He thanked the unions that supported him and gave a special shout-out to his wife, telling the crowd, Chicago, a Black woman will still be in charge.. Lightfoot, Johnson and five other candidates are Black, though Lightfoot argued she was the only Black candidate who could win. Throughout the pandemic, Lightfoot has walked a fine line between tough measures and keeping the city open. Lightfoot resisted proof-of-vaccine mandates until Jan. 3, long after other cities such as New York had implemented similar policies. It was at 4.1 percent Monday. During a Facebook live question-and-answer session, Arwady said she is "feeling optimistic," about moving forward. Rudina Alihajdaraj, a hostess with Pequods Pizza, inspects a COVID-19 vaccination card on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, the first day that proof of vaccination mandate is required to eat inside at Chicago restaurants. Earlier in the month, it remained unclear whether Chicagowhich has a . Scott Weiner, partner 19 Chicago restaurants including West Town Bakery, said removing the mask mandate could be a major step toward normalcy. Asked at an unrelated event in Chicago about the citys decision to end its mask rule Monday, Pritzker said that date seems like a great day for everybody to follow suit., But, the governor continued, I will add that there are local governments that have imposed stricter mitigations, and theyre welcome to do so.. 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. And we must respect it, Lightfoot said. The changes come after weeks of COVID-19 numbers coming down from the Omicron surge. This time, he was laser-focused on public safety, saying police officers who left the force under Lightfoots administration will return if hes elected. Regardless of tonights outcome, we fought the right fights and we put this city on a better path, Lightfoot said. In Chicago, 24 deaths were reported since Monday. Still, a lawsuit by CPS parents in Mount Greenwood against the mandate could impact the situation going forward. school that temporarily suspended the mask rules, Ald. In those areas, masks are no longer necessary, according to the agency. The fire began around 3:30 a.m. Monday in an apartment neighboring the brewery at 2925 W. Montrose Avenue, according to multiple news reports, before rapidly spreading to Twisted Hippo and a nearby gym, both of which were decimated. Something went wrong. newsletter, Fulton Market Meets California Wine Country For Lettuce Entertain Yous Latest, Oakville Grill & Cellar will feature 750 different wines, Boka Goes Family-Friendly Inside Lakeviews Former Speakeasy and Brothel, GGs Chicken Shop and Itoko give the Southport Corridor casual options inside a storied 120-year-old building, This Historic Chicago Sausage Stand Made the Maxwell Street Polish a Local Icon, Jims Original has served the city for more than eight decades, Sign up for the The Chicago Board of Education is poised to vote on a resolution at Wednesdays 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. I still encourage people to take precautions and definitely get vaccinated to protect yourself and your loved ones.. Aaron Rodgers hasnt won a super bowl since Obamas first term, the tweet notes. DeFranco is among many restaurant owners feeling left in the dark. Its reporting an average of 376 per day. OAN Sophia Flores. Through the resolution, the board would also reaffirm CPS CEO Pedro Martinezs authority to change district COVID-19 policies in consultation with public health officials and other stakeholders, which presumably include the Chicago Teachers Union. Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, holds a face mask while speaking on Feb. 22, 2022. Illinois seven-day case positivity rate was at 2.9 percent. [Illinois will end its indoor mask mandate for most public places on Feb. 28. The stakes of the appeals court proceedings has been heightened recently as other states and some health providers ramped up pressure on federal officials to end a national COVID-19 vaccine mandate for medical workers. Of course.. Chicagos health department then announced it would also aim to end the citys mask and vaccine card mandates by the end of the month, though Chicago would have to hit three out of four milestones for at least two weeks for that to happen. Since Monday, 53 Illinoisans were reported dead from COVID-19. newsletter, Fulton Market Meets California Wine Country For Lettuce Entertain Yous Latest, Oakville Grill & Cellar will feature 750 different wines, Boka Goes Family-Friendly Inside Lakeviews Former Speakeasy and Brothel, GGs Chicken Shop and Itoko give the Southport Corridor casual options inside a storied 120-year-old building, This Historic Chicago Sausage Stand Made the Maxwell Street Polish a Local Icon, Jims Original has served the city for more than eight decades, Alineas Top Bartenders Departure and Four More Shuffles, A running log of key moves within Chicagos hospitality industry, These top pizzerias wont show up on national TV stock footage of Chicago, Sign up for the That's just that's just how it isAnd we're getting really close and that is thanks to Chicagoans.". JB Pritzker set for state. ### She also noted that the city had navigated unprecedented challenges such as the pandemic and its economic and public safety fallout to protests over policing. Lightfoots loss is unusual for mayors in large cities, who have tended to win reelection with relative ease. The move comes amid improving COVID-19 metrics. Were going back to a sense of normalcy. ", READ MORE: Pritzker to lift Illinois mask mandate for some. What to Know About the Cook County Commissioner After Advancing to the Runoff Election. The vaccine requirement for restaurants, bars, gyms and other indoor public settings where food and beverages are served went into effect on January 3 in response to the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases both locally and nationally, driven in part by the Omicron variant. Oops. A federal judge last week denied a request from Chicago-based fast food giant McDonalds to toss out a discrimination lawsuit brought by Byron Allen, the high-profile businessman