Chicago to drop mask and proof-of-vaccine mandates at the end of the month
By GREGORY PRATT
CHICAGO TRIBUNE |
FEB 22, 2022 AT 2:39 PM
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has announced the city will drop its mask mandate for most settings as well as its proof-of-vaccination mandate at restaurants, bars and other indoor establishments at the end of the month Monday, reflecting a renewed hope for normalcy in the city as COVID-19 cases continue dropping from alarming highs.
The moves bring Chicago in line with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s announcement earlier this month that he will lift his mask requirement for most indoor public places at the end of February should the state’s most recent and largest COVID-19 surge continue to subside.
Under the statewide and now the newly announced city rules, the face coverings will still be required in schools, health care settings and public transportation.
In making the announcement, Lightfoot thanked residents who have complied with the rules and acknowledged the hardships that have resulted from the pandemic and resulting restrictions, citing the restaurant industry in particular.
Illinois will end its indoor mask mandate for most public places on Feb. 28. Here’s what we know — and what it means for schools, Chicago and the suburbs. »
Lightfoot said she will “not hesitate” to impose new rules and mandates to protect public health in the future but said her goal is to never “shut down our economy again.”
Lightfoot’s announcement was widely expected. The city had said lifting the mandate will require three out of four COVID-19 metrics to fall to the lowest or second-lowest category of risk — and remain there for two consecutive weeks.
City officials later said, however, that they would consider going forward with dropping the mandate even if they hadn’t hit those totals to avoid confusion for residents.
As of Tuesday, the city’s test positivity rate of 1.5%, was in the “low transmission” category, while its rate of occupied hospital and ICU beds was in “lower transmission.” The seven-day rolling average of new daily cases was still at “substantial transmission” at 283 cases, but all those categories were decreasing.
The head of the Chicago Department of Public Health, Dr. Allison Arwady, said that in a gathering of 50 people, there is now a 1-in-5 chance that someone in that group has COVID-19, versus a 1-in-2 chance a week ago. Similarly, hospitalization rates are a fraction of what they were at the height of the omicron surge, when more people were admitted to hospitals than at any time during pandemic — most unvaccinated, she said.
“The risk is down to a point where it is appropriate to lift” the mandates, Arwady said.
Many school districts around the state have already gone mask-optional following recent court rulings school that temporarily suspended the mask rules for children whose families sued.
But Chicago Public Schools is a notable exception and will continue to require masking.
The Chicago Board of Education is poised to vote on a resolution at Wednesday’s monthly board meeting that would ratify district COVID-19 safety measures including universal masking of students and staff; testing for unvaccinated employees; and directing those who test positive or have been exposed to the virus to temporarily stay home.
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