One state was added to Chicago's quarantine list Tuesday, but Indiana was not included despite warnings from health officials last week.
With Indiana's recent surge in coronavirus metrics, the state had already reached the threshold for inclusion as of last Tuesday, according to Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady, however the city chose to keep it off the list at that time for several reasons.
Among those reasons were the fact that the state had recently changed the way it reports its coronavirus data and that state colleges have marked a large spike in cases.
Indiana crossed the average of 15 cases per 100,000 residents, sitting at 15.8 last Tuesday, Arwady said.
"If we don't see improvement across the state then we will add them next week," Arwady said last week.
As of Monday, more than 100,000 individuals in Indiana tested positive for coronavirus since the pandemic began, according to state health officials, adding 596 new cases and four additional deaths.
The rolling seven-day positivity rate for all tests maintained steady at 5.4 % on Monday, and among unique individuals tested, that figure also stayed consistent at 7.4%, health officials said.
But still, Indiana remained off Chicago's updated quarantine list Tuesday.
"We have had some concern about Indiana last week, but they're doing better," Arwady said.
Kentucky was added and California and Puerto Rico were removed after both saw consistent case averages below the travel order threshold, city officials said.
Idaho, Nevada, Texas, North Carolina and Hawaii were also reported to be under the required threshold for the quarantine list, but will need to remain at that level for another week before being officially removed, health officials said.
The city's travel order is evaluated every Tuesday, with any additions taking effect the following Friday. States that are removed from the list that change takes effect immediately.
The emergency order now requires anyone visiting or returning to the city from one of 21 locations to self-quarantine for 14 days.
States are added to the list if they have "a case rate greater than 15 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 resident population, per day, over a 7-day rolling average." If they fall below that threshold, they could be removed as well.
Chicago's travel order first began on July 6.
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said travelers entering or returning to Chicago from "states experiencing a surge in new COVID-19 cases" will need to quarantine "for a 14-day period from the time of last contact within the identified state." Essential workers could be exempt from the quarantine requirement, however, as long as their employer certifies their work in writing.
The order is set to remain in effect until further notice.
The states currently included are: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas.
