tony732

All,

I'll be flying from MCI to MDW on 10/26/20 to deal with a family emergency. As far as the emergency COVID declaration with the City of Chicago goes, is there a requirement to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival or is it just a strong recommendation. I've heard rumors that those found in non compliance can be fined up to $7000. If there's anyone who lives in Chicago or travels in/out of Midway often that could clarify, please advise. I need to figure this out as soon as possible. As I stated before, I'll be flying in 10/26 and leaving 11/2.

Thank You

TWA884

From the order:From the FAQs:Additional information here.

DavidDTW

https://www.chicagotribune.com/coron...s5i-story.html

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/site...more%20rows%20

tony732

Thanks for replying. I actually made contact with the Chicago 3-1-1 center and got clarification. Since I'm only going to be there for a week, I'm not subject to the 14-day quarantine. They're not being heavy-handed with enforcement and are allowing people to do their own thing provided they abide by masks and social distancing requirements.

Often1

I think that you only heard a part of what the 3-1-1 center said or perhaps the agent garbled it. But, in any event, without prying into your "family emergency" and whether it fits the specifics of an exemption, you can make that determination and then seek an exemption, thus protecting yourself.

"Exceptions to the Order for personal travel will be permitted for travel for medical care and parental shared custody. The Commissioner of Health may additionally grant an exemption based upon an organization’s or business’ testing and other control policies or in extraordinary circumstances, which warrant an exception from mandatory quarantine, subject to the terms and conditions applied to essential workers or terms and conditions otherwise imposed by the Commissioner in the interest of public health.

1. You are subject to the quarantine for 14 days or the length of your stay (whichever is shorter). Thus, it is true that the 14-day quarantine does not apply if you are only in Chicago for 7 days. But, for the 7 days you are in Chicago, the quarantine does apply.
2. You may, of course, travel to and from the airport (even before the 14 days are up). But, that does not mean that you may do anything else other than as permitted in the order.

The official requirements are in the second link posted by DavidDTW #3 and are quite explicit. As is the provision for an exemption (above in red).

In any event, whether you misheard, the agent got it wrong, or somewhere inbetween, the Order is as written. For fairly obvious reasons, the City doesn't want people coming from a location such as KS which has an infection rate through the roof and infecting residents.

tony732

You thought wrong. The agent spelled out the order clearly and I even took notes and got her name. She said CPD hasn't been actively enforcing the quarantine portion of the order, rather, they're issuing fines to people who refuse to wear masks in specific buildings and to businesses that violate occupancy restrictions. Aside from that, the agent said CPD doesn't have the time or resources to follow people around. They expect people to do the right and responsible thing on their own. As far as exemptions go, my legitimate family emergency falls in to one of those categories. The other exemption is that I will be staying in one of the suburbs during my time there. According to this document: https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/...2020-08-25.pdf, the quarantine order doesn't apply to people who travel directly from the airport to a suburban area.

Often1

No, I did not think wrong at all.

You started a thread asking about Chicago, but it turns out that you are not headed to Chicago, but rather to some other place. In that instance, the Chicago Order does not cover you. But, hard to know that without your new version.

tony732

I'm flying into Chicago Midway airport. Initially I was confused about the order and how it affected travelers arriving at the City's two airports. My questions were asked and answered. Have a great weekend.