negative, stay home and self-quarantine for the full 7 days.
• If your test is positive, isolate yourself to protect others from getting infected.
• If you don’t get tested, stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel. Avoid being around people who are at increased risk for severe illness for 14 days, whether you get tested or not.

• All travelers are advised to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms after travel and isolate and get tested if they develop symptoms.