Chicago Adds 9 States to Its Travel Advisory List As Illinois Recommends Masks Indoors for All

Alison Fox
·2 min read
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The city of Chicago added nine states to its travel advisory list amid a surge of coronavirus cases throughout the country.

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming were all added to the "orange" list of destinations experiencing at least 15 cases per day, per 100,000 residents, according to the city. They join Arkansas, Missouri, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which were already on the list.

All unvaccinated travelers coming from an "orange" destination are "advised" to either get tested for COVID-19 within 72 hours of traveling to Chicago or quarantine for 10 days upon arrival, according to the city. The list is updated once per week.

Earlier this month, Chicago started adding states back onto the advisory list, starting with Missouri and Arkansas. It was the first time states had been upgraded to "orange" since June 1.

In addition, the Illinois Department of Public Health said it was "fully adopting" updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending everyone wear a mask indoors, regardless of their vaccinations status.

Chicago
Chicago

DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images

"While data continues to show the effectiveness of the three COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized in the U.S., including against the Delta variant, we are still seeing the virus rapidly spread among the unvaccinated," IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in a statement. "Cases and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 both continue to increase, overwhelmingly among the unvaccinated, but the risk is greater for everyone if we do not stop the ongoing spread of the virus and the Delta variant."

Illinois isn't alone in reinstating mask rules. Earlier this month, Los Angeles brought back an indoor mask mandate, and Las Vegas is now requiring employees to wear face coverings indoors.

Chicago is currently seeing a 2.8% daily average positivity rate for COVID-19 cases. Citywide, 58% of people have received at least one dose of a vaccine and 51.9% are fully vaccinated.

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.