Chicago's Lakefront Will Remain Closed When Stay-Home Order Eases

CHICAGO — Don't expect to spend June sunning by the lake, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

In her virtual presentation to the Economic Club of Chicago, the mayor provided new details about what people can expect when new coronavirus stay-home restrictions ease into the city's next phase of reopening the city's economy.

Before reaching Phase 3 of Lightfoot's "Protecting Chicago" plan the city must meet certain public health benchmarks including increased testing and declines in hospital capacity and infection rates. The next phase, a limited reopening, calls for some non-essential workers coming back, and certain businesses, non-profits, and City entities opening under strict conditions.

Lightfoot said industries that will be allowed to either expand or reopen include essential businesses, non-emergency medical procedures, construction and manufacturing, along with some businesses that support people who work outside their home such as child- and adult-care businesses that have social distancing protocols in place.

Parks and libraries will open for youth programs, too, with a caveat.

"Unfortunately, at this point, we will not be ready to re-open our lakefront," Lightfoot said.

A return to something like normal, though, remains months away, the mayor said.

"The reality is until we have a vaccine for COVID-19, this is the framework we'll be living in. And, as I said last week, we aren't anticipating a vaccine to become available until 2021," she said.

"The Protecting Chicago framework is more than just a roadmap for city leadership. It's about protecting our residents and businesses, and the future of our city as we lay the foundation for the recovery that'll follow."