Arkansas Added Back To Chicago Travel Advisory; Alabama, Mississippi, And Tennessee Removed From List

CHICAGO (CBS) -- One week after being taken off Chicago's travel advisory, Arkansas was added back to the list, while three other states – Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee – were removed. That leaves 38 states and one U.S. territory on the list.

Arkansas was taken off the city's COVID-19 travel advisory list after its daily case rate had fallen below 15 per 100,000 residents for two weeks in a row, but with its case rate rising again, it is back on the travel advisory.

The city's COVID-19 travel advisory list includes every U.S. state and territory except: Alabama, Connecticut, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and the Virgin Islands.

City officials recommend people who aren't vaccinated get tested for COVID one to three days before heading to a state or territory on the travel advisory list, and again three to five days before returning to Chicago.

Public health officials also recommend unvaccinated people who visit a state or territory on the travel advisory list quarantine for at least seven days upon arriving in Chicago, even if they test negative. Unvaccinated people who don't get a COVID test should quarantine for at least 10 days.

Anyone who is traveling is required to wear a mask on public transportation – including planes, trains, and buses – regardless of their vaccination status. An indoor mask mandate also remains in place for public places in all of Illinois.

Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said traveling for unvaccinated people "is a risky move, especially if you plan to visit other Midwest or Upper Midwest states, where the daily case rates have not been going down."

"Fully vaccinated people are at a much lower risk of serious COVID-related health problems, but all of us should be careful over the coming weeks – even more so if you plan to be among crowds or at large family gatherings," Arwady said in a statement.