What Are The Changes Expected For Chicago's Travel Order?

Author: Priyanka Saxena on Nov 23,2020

As Covid-19 cases have been surging ahead all over the country, States are critical in ceasing this heavy rise to contain the spread of the disease. Travel has been restrained in many states as the average cases have seen an unstable upsurge. Health Departments have been working their efforts out to resolve this mess through different rules and travel orders, trying to minimize the debacle.

In course of this, Recently, Chicago’s Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady announced a travel order to be adhered to by people who travel to the city. As Chicago’s cases have shot up to an unbearable level, the health department has been critical to screen and check the passengers who reach the state from other states. Currently, 46 states have been included in this issue, and anybody traveling from this place will have to oblige by the rules laid out by the travel order. The travel order has been in place effective from Nov 13th, and the effect has been implemented to perfection till now.

In the travel order issued, she classified and named the states and their pertaining order to be followed during travel.

Yellow listed states:

The states are categorized as yellow if they have less than 15 cases per day as a week’s moving average. The states which have less than 15 cases do not need any medical approvals or quarantine. They will be free to enter the city provided they are committed to following the strict guidelines of wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. Currently, Maine, Vermont, and Hawaii are listed as yellow states. The color listings could change as and when the cases increase.

Orange listed states:

The states classified as orange include places between 15 cases per day as a moving average of a week and the number of cases for a week’s moving average in Chicago. The people who travel from these states have an option to either subject themselves to a 14-day quarantine or carry a negative Covid-19 test result that has been taken within 72 hours before their departure. Any result beyond that timeframe will not be accepted. The validation of passenger’s results and details will be in place soon, as every passenger will be checked for the necessary documents as they enter the state. Alabama, Missouri, Texas, Georgia, Los Angeles, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, New York, Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania are states marked as orange.

Red listed states:

These states have higher restrictions, as people from these states have a high risk of carrying the virus. These states have a higher number of cases than the week’s moving average of Chicago. The people from these states will strictly adhere to a 14-day quarantine. Utah, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa are states that are marked red.

The above travel orders are in coordination with Illinois. These rules apply to people irrespective of any symptoms.

Dr.Arwady indicated that it is highly risky to do any kind of travel and it would be more convenient if people postpone or cancel their travel plans. People who are discovered to have breached the rules will be severely fined and the amount will range from $ 100 to as much as $ 7000. People need to choose their travel reasons very carefully, as only a few exemptions will be granted. The reasons which will call for a leeway include medical issues, business, and work-related affairs. People who cross through the state for transit purposes are also exempted if their stay does not extend 24 hours.

All this emphasizes clearly that travel is best avoided. This is no time to dwell on vacations as anybody who risks traveling this time is highly prone to get infected. Illinois’s Public Health Director Dr. Izike stated the fact that the travelers are also likely to be carriers of the virus affecting the places they reach and people they meet.

Dr. Arwady, also gave better choices of travel, analyzing the different options of travel options available. Self-transport seems to be a safer choice as it avoids crowds. However, taking a bus or train might shoot up the chances of infection as there is a lesser option to maintain space. Traveling through flights could be a better option considering the spaced allocation on lines for security and immigration. People who rely on self-transport should be watchful of their ways to protect themselves from catching the virus. Sanitizing and cleaning are necessary for these people and precautions need to be taken seriously irrespective of any travel medium.