City Mandates Masking Indoors, Even For Vaccinated Residents

CHICAGO — All people above age 2 will be required to wear masks again while indoors in public places, Chicago health officials announced Tuesday. The mandate will be in effect starting Friday.

Even those who are fully vaccinated will be required to mask as the delta variant surges across the Chicagoland area. Experts say the variant is more contagious than the original strain seen throughout 2020.

Officials said masks can be removed when eating or drinking, but will have to be worn in bars, restaurants and stores. Capacity limits will not be enforced, however.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot warned Chicagoans in July the city may bring back a mask mandate if a 200 case per day threshold was reached. Currently, Chicago is averaging 419 new cases per day, based on a weekly average.

According to the policy, people working in private office settings can remove their masks if they remain distant from other coworkers. At a press conference Tuesday, Chicago Department of Public Health Director Allison Arwady said more than 97 percent of recent COVID-19 hospitalizations have been unvaccinated people.

"I don't expect this will be an indefinite, forever mask requirement," Arwady told reporters Tuesday.

Chicago's travel advisory was also updated to reflect rising case numbers across the United States.

Illinois Department of Public Health data shows about 59.6 percent of all residents in Chicago have gotten at least one shot of a two-shot vaccination series. Any resident can call the city's coronavirus hotline at 312-746-4835 to get more information on how and where to get vaccinated close to, or inside, their home.

Health officials reported 16 Illinoisans were dead from COVID-19 since Monday.