(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Chicago city health officials advise everyone over the age of 2 — regardless of vaccination status — to wear masks in public indoor settings.
The Chicago Department of Public Health made the announcement Friday as it said the city crossed a significant tripwire: having more than 200 new COVID-19 case diagnoses in a single day.
That moves Chicago into the “substantial” virus transmission category. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests people wear masks indoors when local risk is that high. Many new infections are blamed on the especially contagious Delta Variant of the novel coronavirus.
“We are taking this step to prevent further spread of the very contagious Delta variant and to protect public health,” Public Health Commissioner Allison Arwady said in a news release. “This isn’t forever, but it is necessary to help decrease the risk for all Chicagoans right now.”
The city stopped short of calling it a mask mandate, instead recommending that businesses, employers, and event organizers require universal masking in all public indoor settings.
Arwady tells WBBM Newsradio the city may yet impose an overarching mandate if numbers get worse.
"We're going to keep assessing it," she said. "It's a recommendation, but please, if you want to help us get past COVID, first, get vaccinated and secondly, please do put on a mask in indoor public settings."
Masking remains optional in outdoor settings, where the risk of COVID-19 transmission is lower, city health officials said.
Masks have been required on Chicago public transportation, and Chicago Public Schools announced plans to require teachers, staff and students to wear masks in the fall, regardless of vaccination status.
The worsening COVID situation in Chicago comes as the city is hosting the Lollapalooza music festival in Grant Park. It is an outdoor event, but crowded.
Cook County health officials likewise advise people to wear masks in public indoor settings, based on CDC guidance. The state of Illinois has imposed a mask mandate for its buildings.
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