Chicago adds final remaining state to travel advisory

Chicago added the last remaining state — Vermont — to its COVID-19 travel advisory on Wednesday, meaning that unvaccinated residents from all states, outside of Illinois, and territories have to quarantine for a week upon arriving in the city.

“Vermont was the only state not on the Travel Advisory last week, but it has now surpassed 15 new COVID cases per 100,000 residents per day and joined the rest of the states, as well as the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, on the [Chicago Department of Public Health] CDPH list,” Chicago’s updated travel advisory said on Wednesday.

The Chicago Department of Public Health is also asking unvaccinated residents traveling into the city from those areas to test themselves before and after they return.

States make it onto the travel advisory when their COVID-19 transmission equals or surpasses 15 daily cases per 100,000 residents. In a tweet issued later, the city noted that two states and Washington, D.C., fell below that COVID-19 transmission rate but would stay on the advisory one more week.

“New Hampshire, Connecticut, and the District of Columbia, fell below the mark, but stay on the advisory for at least one more week. States must stay below it for 2 weeks to go from orange to yellow,” the department tweeted Wednesday.

New Hampshire, Connecticut, and the District of Columbia, fell below the mark, but stay on the advisory for at least one more week. States must stay below it for 2 weeks to go from orange to yellow. (5/5)

More info: https://t.co/srFN0wm0V9

— Chicago Department of Public Health (@ChiPublicHealth) September 8, 2021

According to city data as of Saturday, Chicago has a daily case rate of 16.8 cases per 100,000 people. A week prior — on Aug. 28 — the city had a daily case rate of 18.9 cases per 100,000 residents. 

The city boasts a generally high vaccination rate of 71 percent of Chicagoans aged 12 years and older who have been at least partially vaccinated and 65 percent who which are fully vaccinated.

Chicago instituted a mask mandate last month to further curb the spread of COVID-19, which requires all residents aged 2 years and older to wear a facial covering indoors regardless of vaccination status. Dozens of Chicago restaurants have already been cited for violating the mask mandate. 

Updated Sept. 9 at 7 a.m.