„I would hope that people taking it serious would want to go to those businesses.“<\/b>
\nCHICAGO (CBS) \u2014 New York City became the first major city in the U.S. to require proof of COVID-19 vaccinations for anyone who wants to dine indoors at a restaurant, see a performance or go to the gym. With COVID on the rise here, will Chicago follow suit? CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey reports Dr. Allison Arwady said she\u2019s not ruling it out. She\u2019s not ruling it out, but Arwady has no immediate plans. She talked about how New York City has been more open to the idea of a vaccination pass than many cities in the Midwest. But she\u2019s applauding the businesses here that are stepping up and requiring it themselves. Robyn LaLonde showed off the green wristbands sported by over 90% of the clients at her West Town gym Edge Athlete Lounge. When the mask mandate was lifted for vaccinated residents, Lalonde asked people interested in working out without a mask to upload an image of their vaccine card online. So far, more than 250 clients have submitted their cards in exchange for a wristband. \u201cYou really want to signal to those around you that \u2018hey, you\u2019re okay I\u2019m okay it\u2019s alright that we\u2019re sitting three feet apart and having a discussion,’\u201d said Lalonde. \u201cYou can see that kind of wave of relief overtake them.\u201d Turns out LaLonde was ahead of the curve, t least when you look to New York City. \u201cIf you\u2019re unvaccinated, unfortunately you won\u2019t be able to participate in many things.\u201d New York\u2019s Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday the city will require proof of COVID vaccination for gym staff and customers, as well as restaurants and other indoor businesses. CBS 2 asked Dr. Allison Arwady, head of the Chicago Department of Public Health if Chicagoans should be bracing for similar restrictions. \u201cCertainly were interested in this,\u201d Arwady said. \u201cWe\u2019ll be watching to see how this plays out but we don\u2019t have a current plan to do it at the city level.\u201d Commissioner Arwady said they\u2019ve been keeping a list of businesses across the city, Like Edge Athlete Lounge, that have instituted a proof of vaccine requirement. Right now, it\u2019s not public. But she said she would inquire about publishing it. \u201cI\u2019m excited, frankly, for other businesses to adopt it,\u201d LaLonde said. \u201cIt\u2019s a really big decision to try to impose something like that on an entire class of businesses and I would hope that people taking it serious would want to go to those businesses,\u201d Arwady said. While there is no vaccination pass in the works, Arwady said they\u2019re working on a way for people to more easily download their vaccination records in a formal way from the vaccine registry that protects their privacy. Because right now there isn\u2019t a great way to do it.<\/p>\n