Visitors To Chicago From Puerto Rico Must Quarantine, City Says

CHICAGO — City health officials have added Puerto Rico to a list of 22 states under emergency travel restrictions. Starting Friday, visitors from the U.S. territory will be required to quarantine for two weeks upon entering the city.

Last month, Puerto Rico halted reopening amid a new spike of coronavirus cases, and just last week, the territory's governor said she would extend emergency restrictions for at least two more weeks, the Associated Press reported.

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Chicago's travel restrictions apply to states with a new case rate greater than 15 per 100,000 residents per day, averaged over 7 days, according to the text of the order, which went into effect after the July 4 holiday. The order initially covered Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. Oklahoma and Iowa were added July 17, followed by Kansas on July 24, and Missouri, Wisconsin, Nebraska and North Dakota on July 31.

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Individuals who violate the order can be fined up to $500 a day.

Essential workers are exempt from the order if they travel to or from one of the impacted states for work. Travel for medical care or shared parental custody is also exempt.

Anyone who qualifies for an exemption is required to:

• Avoid any non-essential interactions until the quarantine period has ended, and limit activities to work-related functions.
• Monitor temperature and signs of symptoms, wear a face covering when in public, maintain social distance, and clean and disinfect workspaces.
• Avoid extended periods in public, contact with strangers, and large congregate settings.

Last week, Illinois public health director Ngozi Ezike made clear that Illinois is headed in the wrong direction. State health officials on Monday announced 1,298 new cases of the coronavirus and 10 additional deaths from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus, bringing the statewide total to 183,241 confirmed infections and 7,526 known deaths.

Statewide, the positive test rate is about 4 percent. In Chicago, it's 4.8 percent, close to the 5 percent threshold recommended by Johns Hopkins University. If the positivity rate exceeds 8 percent for several days, state or city officials could impose new restrictions on residents and businesses, according to plans published last month.