Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has announced that mask mandates for many indoor spaces will be lifted next week — but not in schools.
People will also no longer be required to show proof of vaccination at places like bars and restaurants.
Officials claim that the decision was based on a lower rate of hospitalizations in the city. They are currently averaging 27 hospitalizations, down from almost 300 when omicron was surging.
“By adjusting our mitigation measures, based on these metrics, we’ve been able to protect and save the lives of our residents, as well as prevent our healthcare system from collapsing,” Lightfoot said.
While adults will be able to go party mask-free, children will still be forced to cover their mouths at school all day.
“The situation is more complicated in schools. The lifting of Illinois’ order doesn’t apply to schools, but a separate lawsuit has invalidated Pritzker’s authority to impose them in schools. Statewide many districts have scrapped masks. Pritzker plans to appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court,” Fox News reports.
Chicago Public Schools announced on Tuesday that they will continue to require masks in the meantime.
“We have made great progress in recent weeks against this virus, and we do not want to jeopardize that progress by moving too quickly,” the district said in a statement.