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Chicago Continues to Add States to Its Travel Advisory List As COVID-19 Cases Climb

Chicago added six more destinations to its travel advisory list on Tuesday as coronavirus cases continue to rise all around the country.

Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, South Carolina, Utah, and Puerto Rico were updated to the city's "orange" advisory, bringing the total list up to 19 states and two territories. Destinations are added to the list if they surpass 15 cases per day, per 100,000 residents, according to the city.

Currently, the orange list includes Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

"Unvaccinated travelers from these areas are advised to quarantine for 10 days if they have not received a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of arriving in Chicago," the city's Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted. Fully vaccinated travelers don't have to get tested or quarantine, according to the city.

Chicago has continually updated its travel advisory list over the past several weeks. The city initially added Missouri and Arkansas — the first time states had been upgraded to "orange" since June 1 — and then expanded the list to include 15 destinations.

O'Hare Airport
O'Hare Airport

DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images

Chicago is seeing an increase in cases at home as well. The city's daily average positivity rate has grown to 3.5%, an increase from the week before when it was 2.7%.

"Chicago's Emergency Travel Order was changed to an Advisory on June 29, after three consecutive reporting periods of no states crossing the threshold of 15 cases per 100,000 residents per day," the city wrote in its advisory. "That Emergency Travel Order could be reinstated by the City at any time, if surges in COVID cases continue and the number of states on the list continues to grow."

The decision to add more states to the travel advisory list comes as the Illinois Department of Public Health has said it is "fully adopting" updated indoor mask-wearing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state joins several destinations that have re-implemented indoor mask mandates, including Las Vegas and Disney.

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.