There’s some major travel news coming out of Chicago late on July 2. In a tweet, Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued an emergency travel order announcing the city would impose a mandatory 14-day quarantine beginning Monday July 6 for anyone arriving from 15 states that are seeing spikes in the coronavirus outbreak.
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Anyone who has spent more than 24 hours in the following states are impacted: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
Related: Another new record of coronavirus cases
Florida, as an example, reported more than 10,000 cases on July 2 alone.
The rule doesn’t apply to people transiting through Chicago or its airports.
Anyone found in violation of the new order will face fines of $100-$500 per day, up to $7,000. It is not yet clear how the order will be enforced, but New York state has asked police to check drivers with out-of-state license plates, perform random checks of visitors arriving by air, and has set up a hotline for residents to report offenders. New York is imposing fines of up to $10,000.
The city of Chicago says those coming from the most-impacted states must stay put — in their home, hotel, or rental — for 14 days before doing any outside activities.
The rule comes as the United States hits another daily record for COVID-19 cases, recording more than 50,000 cases in a single day.
Related: State-by-state guide to reopening
Connecticut and New Jersey agreed to the quarantine rules at the same time as New York, but are relying on the honor system for enforcement.
As The Points Guy has been reporting, a strict 14-day quarantine in Hawaii is set to be lifted on August 1, but only for those who’ve had a PCR COVID-19 test within 72 hours of their arrival in Hawaii. You must take an FDA-approved PCR test from a certified laboratory before arrival, and no testing will be done at the airport. That’s if you can find a testing site that will deliver results that quickly. As we recently reported, that’s no easy task.
Related: 5 things to know about visiting Hawaii right now
Related: What it’s like to fly in the U.S. right now
Alaska visitors are required to self-quarantine for 14 days or to show proof of a negative test upon arrival in Alaska. Unlike Hawaii, they are offering testing on arrival. Visitors who are tested on arrival must quarantine until the test results are known. If they test positive they must isolate until they are well at their own expense.
And if you missed it, here’s our country-by-country guide to reopenings.
Additional resources for traveling during the coronavirus outbreak:
- How coronavirus is impacting airline award availability
- How coronavirus has left the travel industry reeling
- Airlines scale back inflight offerings due to coronavirus
- How to ward off coronavirus in your hotel room
- Guide to traveling during the coronavirus outbreak
- Extreme measures cruise lines are taking during coronavirus
