Chicago travel order: 2 states, Virgin Islands removed from COVID advisory list; 2 others added back

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Chicago Department of Public Health removed two states and one territory from its weekly COVID-19 Travel Advisory Tuesday.

The video featured is from a previous report.

The city's COVID-19 quarantine advisory now includes 41 states and one territory after the removal of South Carolina, Texas and the Virgin Islands

While the two states and one territory were removed, the city also re-added California and Mississippi back onto the list after daily COVID case rates per 100,000 rose above 15. As of Tuesday, Arkansas is the only state eligible to come off the travel advisory next week, health officials said.

As of Tuesday, every state or territory except for Connecticut, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, and the Virgin Islands, are on the Travel Advisory.

Officials recommend that unvaccinated travelers should get tested one to three days before leaving on the trip as well as getting tested three to five days after returning. Unvaccinated travelers are asked to self-quarantine for seven days after returning from travel even if they test negative. Those who do not get tested should self-quarantine for 10 days after travel and avoid those at high-risk for COVID for 14 days after travel.

CDPH reminds unvaccinated travelers that under the Advisory, they should be tested for COVID before and after travel from any state on the advisory list and should quarantine upon arrival in Chicago.

The U.S. average daily case rate per 100,000 residents is 21.4, which is up from 17.8 last week, and nearly double Chicago's daily case rate of 11.5. Illinois' daily case rate currently is 16.5, its highest in more than four weeks.

"The movement of some states on and off our COVID Travel Advisory these past two weeks, and the ups and downs in daily COVID case rates show that this is no time for complacency," said CDPH Commissioner Allison Arwady, M.D. "Travelers, especially, need to be aware of this, and continue to take precautions against COVID, namely vaccination and keeping your masks on when you're around other people."

The video in the player above is from an earlier report.