Chicago updated its travel advisory Tuesday, adding three more states - for a total of five states and one territory - back to the list advising anyone entering the city from those areas to test negative for COVID-19 or quarantine upon arrival.
Florida, Louisiana and Nevada, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands were added to the advisory as all 50 states see a rise in coronavirus cases, the Chicago Department of Public Health said in a statement.
Last week, Missouri and Arkansas were both added to the travel advisory after several weeks with no states on the list. Both states remain on the advisory, which CDPH said would now be updated weekly moving forward.
Recent increases in COVID metrics pushed those newly added states over the threshold of 15 cases per day per 100,000 people to get onto the "orange" list. Any below that mark are on the "yellow" list, with public health officials still warning against non-essential travel.
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CDPH shared the rates in each state on the list, as well as Illinois and Chicago, as of Tuesday and from the previous week:
| State | Rate per 100K Residents – 7/20/21 | Rate per 100K Residents – 7/13/21 |
| Missouri | 33.8 | 21.2 |
| Arkansas | 27.4 | 19.2 |
| Florida | 23.4 | 12.7 |
| Louisiana | 20.9 | 12.3 |
| Nevada | 18.1 | 12.2 |
| Illinois | 3.8 | 2.6 |
| City of Chicago | 3.3 | 2.7 |
"Unvaccinated individuals traveling from the states or territories on the Orange list are advised – not required – to obtain a negative COVID-19 test result no more than 72 hours prior to arrival in Chicago or quarantine for a 10-day period upon arrival," CDPH said. "Vaccinated individuals are exempt from the Advisory, which will be updated weekly going forward."
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CDPH said last week that data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows "COVID case rates have been steadily increasing in other areas of the country."
The update to the travel advisory came at a time when the average daily number of new cases in Chicago was up to 90 per day - a 69% increase over the previous week and exactly double from two weeks prior.
Hospitalizations and deaths are down in Chicago - 11% and 13%, respectively, since last week - but the positivity rate in testing is up to 1.5% from 1% last week.
“We remain well below our peak rates, but these recent increases are concerning,” CDPH Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in a statement Tuesday. “But what we have said all along hasn’t changed – if you want to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community, get vaccinated.”
Arwady noted last week that about 99% of new COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths are among unvaccinated individuals.
The travel advisory will be updated every Tuesday moving forward, with any changes taking effect the following Friday.
