Chicago issues travel advisory for Nevada over COVID-19 surge

Nevada’s increasing COVID-19 metrics have landed the state on a travel advisory from the city of Chicago.

The advisory updated Wednesday to include Nevada urges unvaccinated people to either test negative for COVID-19 or quarantine for a 10-day period when they return to Chicago. It is not compulsory.

In announcing that Nevada, Florida and Louisiana had been added to the list, the Chicago Department of Public Health noted that the states had surpassed its threshold of 15 cases per day, per 100,000 residents.

Arkansas, Missouri and the U.S. Virgin Islands are also on the list.

The move by Chicago followed an announcement last week by Los Angeles County’s top health official recommending that residents rethink travel to Nevada.

Daily statements to residents of Kaua’i County in Hawaii have warned since at least July 17 that many residents testing positive for COVID had recently traveled to Las Vegas. Officials said the city “poses significant risks.”

The advisories come as Nevada is grappling with a significant surge in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and a climbing test positivity rate. The state’s 14-day average of daily new cases stood at 652 as of Tuesday, while the test positivity rate has skyrocketed from 3.2 percent about a month ago to 12.4 percent.

The Clark County Commission on Tuesday enacted a mask mandate for employees, just a few days after the Southern Nevada Health District recommended that everyone wear a mask when indoors, even those who have been fully vaccinated.

Contact Jonah Dylan at jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan on Twitter.