CHICAGO — Chicago’s public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady suggested Tuesday that the end of the city’s indoor mask mandate could align with the lifting of Illinois’ requirement on Feb. 28 after all, even if the city’s COVID-19 metrics haven’t been at a lower level for long enough.
Last week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced he will lift his mask requirement for most indoor public places at the end of the month should the state’s most recent and largest coronavirus surge continue to subside. Under the statewide rules, the face coverings will still be required at schools, health care settings and public transportation, though the school mask mandate has been upended by a recent court ruling that temporarily suspended the rule for children of families who sued.
In response to the governor’s decision, Chicago health officials said later that day they too will be able to remove the city’s mask requirement for indoor settings if current trends continue.
