Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Leroy_Skalstad / Pixabay)
Visitors from Wisconsin to Chicago will continue to be required to quarantine for two weeks in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus, as the northeast part of the state experiences a surge of cases and hospitalizations, city officials announced Tuesday.
City officials also added Kentucky, Wyoming, Texas and Nevada to the quarantine order, effective Friday.
No states on Tuesday were removed from the order, which now includes 23 states. Georgia could be removed as soon as Oct. 6, if the number of confirmed coronavirus cases keeps declining, officials said.
Chicago Department of Public Health officials are also closely watching the spread of the pandemic in North Carolina, which recorded a spike in cases this week due to a data anomaly, officials said.
Violators of the order could face fines of $100 to $500 per day for a maximum fine of $7,000, according to Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office. However, city officials have said they're relying on an education campaign, rather than an enforcement effort. No one has been cited for violating the order.
Travel by essential workers is exempt from the order, according to the mayor’s office, as is travel to obtain medical care or exchange children subject to a shared custody order.
An average of 300 Chicagoans have been diagnosed each day with the coronavirus during the past week, a 2% increase from the previous week, according to Chicago Department of Public Health data. The city’s average test positivity rate is 4.3%, while an average of 7.7% of all people tested for COVID-19 have the virus, according to the data.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
