Chicago quarantine COVID-19 travel order: Wisconsin among several states added back on list
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Wisconsin and other states were added to Chicago's COVID-19 emergency travel order Tuesday.
Montana, Idaho, Minnesota, and Puerto Rico were also added back on the list after seeing a rise in cases.
Kentucky and Louisiana were removed from the list.
States on the travel order are seeing new cases at a rate of greater than 15 per 100,000 per day or higher.
The situation per capita in Wisconsin is now worse than anywhere else in the country, except for in North and South Dakota, according to health officials.
It's prompted Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers to declare a public health emergency in the state for the third time since the start of the pandemic. It also extends the existing mask mandate, through November.
Carthage College in Kenosha has implemented a gradual return to in-person learning this semester. As of last week most of Its 2600 students are back. And while masks are the norm and on-campus gatherings limited, 15 cases of Covid were diagnosed there last week.
"We are seeing an alarming increase in cases across our state, especially on campus," said Evers. "We need folks to start taking this seriously, and young people especially, please stay home as much as you are able, skip heading to the bars, and wear a mask whenever you go out."
It's not a huge amount, compared to larger universities, but It's still a challenge for campus officials determined to make things work as they continue to promote safe and responsible behaviors.
"We want to make sure you can stay here and enjoy having in person learning along with the combination of some remote activity, but to do that, we have to do our best." said Carthage College Dean of Students Kimberlie Goldsberry. "So let's try to prevent ourselves from being in the same situations other places have been by learning from those situations."
Last week, Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady warned that Wisconsin would likely be added if cases did not go down in the state.
"Unfortunately Wisconsin is currently in very poor control when it comes to COVID," said Arwady. "You can see that over the last 14 days they've had an increase of more than 130% in their cases of COVID."
The travel order does not apply to people who have to drive to work between Chicago and Wisconsin.
RELATED: Quarantine Travel States: Illinois launches online COVID-19 hotspot map for travelers
The states and territories currently subject to quarantine are:
-Alabama
-Arkansas
-Georgia
-Idaho
-Iowa
-Kansas
-Minnesota
-Missouri
-Montana
-Nebraska
-North Dakota
-Oklahoma
-Puerto Rico
-South Carolina
-South Dakota
-Tennessee
-Utah
-Wisconsin
Travelers from the states are required to quarantine for 14 days. Essential workers are exempt. However, they are asked to limit activities to work activities and monitor for any symptoms.
Violators can be fined $100 - $500 per day, up to a maximum of $7,000.
