Chicago's travel advisory list now includes 31 states

Currently, 31 states and two territories are on Chicago's travel advisory after 12 new states were added on Tuesday due to escalating COVID-19 cases linked to the delta variant, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.

On August 10, the Windy City included California, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin in its advisory, citing COVID-19 metrics not seen since April, including a daily average of 362 cases, a 44% increase from the previous week, and a 3.8% positivity rate, according to data from Chicago's COVID-19 dashboard.

"The City's COVID Travel Advisory now encompasses 31 states and two territories, all of which have exceeded 15 cases per day per 100,000 residents," the advisory stated. "This marks the first time since April 19 that more states are above the 15 cases/day/100k threshold than below it. The U.S. average daily case rate stands at 25.4 per 100,000 residents."

While the city's travel advisory is no longer mandatory, unvaccinated travelers arriving from those states, along with 19 others on the travel advisory list—including Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, and Texas—are encouraged to either take a COVID-19 test within 72 hours before arriving in Chicago or self-quarantine for 10 days. Vaccinated individuals are exempt from these testing and quarantine requirements.

It's important to note that Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) ranks among the busiest airports globally, being the sixth busiest in 2018. It's uncertain whether this situation will lead some travelers to rethink their plans for flying through Chicago.

On July 16, the Chicago Department of Public Health reinstated testing requirements for unvaccinated visitors from neighboring states Missouri and Arkansas, reversing their earlier decision to lift travel restrictions in June due to successful vaccination efforts and declining COVID-19 cases. However, the ongoing spread of the delta variant prompted Chicago to update its advisory list. In late July, city health officials urged residents to resume wearing masks indoors, and on August 4, Governor JB Pritzker announced a statewide mask mandate for K-12 schools.

"Chicago surpassed the 200-cases-per-day threshold, and following CDC and CDPH guidance, we recommend that all city residents and anyone over the age of 2 in Chicago wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status," stated Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady on August 1.

In spite of rising concerns from city officials, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot permitted the 30th annual Lollapalooza music festival to proceed as scheduled last month, attracting over 385,000 attendees.