A woman who flew into Chicago from St. Louis via O’Hare International Airport has tested positive for Coronavirus after saying in Chicago with a friend before riding Amtrak 303 back home to St. Louis.
The woman flew into the city last Monday and left to St. Louis via Amtrak 303 on Wednesday, according to St. Louis County officials. It’s currently unknown where she resided while in the city or how she arrived at Union Station in Chicago.
The woman had previously been studying abroad in Italy, which now has more than 7,000 residents infected with the virus. Italy is currently in the middle of attempting to lock down its 16 million-plus population to control the spread of the disease.
Following her return home, the woman contacted local health officials after falling ill. She remained home and didn’t contact anyone until local officials directed her to go to Mercy Hospital in St. Louis for testing.
Amtrak has issued a statement saying the rail service is “Working in close contact with public health and emergency management teams to have the best available information to be able to share with our customers and employees who might be affected.”
Amtrak is also notifying passengers and employees who may have been on the same train. The company has taken that train out of service while it is cleaned and disinfected.
The company is also working to disinfect the Chicago and St. Louis stations.
In addition to Joliet and Dwight, Amtrak 303 makes stops in Summit, Pontiac, Bloomington-Normal, Lincoln, Springfield, and Alton on its way between Chicago and St. Louis.
With the addition of Missouri (1 reported case), there is now a reported confirmed case of COVID-19 in every state surrounding Illinois (7), including Iowa (3), Wisconsin (1), Indiana (2), and Kentucky (4).
