Mayor Lori Lightfoot | Facebook
Mayor Lori Lightfoot | Facebook
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has announced that beginning Jan. 3 the city will require proof of vaccination for indoor public places like restaurants, bars, and gyms.
The policy, the city said, is in response to “an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases both locally and nationally, driven in part by the omicron variant.” New York and Los Angeles have similar requirements.
“We didn’t want it to get to this point, but given the situation we find ourselves in, we have no choice,” Lightfoot said on the city's Twitter account. “Beginning Jan. 3, you must show proof you are fully vaccinated to enter bars, restaurants, fitness centers, and entertainment/recreational venues where food/drink are served.”
The new guidelines mandate that anyone age 5 and older must show proof of full vaccination. Anyone 16 and older must provide identification that matches their vaccination record. Employees at such venues will also need to either be vaccinated or wear a mask and show proof of weekly negative COVID-19 tests. The city’s indoor mask mandate also remains in effect.
“This new requirement will not eliminate COVID risk, but it will help ensure a much safer indoor environment for fully vaccinated Chicagoans, as well as for the employees working in these higher-risk settings,” Dr. Allison Arwady, Chicago public health commissioner, said in a statement. “As we head further into the winter months, we must take this step now.”
Illinois is one of only eight states in the country with a statewide mask mandate regardless of vaccination status. “Just in time for Christmas … Great Chicago Fire 2.0” Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Champaign) posted on his Facebook account in response to the mayor's pre-holiday tweet.
AAAS Science Journalism Award-winning science writer Jennifer Frazer found that “vaccinated people – whether they have symptoms or not – are contracting and spreading the virus in nontrivial numbers.” She noted that the World Health Organization director-general said that the vaccines are only “40% effective” at preventing the spread of the virus.
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