Chicago Mayor says businesses are ‘grateful’ for her vaccine mandate

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says that business owners in her city are “grateful” that she imposed a vaccine mandate for restaurants and other venues as the city attempts to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.

“While we’re not seeing the kind of severe outcomes that we had feared, the fact of the matter is we have massive community spread,” Lightfoot, a Democrat, told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” on Tuesday. “Which means people are getting sick. People aren’t able to go to work. And our hospitals are filling up, particularly with people who are unvaccinated. So we’re taking these steps as a mitigation effort. And what we’re hearing from, particularly business people, is that they want to create a safe environment and they’re grateful for us imposing this vaccination mandate in entertainment venues. So, restaurants, bars, gyms and the like.”

Starting this past Monday, anyone in Chicago aged 5 and over is required to show proof of full vaccination at any public place that serves food and drinks, including bars, restaurants, sports stadiums, entertainment venues, and more. Anyone aged 16 and older will have to show an ID that matches the name on the vaccination record. – READ MORE