Chicago Changes Rules, Restrictions For Coronavirus Travel Order

CHICAGO — Public health officials on Tuesday announced changes to the city's travel order to allow people to avoid mandatory quarantines with proof of negative coronavirus test results.

Chicago's travel rules now include two designations, eliminating mandatory quarantines for traveling to certain states.

Currently, people traveling to all 50 states except Hawaii are required to either quarantine for 10 days or have a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of returning to Chicago. Those states designated as "orange" on the new two-tiered system all have at least 15 daily cases per 100,000 resident.

Public health department Commissioner Dr. Alison Arwady said she still urges people to "please avoid travel if possible."

"We made this change to come more in line with updated [Centers for Disease Control] guidance related to travel, and also in recognition that increasingly testing is available in more settings ... at airports, through home testing, through more and more opportunities," she said.

People who travel to states that have fewer than 15 new daily cases per 100,000 population are not required to quarantine or produce a prearrival negative coronavirus test result.

People who violate the quarantine order could face fines daily fines ranging between $100 and $500 up to $7,000 total.