Every State And Territory In The U.S. Now Included On Chicago COVID-19 Travel Advisory

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Every U.S. state and territory is now included on the City of Chicago's travel advisory, after the Chicago Department of Public Health added Montana and Guam to the list early Wednesday.

Guam and Montana were the only state and territory not on the city's COVID-19 travel advisory last week, but both were added to the advisory on Wednesday after their average daily case rate rose above 15 per 100,000 residents.

The travel advisory now includes the entire U.S.

"COVID is very real, it's merciless, and unless you are fully vaccinated, your defenses against it are pretty low," CDPH Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in a statement. "You can only fully fight this virus if you're vaccinated. The evidence is overwhelming – if you are fully vaccinated and you do get COVID-19, there's very little chance you will get so ill that you require hospitalization. Your chances aren't nearly as good if you remain unvaccinated. Unvaccinated and vaccinated travelers alike should consider if their travel plans are necessary at this time."

States and territories can be removed from the city's travel advisory when their case rates drop below 15 per 100,000 residents for two weeks in a row.

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.

For international travel, the CDC now requires that all travelers, regardless of vaccination status or citizenship, get a negative COVID-19 viral test no more than 1 day before travel into the United States.

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, and Chicago and most of suburban Cook County also require people age 5 and up to show proof of vaccination at restaurants, bars, gyms, and other indoor venues that serve food and drinks.