Illinois Travel Quarantine Rules: Understanding The 14-Day Isolation Period

As of July 2020, there was no statewide quarantine order in Illinois. However, Chicago, the state's most populous city, had its own travel order in place. This required anyone entering or returning to the city from a list of states with high COVID-19 case rates to quarantine for 14 days. The list of states was updated every Tuesday, and the order was to remain in effect until further notice.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said that the state wouldn't require residents travelling to and from neighbouring states to quarantine for two weeks solely because of that travel. He noted that Illinois has a lot of border counties where people cross back and forth because they have family or work on the other side. He also said that it would be challenging to implement a statewide travel order that requires two weeks of quarantining.

Chicago's travel order

The order applies to states with a case rate greater than 15 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 resident population per day, over a 7-day rolling average. States that meet this criterion are placed on the "orange list", with all other states on the "yellow list". As of May 4, 2021, there were 18 states on the orange list, including Indiana, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Florida, and Delaware. The remaining 31 states, plus the District of Columbia, were on the yellow list.

For travellers from orange-list states, a 10-day quarantine is required, or a negative test no earlier than 72 hours before arrival in Chicago. Alternatively, travellers can be exempt from these requirements if they are fully vaccinated (defined as two weeks after the second dose of a two-dose vaccine, or two weeks after one dose of a single-dose vaccine) and are not experiencing symptoms.

The order does not apply to individuals passing through states for less than 24 hours, daily commuters to and from neighbouring states, or those travelling for medical care, parental shared custody, or essential business.

Violations of the order can result in fines of between $100 and $500 per day, up to $7,000.

No statewide travel restrictions

As of February 24, 2023, there were no statewide travel restrictions in Illinois. However, the Illinois Department of Public Health has adopted CDC recommendations and guidance.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said that the state won't require residents who travel to and from neighbouring states to quarantine for two weeks solely because of that travel. He added that Illinois has a lot of border counties where people cross back and forth because they have family or work on the other side.

While a statewide travel order is likely not in Illinois' future, Pritzker reminded residents to wear masks. He said:

> What we need is for Illinoisans to do -- frankly, what most people have been doing, but we just need everybody to pay close, close attention to -- is this. If you're not wearing a mask, you're doing it wrong. You have to wear a mask.

Chicago, however, has its own travel order that requires anyone entering or returning to the city from certain states to quarantine for two weeks.

No statewide quarantine orders

As of July 22, 2020, Illinois had not issued any travel restrictions. While there is no statewide travel order, Chicago, the most populous city in the state, has its own travel order. This requires anyone entering or returning to the city from a list of states deemed high-risk to quarantine for 14 days. The list of states is updated every Tuesday and the order will remain in effect until further notice.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker acknowledged that every state bordering Illinois has either "doubled or tripled" the state's positivity rate. However, he stated that a statewide travel order would be challenging as it would be difficult to ask people who cross the border every day for work to quarantine for 14 days. Instead, he reminded residents to wear masks.

No restrictions on domestic travel

As of February 24, 2023, Illinois had not issued any travel restrictions. The Illinois Department of Public Health has adopted CDC recommendations and guidance.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the state won't require residents who travel to and from neighbouring states to quarantine for two weeks solely because of that travel. "We don't live in a country where you close the borders between states," Pritzker said. "And we're not going to stop people who live in Illinois and work in Wisconsin from doing so."

However, Chicago, the state's most populous city, has its own travel order. As of July 22, 2020, Chicago required anyone entering or returning to the city from 18 states, including Kansas, to quarantine for two weeks. This was because of a spike in coronavirus cases in those states.

No statewide travel advisory

As of July 22, 2020, Illinois did not have any statewide travel restrictions in place. However, the state's governor, J.B. Pritzker, noted that every state bordering Illinois had either "doubled or tripled" their positivity rate. He also pointed out that the state's downstate Metro East health region, which borders St. Louis, Missouri, had a positivity rate of 7.1% and was "dangerously close" to more restrictions.

At the time, Pritzker said that a statewide travel order requiring a two-week quarantine was "challenging" and "not something [they could] really do" because many Illinois residents cross state borders for work and family. Instead, he urged Illinoisans to wear masks and follow other COVID-19 safety measures.

While there was no statewide travel advisory, Chicago—the state's most populous city—had its own emergency travel order in place. As of July 2020, travelers entering or returning to Chicago from 18 states, including Kansas, were required to self-quarantine for 14 days. This mandate was enforced with fines ranging from $100 to $500 per day, up to $7,000 in total.

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