Chicago Travel Advisory Changes, BA.2 Growth – NBC Chicago

On Mar 25, 2022

Changes to Chicago’s travel advisory are set to take effect Friday, but what will the new guidelines mean for you?

The changes come as the BA.2 variant is now dominant in parts of the U.S. and could soon represent the majority of cases in the Midwest.

Here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic across Illinois today:

Chicago Travel Advisory Changes Begin Friday. Here Are the New Guidelines

Chicago’s travel advisory will look different starting on Friday as city officials announced changes to how the advisory is structured.

When asked about masks at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, travelers said the face coverings bring an element of comfort amid crowded flights. NBC 5’s Chris Coffey reports.

Following changes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the city said it will instead categorize counties and locations as low, medium or high risk, based on data provided by the CDC. Residents will need to check the map for the latest information prior to travel.

Here are the new guidelines.

Chicago’s Top Doctor Discusses New Travel Advisory, Why City Made Changes

New travel advisory policies implemented by the city of Chicago will take effect this week, and the city’s top doctor is elaborating on why the new mitigations have been put into place.

Previously, any individual traveling to a high-risk COVID area was encouraged to take a COVID test and to quarantine for at least five days after returning, but under the new guidance, those parameters have been tweaked.

Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, says that the new metrics and recommendations are in line with changes made by the CDC.

As BA.2 Variant Causes Cases to Rise in New York, Cases Also Start Going Up in Midwest

As New York begins to see a subvariant of omicron become the dominant strain in the city, the Midwest is also beginning to see more cases emerge.

According to the CDC, the so-called “stealth” omicron variant BA.2 has been driving the uptick in cases in the New York area, with the strain now accounting for at least 52% of the new COVID cases in the region in recent weeks, estimates suggest.

Nationally, the BA.2 variant is responsible for 35% of new infections.

Illinois Reports More Than 1,700 New COVID Cases as Hospitalizations Remain Near Record Lows

The state of Illinois has remained consistent with its average number of new daily COVID cases in recent weeks, but Thursday saw a slight uptick in those numbers, with more than 1,700 new probable and confirmed cases reported in the last 24 hours.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the state reported 1,723 new cases in the last day, bumping the state’s daily average to 1,160 cases per day over the last week.

Airline Mask Mandate: When the Requirement Expires and What to Know Before Traveling

With a busy spring break season underway, travelers are asking about the nationwide public transportation mask mandate before departing on their getaways.

Citing a recommendation federal health officials, the Transportation Security…