CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Chicago health officials on Tuesday said to avoid travel to or from 43 states and Puerto Rico as they unveiled a new approach to the city’s Emergency Travel Order.
A three-tiered system now color-codes states in yellow, orange or red — with states in red having higher coronavirus case rates than Chicago.
People traveling from red-coded states are expected to quarantine for two weeks, while people coming from orange-coded states could be exempted from that isolation period if they get tested and it comes back negative shortly before arriving.
These latter travelers or returning Chicagoans would be expected to avoid gatherings and follow strict safety precautions, such as mask wearing.
Yellow-coded states — currently there are seven — have a comparatively low rate of cases, and no self-isolation is expected.
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Allison Arwady emphasized Chicagoans should avoid all non-essential travel.
“You, as a Chicago resident, are also at high risk of bringing COVID to these states,” she said.
The Emergency Travel Order will be updated every two weeks, rather than weekly, Arwady said.
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