Wisconsin Taken Off Chicago's Coronavirus Quarantine List

MILWAUKEE, WI — Wisconsin is no longer on Chicago's COVID-19 quarantine list, Chicago health officials confirmed Tuesday afternoon.

That means it's now permissible for Chicago travelers to visit Wisconsin and Wisconsin travelers go to the Windy City without needing to self-quarantine for two weeks, Chicago health officials said Tuesday.

Though the Badger State is no longer on the Chicago quarantine list, there are currently 18 states and Puerto Rico that are still on the list, according to the City of Chicago Health Department website.

Wisconsin was originally put on the Chicago quarantine list in late July. At the time, Wisconsin had seen a surge in positive COVID-19 cases and in positive case percentages.

As of Monday, Wisconsin has 8,537 active COVID-19 cases in the state, representing 12.9 percent of all cases ever reported. On Monday, Wisconsin saw 455 new cases and zero new deaths. A total of 5,507 people had tests come back negative for the virus.

Under Chicago's quarantine order, travelers originating from Wisconsin had to quarantine for 14 days. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot made the announcement during a press conference in late July.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers speculated that his state would eventually end up on the quarantine list, and intimated that it served as a wake-up call of sorts for people who may not have been taking the necessary safety precautions.

"There's lots and lots of people that live in Illinois and live in Chicago that do work regularly in Wisconsin and vice versa. And I anticipate that will continue to move forward. A message for us in Wisconsin should be if Chicago thinks our people should stay home, then we better put some damn masks on and make sure that we continue to, or to reverse the course that we're in," Evers said in an NBC 5 report in late July.