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Lightfoot: Too soon to say when Chicago will lift mask mandate

By and FOX 32 News
Updated  February 15, 2022 9:04am CST
Coronavirus in Chicago
FOX 32 Chicago

Lightfoot says despite Chicago's 'great progress' against COVID, there's no set end for the mask mandate

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city will be cautious about lifting the indoor mask mandate even as COVID cases show decline.

CHICAGO - The indoor mask mandate in Illinois will be lifted in two weeks, but Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says it's too soon to say whether Chicago will follow suit.

"February 28 is obviously the date that the state set, that's not the date that the city set," said Lightfoot. "We're still though at 500 cases a day — not where we want to be. We're still seeing too many people dying every day from COVID. So, I think we're making great progress. Dr. Arwady and I will have more to say on that later this week, but I don't want to put an artificial date on when this is going to happen when we still see some danger signs in the data."

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In Chicago, having to show proof of vaccination to dine-in, work out or be indoors at entertainment venues, is another layer of restrictions that has made it hard for some businesses to survive. 

While the mayor declined to say whether she will lift the mask mandate, she did stress that the vaccine mandate for city workers will stay in place for the foreseeable future.

Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner, Dr. Allison Arwady says the vaccination requirement has actually caused more people to seek the vaccines. She will provide an update later this week.

Lightfoot: Too soon to say when Chicago will lift mask mandate

The indoor mask mandate in Illinois will be lifted in two weeks, but Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says it's too soon to say whether Chicago will follow suit.