On September 22, the City of Chicago updated their Covid-19 travel advisory to remove Kentucky and Louisiana. Wisconsin, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, and Puerto Rico were added to the order. The travel order requires a 14-day quarantine period for residents returning home and travelers arriving from states currently experiencing a surge in Covid-19 cases.
The covered states now include: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin. The list of states included in the order will be updated every Tuesday and the order will remain in effect until further notice. This does not impact travelers arriving to Chicago from any international destinations.
Given Wisconsin's proximity to Chicago, please review additional information specific to Wisconsin at the bottom of this page.
Under this health order, hotels are being asked to communicate the 14-day quarantine to guests who have traveled from one of the impacted states. Our properties are expected to post signage at check-in, on their websites and in pre-arrival communications.
To help you comply with this order, IHLA has drafted sample language for you to include on your hotel’s website and pre-arrival communications, below. We have also updated our template poster for use at your front desk.
Click Here To Download Poster For Your Front Desk Sample Language for Pre-Arrival Communications Below: Chicago Travel Advisory Alert The City of Chicago recently announced an incoming travel advisory that requires all individuals traveling from states with a case rate greater than 15 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 resident population, per day, over a 7-day rolling average, quarantine for a 14-day period from the time of last contact within a covered state.
Current States on the List (Effective September 25): Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin Please refer to www.chicago.gov/coronavirus for additional resources and updates.
Additional Information on Wisconsin The case levels in Wisconsin exceed the threshold to become one of the states on the City of Chicago’s Emergency Travel Order. Thisrequires individuals coming from Wisconsin to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Chicago. This order goes into effect on Friday, September 25 at 12:01AM.
The Order applies to individuals arriving in Chicago, while they are in the city. This does not include individuals who are commuting from Wisconsin to Chicago for the purpose of work; however, such commuters are subject to the requirements below. It does include individuals coming from Wisconsin to Chicago for non-work purposes or Chicago residents returning from Wisconsin counties unless they are deemed an essential worker. Individuals travelingthroughWisconsin on their way to Chicago from a state not on the list do not need to quarantine if they were in Wisconsin for less than 24 hours. Individuals who travel to Wisconsin, even if for less than 24 hours, still need to quarantine upon returning unless deemed an essential worker.
Essential Workers Exemption For purposes of the Order, “essential workers” are not subject to the mandatory self-quarantine if they are:
A resident of Chicago returning from Wisconsin who was in Wisconsin for the primary purpose of carrying out essential work. The essential worker must have needed to be physically present in that county in order to carry out that primary work, with identification issued by their employer.
A non-resident of Chicago, who is traveling from Wisconsin to Chicago for the purpose of carrying out essential work. The essential worker must need to be physically present in Chicago in order to carry out that work, with identification issued by their employer.
An essential worker whose travel is for non-work purposes is subject to the mandatory self-quarantine and is not covered by this exception. An “essential worker” is a person who works in critical infrastructure as designated by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Essential worker” includes any state, local, and federal officials and employees traveling in their official capacities on government business, including military service.
Requirements for Commuters and Essential Workers Essential workers traveling to Wisconsin for work purposes and commuters to Chicago from Wisconsin are subject to the following requirements:
They must limit their activities to work-related activities and functions that directly support their work-related activities, and avoid public spaces as much as possible.
Essential workers should monitor temperature and signs of symptoms, wear a face covering when in public, maintain social distance, and clean and disinfect work spaces.
Essential workers are required, to the extent possible, to avoid extended periods in public, contact with strangers, and large congregate settings.
Exceptions to the Order for personal travel will be permitted for travel for medical care and parental shared custody. The Commissioner of Health may additionally grant an exemption based upon an organization’s or business’ testing and other control policies or in extraordinary circumstances, which warrant an exception from mandatory quarantine, subject to the terms and conditions applied to essential workers or terms and conditions otherwise imposed by the Commissioner in the interest of public health.
