A quarantine requirement for anyone traveling to Chicago from Indiana began Friday as the state was officially added to the city's emergency travel order.
Officials announced Tuesday that Indiana and three other states would be added to Chicago's travel order, effective Friday, with few exceptions to the quarantine requirement.
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.
The city's travel order is evaluated every Tuesday, with any additions taking effect the following Friday.
Students and people who usually travel to Indiana for work are exempt from the quarantine restrictions, but only if they travel for school and work purposes. People needing medical care or those traveling for parental shared custody are also exempt.
Health officials in Indiana reported yet another record Friday, with more than 2,300 new cases of coronavirus and 22 additional deaths attributed to the virus.
The 2,328 new cases mark the highest single-day total for the state since the pandemic began and the state's first daily total above 2,000.
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According to data released by the Indiana State Department of Health, Friday's new cases bring the statewide total to 243,495 total cases since the pandemic began, with 3,654 total fatalities related to COVID-19.
In the last 24 hours, 30,506 total tests were administered to 12,057 Indiana residents, marking a significant jump from earlier in the week. Still, the state’s seven-day positivity increased from 5.4% to 5.8% on all tests and rose from 9.9% to 10.4% on individuals tested during that time.
The numbers come after Indiana's top health adviser announced Wednesday she has tested positive for the virus. Gov. Eric Holcomb revealed Thursday that he and members of his staff as well as the state's health department have since tested negative.
State officials took away nearly all restrictions on the state over the past month after analyzing data from the state's health department. Metrics have continued to increase in Indiana in recent weeks, according to data from the ISDH.
Holcomb said he decided against reinstating tougher restrictions on businesses and crowd sizes despite the state’s sharp increases in COVID-19 hospitalizations and new infections.
Holcomb announced he would extend his statewide mask order for another month while scolding those across the state who he said were showing disregard for the safety of others, putting the ability of schools to remain open and the health of those most at risk of severe illness from the virus in jeopardy.
“Those inactions are costing, just to be blunt, health care costs, lost wages, business failures. Don’t kid yourself, we’re all paying this bill,” Holcomb said.
