Governor Pritzker has introduced a new mask mandate to curb rising cases.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Gov. JB Pritzker announced a new mandate that requires bar and restaurant patrons to wear their masks or other face coverings when interacting with the working staff.
Bars and restaurants were first permitted to re-open for outdoor seating in Chicago back in June. At that time, safety protocol mandated — amongst other measures — that staff wear masks throughout the duration of their shifts, while clientele were to wear theirs until being seated.
Beginning tomorrow, customers must wear their masks in any event of interaction with the businesses’ staff. Meaning that after being seated, customers must put their masks back on when ordering, receiving an order, or corresponding with bar and restaurant workers.
“We all want this pandemic to end and to get back to normal; if everyone would wear their mask in public and keep a reasonable distance from one another, we can reduce infections and deaths in a short period of time, and keep them low until a vaccine or treatment is discovered,” said Pritzker.
The mandate is among a number of new safety measures that the Governor plans to implement beginning tomorrow. Additionally, the governor is reducing gathering sizes to groups of 25 people, eliminating indoor dining, and making other restrictions for Kankakee and Will counties starting Wednesday, August 25.
According to Pritzker, the positivity rates in this region, 8.4% — above the state threshold level of 8% — for the past three days has surpassed levels such as those in California.
“This is a red alert for everyone who works and lives here and it demands a renewed effort to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Pritzker.
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[Featured image: @davidemrich via Unsplash]