With the brand new 12 months now underway, Chicago up to date its journey advisory in a single day to incorporate each U.S. state and territory, prompting metropolis well being officers to induce anybody trying to journey proper now to rethink their plans.
Final week, Montana and Guam remained the one places not on town’s warning checklist.
States are added to the advisory’s “orange checklist” when COVID metrics rise above the edge of 15 instances per day per 100,000 folks. Any beneath that mark are on the “yellow” checklist, with public well being officers nonetheless warning in opposition to non-essential journey.
“COVID may be very actual, it’s cruel, and except you might be totally vaccinated, your defenses in opposition to it are fairly low,” Chicago Division of Public Well being Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady mentioned in a press release. “You possibly can solely totally battle this virus for those who’re vaccinated. The proof is overwhelming – if you’re totally vaccinated and also you do get COVID-19, there’s little or no likelihood you’ll get so unwell that you simply require hospitalization. Your probabilities aren’t almost nearly as good if you stay unvaccinated. Unvaccinated and vaccinated vacationers alike ought to contemplate if their journey plans are crucial at the moment.”
The advisory is ready to be up to date each Tuesday, however the metropolis’s well being division mentioned this week’s was delayed as a consequence of a lag in information from the vacation weekend.
Simply earlier than the Labor Day vacation, town up to date its steering for what unvaccinated vacationers visiting or coming back from places on the advisory ought to do, including new testing and quarantining suggestions earlier than and after journey.
In keeping with town, earlier than journey, unvaccinated people ought to:
- Get examined 3-5 days previous to departure.
Whereas touring:
- ALL people no matter vaccination standing ought to put on a masks on planes, buses, trains, and different types of public transportation touring into, inside, or out of the US and whereas indoors at U.S. transportation hubs akin to airports and stations.
- In Chicago, put on a masks in all indoor public settings, no matter vaccination standing.
- Keep away from crowds, attempt to keep at the very least 6 ft/2 meters (about 2 arm lengths) from anybody who isn’t touring with you, and wash your palms typically or use hand sanitizer (with at the very least 60% alcohol).
After journey, unvaccinated people ought to:
- Get examined with a viral take a look at 3-5 days after journey AND keep residence and self-quarantine for a full 7 days.
- Even for those who take a look at damaging, keep residence and self-quarantine for the total 7 days.
- In case your take a look at is constructive, isolate your self to guard others from getting contaminated.
- In case you don’t get examined, keep residence and self-quarantine for 10 days after journey.
- Keep away from being round people who find themselves at elevated threat for extreme sickness for 14 days, whether or not you get examined or not.
The town suggested all vacationers to observe themselves for COVID-19 signs and isolate and get examined in the event that they develop any after journey.
“We have now seen and know that journey is a major threat issue for buying COVID,” Arwady mentioned. “In case you resolve to not get examined, the advice is definitely to remain residence and self quarantine for 10 days after journey, and it’s best to keep away from being round anyone who has an elevated threat for extreme COVID outcomes for 14 days after journey no matter whether or not you get examined or not. Clearly we wish anyone who’s touring to self monitor for COVID signs and get examined for those who develop signs.”
This week’s replace to the journey advisory comes at a time when the common each day variety of new instances in Chicago climbed to 4,775 per day – up 12% from the earlier week.
That determine is way increased than the low of 34 town noticed in late June and now exceeds the greater than 700 instances per day town was seeing throughout the latest surge earlier this 12 months.
Metropolis information confirmed hospitalizations are up 22% from the earlier week, however deaths are down by 9% since final week. The positivity price in testing rose to 23.3% this week, a pointy bounce from the 14.3% reported the week prior.
The journey advisory is up to date each Tuesday, with any adjustments taking impact the next Friday.
