Lightfoot said the requirement will take effect Jan. 3, and will apply to places in the nation’s third-largest city where food and beverages are served — including sport and entertainment venues — …
By SARA BURNETT CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago will require proof of coronavirus vaccination at restaurants, bars, gyms and other indoor venues, as the rapidly spreading omicron variant drives a spike in COVID-19 infections, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Tuesday. Lightfoot said the requirement will take effect Jan.3, and will apply to places in the nation’s third-largest city where food and beverages are served — including sport and entertainment venues — and fitness centers. It doesn’t apply to people getting takeout, who stay in a businesses for less than 10 minutes. Lightfoot said the measure is necessary because of a surge in cases and hospitalizations, with Chicago seeing numbers at levels similar to before vaccines were available. Chicago is reporting an average of more than 1,700 new COVID cases per day, up from about 300 per day just weeks ago, she said. “To be clear, I have not been this concerned about COVID-19 since the early days of the pandemic in 2020,” Lightfoot said. She also urged people to get vaccinated, saying it’s the only way for life to return to some kind of normalcy and the best way to save lives.
