Traveling from Iowa to Chicago? You’ll have to quarantine for two weeks

Associated Press

Jul. 14, 2020 6:38 pm

CHICAGO - People traveling from Iowa and Oklahoma to Chicago will have to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival or face possible fines starting Friday.

Chicago first issued a quarantine order early this month for 15 other states based on increasing numbers of confirmed cases of the coronavirus. The city updated the order Tuesday, bringing the total number of affected states to 17.

States are included based on the rate of new confirmed cases per 100,000 residents.

The Illinois Department of Public Health on Tuesday reported 707 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 25 deaths in the state. Overall, there have been 155,506 confirmed cases and 7,218 deaths since the pandemic began.

Also Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced about $109 million for schools to address equity issues, the latest federal education funding during the coronavirus pandemic.

The money is coming from the Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund, awarded to each state through the federal coronavirus aid act. It's being used for early childhood, K-12 and higher education on issues including safety and bridging inequities in technology.

Illinois officials have already announced about $512 million in federal money for school districts across the state.

A public service message thanking healthcare workers is seen against the Chicago skyline Monday, March 30, 2020. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)