While the U.S. is a leader in vaccinating its residents against COVID-19, many of the destinations Americans often travel to, including several Spanish-speaking countries, have much lower vaccination rates. How to protect yourself and the communities you visit this summer.

A permanent casino could open as soon as 2025 in Chicago, although slot machines could start ringing at O’Hare and Midway airports much sooner — with tentative plans for a temporary gaming palace also in play. 

One of the state’s top tourist attractions will soon begin reopening its doors after closing for eight months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The CDC says fully vaccinated people can now travel safely, but what does a new COVID-19 surge mean for the summer vacation season? 

Add travel to the activities vaccinated Americans can safely enjoy again. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance to say fully vaccinated people can travel within the U.S. without getting tested for the coronavirus or going into quarantine afterward.

Dr. Allison Arwady, the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said the uptick in virus cases in Michigan is of special concern because it appears to be driven in part by the spread of more transmissible variants of COVID-19.

Visitors to Chicago from 26 states and Puerto Rico no longer have to quarantine for 10 days or record a negative test for COVID-19, according to the city’s travel order, updated on Tuesday.

Chicago’s convention industry took a huge financial hit when COVID-19 shut down the city. McCormick Place, North America’s largest convention center, is looking to rebound this summer with dozens of events scheduled through the end of the year.

Before the pandemic, 14.6% of all Latina workers in the U.S. worked in the hospitality sector, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Two such workers who lost their jobs during the health crisis share their experiences.

The sound of hoofs pounding the pavement along the Magnificent Mile will be a thing of the past starting Friday, as a ban on horse-drawn carriages takes effect after a yearslong effort by animal welfare advocates.

Eleven firms are interested in building or operating a casino in Chicago — and eight told Mayor Lori Lightfoot that it should be downtown, according to a limited summary of the proposals submitted by firms released by the mayor’s office.

Chicago’s Justice of the Pies was one of 31 businesses named to the Office of Tourism’s Illinois Made program, which boosts the profile of the state’s makers, creators and artisans.

Airline layoffs, travel bans, quarantine orders – it’s been a calamitous year for the travel and tourism industry. Chicago’s independent travel agencies, scattered in storefronts across the city’s neighborhoods, have been anything but immune.

The warning about the increase in confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Indiana is designed to give Chicagoans who routinely cross the border time to prepare for the state to join the other 22 states now on the quarantine order, officials said.

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.

Starting Friday, Chicago’s quarantine order will apply to 21 states, but visitors from California and Puerto Rico will no longer be required to quarantine for two weeks, officials announced Tuesday.