Chicago updated its emergency travel order on Tuesday, now including 31 U.S. states in the orange tier that requires either a 10-day quarantine or negative COVID-19 test before arrival in the city, and updated its guidance to exempt those who are fully vaccinated from the quarantine or test requirement.
Washington D.C., Indiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Texas, Idaho, Louisiana, Nebraska, Maryland, Wisconsin, Nevada, Arkansas, Washington, Michigan, Maine, Missouri and Oregon were moved Tuesday to the yellow tier, which does not require quarantine or a pre-arrival coronavirus test but remains under an advisory to avoid non-essential travel, the Chicago Department of Public Health said.
Alaska was moved back to the orange tier after being moved to the yellow tier two weeks ago, when 46 states and one territory were in the orange tier.
The latest update leaves a total of 31 states in the orange tier as of Tuesday. Updates to the order are issued every other Tuesday and take effect the following Friday.
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City health officials on Tuesday also updated guidance to exempt anyone fully vaccinated and without COVID-19 symptoms from the quarantine or pre-arrival negative test requirement to bring the policy in alignment with new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Fully vaccinated is defined as being at least two weeks after receipt of the second dose in a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine series or at least two weeks after receipt of one dose of a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine," CDPH said in a statement.
"Fully vaccinated travelers must monitor their health for 14 days after travel and if they experience symptoms potentially consistent with COVID-19, they must self-isolate until clinical evaluation and COVID testing," CDPH continued. "They also must continue to adhere to all recommended protective measures including wearing a mask (and using job-specific personal protective equipment), maintaining physical distance, practicing hand hygiene, and avoiding crowds."
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The guidelines and restrictions for the emergency order changed last month, adjusting to the two-tiered system categorizing states as either orange or yellow and eliminating a previous "red" category.
Orange states and territories have average coronavirus rates above 15 cases per day, per 100,000 residents and yellow states and territories have rates below 15 cases per day, per 100,000 residents.
While health officials urged residents to avoid travel if possible, here are the requirements for each category:
- Yellow: States with a rolling 7-day average less than 15 cases/day/100k residents.
- No quarantine or pre-arrival test required. Maintain strict masking, social distancing and avoidance of in-person gatherings
- Orange: States have a rolling 7-day average above 15 cases/day/100k residents
- 10-day quarantine OR pre-arrival negative test no more than 72 hours before arrival in Chicago with strict masking, social distancing and avoidance of in-person gatherings
The emergency travel order requiring a quarantine for travelers from certain locations was first issued in July in an effort to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
CDPH Commissioner Allison Arwady has said previously that no matter a state's color under the order, she would not recommend any unnecessary travel.
"Though the Chicago case numbers have dropped of late, this is not a time to let our guard down. To maintain the current trajectory, we must double down on what we know prevents COVID spread. This includes wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing, washing your hands and staying at home as much as you can. Chicago residents are strongly advised to cancel non-essential travel," CDPH said Tuesday.
The city said it hopes to simply educate travelers about the order, but those found in violation could be subject to fines of between $100 and $500 per day, up to $7,000.
"The quarantine and pre-arrival testing requirements apply to people even if they have no COVID-19 symptoms," the city's health department said in a statement last month announcing the order's update.
Exceptions can be made for travel for medical care, parental shared custody and business travel for essential workers. It also does not apply to an individual passing through states for less than 24 hours over the course of travel, including layovers at airport or people driving through a particular state. Daily commuters to and from neighboring states are also exempt.
