Chicago adds Arkansas, removes 3 states from COVID-19 travel advisory
CHICAGO - The City of Chicago added one state and removed three others from its COVID-19 travel advisory on Tuesday.
The city's list is meant to give residents guidance on where it is safe to travel, and what to do if they do have to go to a high-risk area.
On Tuesday, Chicago removed Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee from the list because they had daily COVID case rates below 15 per 100,000 residents for the past two weeks.
Arkansas was re-added to the list for a daily case rate of 16.6 per 100,000 residents.
The full list currently includes 38 states and two territories. Every state or territory is listed on the advisory except for Alabama, Connecticut, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and the Virgin Islands.
"Right now, for unvaccinated people, traveling over Thanksgiving is a risky move, especially if you plan to visit other Midwest or Upper Midwest states, where the daily case rates have not been going down," CDPH Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in a statement. "Fully vaccinated people are at a much lower risk of serious COVID-related health problems, but all of us should be careful over the coming weeks – even more so if you plan to be among crowds or at large family gatherings."
Chicago recommends that if you have to travel to a high-risk state, you should be tested before and after and quarantine when you return home to Chicago.