Chicago Orders 14-Day Quarantine To Visiting Californians Over Rising COVID-19 Cases

CHICAGO (CBS SF) – Officials in Chicago, the nation's third most populous city, have become the latest to tell visiting Californians to self-quarantine upon arrival amid a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday issued the emergency order directing travelers arriving from states with high rates of coronavirus to quarantine for two weeks. Chicago residents who are returning from impacted states are also being told to self-quarantine.

Lightfoot said in a tweet the order is intended to "preserve the gains Chicago had made" in fighting the virus.

Along with California, the order impacts travelers from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. Officials said the list of states covered by the order would be reviewed weekly.

The order does not apply to people who have been in an impacted state for less than 24 hours, such as during a layover, or to anyone traveling to other areas of Illinois. Chicago residents who are hosting friends and relatives from affected states are not required to self-quarantine, while travelers are being urged to minimize close interactions with people they are staying with during the 14-day period.

Chicago's order comes as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told people visiting from California and other states with rising case counts to self-quarantine upon arrival in the Empire State, which was hard hit by COVID-19 earlier this year.

Meanwhile, officials in the European Union have banned travelers from the United States for at least two weeks due to surges across the country.

People who violate the travel order could face fines ranging from $100 to $500 a day, up to $7,000, officials said.

The order goes into effect on Monday.

In:
• Chicago
• California
• Coronavirus