Coronavirus

Wisconsin Still on Chicago's Travel Order, but For How Long?

The order is assessed on a weekly basis to determine if states should be added or removed from the list of locations travelers must quarantine from

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Chicago's travel order was updated once again Tuesday, dropping the list of places the city requires a quarantine from to 20 states and territories. Wisconsin remained on the quarantine list, but with a note.

The state is actually no longer reaching the metrics required to be added to the city's travel order, but in order for it to be removed, it needs to continue to stay below the threshold for one more week, city officials said.

Wisconsin was officially added to the city's order effective July 31, though the city noted exemptions for some people who work over the border.

Nebraska was also noted for having numbers below the threshold, but they too will need to continue that streak for another week before they will be officially off the city's order.

It wouldn't be the first time states have been removed from the quarantine list after being added earlier this summer.

Iowa, Kansas and Utah all fell off the quarantine list Tuesday after multiple weeks of case numbers below the city's threshold.

The city's travel order is evaluated every Tuesday, with any additions taking effect the following Friday.

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.

The states included are: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. Puerto Rico was also recently added to the list.

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.

New York and New Jersey are also asking visitors from several states, including Illinois, to quarantine themselves for two weeks.

Still, outside of Chicago, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the state likely won't require residents who travel to and from neighboring states to quarantine for two weeks solely because of that travel.

"We don't live in a country where you close the borders between states," Pritzker said during the governor's coronavirus briefing. "And we're not going to stop people who live in Illinois and work in Wisconsin from doing so."

Four states, including Wisconsin, were added to Chicago’s emergency travel order Tuesday, requiring anyone visiting or returning to the city from one of now 22 states to self-quarantine for 14 days.
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