and media mogul behind the Weather Channel, according to Crains. Eleven Chicago aldermen signed a letter callingon the city to lift all mandates by this weekend, in time for the Super Bowl and Valentine's Day. The seven-day average for new cases was 8,093 last Friday, down from an all-time high of 13,701 on January 7 but its still more than ten times the average at the end of October, when Gov. Vallas opponents have criticized him as too conservative to lead the Democratic stronghold. We have made great progress in recent weeks against this virus, and we do not want to jeopardize that progress by moving too quickly, CPS said in a release. Suburban Cook County will follow suit, the Tribune reports. City officials later said, however, that they would consider going forward with dropping the mandate even if they hadnt hit those totals to avoid confusion for residents. Aaron Rodgers hasnt won a super bowl since Obamas first term pic.twitter.com/D0WxOeCDfn, Tribune critic Louisa Chu grants two-and-a-half stars to Peanut Park Trattoria, the new neighborhood restaurant in Little Italy from the owners of deli palace Tempesta Market, thin-crust hit Coalfire, and suburban traditionalist Ristorante Agostino. In September, for instance, she dismissed a proposal for such a mandate from Ald. Lightfoot, the first Black woman and first openly gay person to lead the city, won her first term in 2019 after promising to end decades of corruption and backroom dealing at City Hall. The owner said so far no one has complained about it, but once the mask mandate is lifted she still plans to ask for proof of vaccination. ", "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," Lightfoot said. Lightfoots announcement was widely expected. "We're really close, and it is really exciting.". JB Pritzker announced last week Illinois' statewide mask mandate is set to end Feb. 28, so long as the state's COVID-19 metrics continue to fall. As cases rose in October 2020, for instance, she regularly warned about tighter restrictions being forthcoming then criticized Pritzker for again shutting down indoor dining. Central U.S. location and a deep labor pool help Chicago snare top honor from Site Selection magazine for 10th year in a row. A formal announcement regarding changes to the mask and vaccine proof requirements will be made next week, the health official stated. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune). Clickhereto support Block Clubwith atax-deductible donation. Also, some venues may continue to impose their own mitigation efforts to keep their clients and customers safe. Its been a tough January and February for restaurant operators, he said. Originally, Dr. Allison Arwady, the citys chief public health official, had said that the mandates would only be lifted if three of the four basic COVID-19 transmission metrics were at the two lowest levels for two weeks. Email: Chicago Mayor Lightfoot ousted; Vallas, Johnson in runoff, Road reconstruction closes part of Ohio 25, Kobe Bryant family settles photo lawsuit for $28.5 million, Greek transport minister resigns over train crash; 36 dead, TikTok sets new default time limits for minors. Gov. The state will lift the rule which requires people to wear masks when indoors in public at the end of the month as long as it continues to see declines in COVID-19 metrics, Gov. The requirement forced restaurants and bars already struggling with a shortage of staff to reassign some workers to check vaccination cards and IDs or ask beleaguered wait staff to do it. Chicago is currently at high, the top of the scale. Something went wrong. School districts, too, may decide to implement their own mask mandates. "Certainly if the difference is a matter of a few days between where the city is and where the state is recommending, I would expect we would go along with that, but we need to see these metrics be in blue or green," Dr. Arwady said. Johnson has avoided the word defund during the race, and his campaign says he does not want to cut the number of police officers. In addition, the new guidelines do not change the federal requirement to wear masks on public transportation and indoors in airports, train stations and bus stations. While Chicago lifted its mask mandate Monday, is the proof of COVID-19 vaccination requirement removed now, as well? Here are the states goals for ending the mandate and where Chicago stands with each: Cases: Chicago must report an average of 199 cases or fewer per day. Columbia University Provost Mary Boyce announced last week that the COVID-19 vaccine mandate "will no longer be in effect" starting on May 11, in a memo to students, faculty and staff. If the federal measure ends, the legal battle over New York's state mandate will determine if the shots are required of health . Positivity rate: Chicagos positivity rate must be at 4.9 percent or lower. Please enter a valid email and try again. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot pauses during her concession speech as her spouse Amy Eshleman applauds during an election night party for the mayoral election Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in Chicago. ], 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.. J.B. Pritzker was optimistically predicting an end to the statewide mask mandate by Thanksgiving. Across the state, 23,110 vaccine doses are being administered per day, based on a seven-day rolling average. Chicagoans will no longer be required to wear masks or show proof of vaccination in most indoor spaces, though individual bars and restaurants could still impose their own requirements, just as they did before the citywide vax mandate began on January 3. Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced that Chicago 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, reflecting a renewed hope for normalcy in the city as COVID-19 cases continue dropping from alarming highs. Arwady said that the vaccine mandate wont be removed until the city gets down to medium-low, the Tribune reports. I want people to understand were not just choosing a date; were going based on when were there.. 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