Mayor Lightfoot Says Chicago Will Partially Reopen On Wednesday
CHICAGO — Mayor Lori Lightfoot Thursday said the city will "cautiously" reopen the economy starting Wednesday including allowing non-business social gatherings of 10 or fewer people.
Additionally, some park facilities and libraries will begin reopening on June 8, city officials said.
Officials will be monitoring how the city's partial reopening affects public health data on the spread of coronavirus before reopening additional businesses and amenities, including public access to the lakefront.
“Throughout the pandemic, I have been overwhelmed by the service and sacrifice made by countless Chicagoans from every corner of our city and every walk of life,” Lightfoot said.
“Our ability to meet this moment would not have been possible without the work and passion of countless other Chicagoans who stepped up for their city during our time of need. It’s because of all these efforts that Chicago is poised to begin cautiously reopening on June 3.”
The phased reopening is expected to bring about 130,000 people back to work in Chicago. The mayor said she has urged businesses to "stagger" work hours to ease the burden on public transit during traditional rush hours.
The city announced last week that the following industries will be allowed to reopen with capacity restrictions including childcare centers and in-home daycare, parks not located on the lakefront, libraries, office-based jobs, professional and real estate services, hotels and lodging, non-essential retail stores, personal services, and restaurant and coffee houses that offer outdoor dining. Golf courses and some boating not located on the lake also will be allowed to open.
Lightfoot said she has "made the case for neighborhood restaurants" that don't have the ability to provide outdoor dining in a conversation with Gov. J.B. Prtizker. The mayor said she believes Pritzker is contemplating how to safely loosen state regulations that prohibit restaurants from offering indoor dining.
"What I really worry about is those small neighborhood restaurants that the cash flow is very limited, and really thinking about can they really open back up if they don't have the reliability of income from in-restaurant dining," Lightfoot said. "I talked in depth with the governor about that and I know he understands the importance of making sure we can give those neighborhood restaurants in particular that opportunity."
This article originally appeared on the Chicago Patch
