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 Eight Chicago aldermen are pushing for residents to prove they
received COVID-19 vaccinations before letting them into restaurants, bars, gyms,
concert halls or movie theaters.
The aldermen sent a letter Sept. 9 to the commissioner of the Chicago Department
of Public Health, asking the city’s top doctor to require proof of COVID-19
vaccinations before letting people enter the city’s public indoor venues. They
said uncontrolled community transmission of the Delta variant, the threat of new
variants, cold weather pushing Chicagoans indoors and widespread access to the
now FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine make proving shot status reasonable.
Beermiscuous Tavern in Chicago’s Lake View neighborhood has required proof of
vaccination for indoor customers since Aug. 3.
“They’re still allowed to shop with a mask, and we have a patio so [if they’re]
unvaccinated or forget ID’s, sit on the patio,” employee Ryan Rutiledge told NBC
5 Chicago. But if patrons want to dine inside, they need to show proof of
vaccination. Vaccine proof is problematic, though.
Security experts and civil rights advocates have argued proving vaccination
status could create an array of privacy and logistical concerns. There is no
standardized form of vaccination card. Some Illinoisans receive cards, others
paper sheets, and others only have it documented in their online medical
records.
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“The government is not now, nor will we be,
supporting a system that required Americans to carry a credential,”
said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki in April, citing privacy
concerns or the potential for vaccine passports to be “used against
people unfairly.”
If Chicago passes a vaccine pass mandate, the city would join New
York, San Francisco and New Orleans, all of which currently require
proof of vaccination to enter public indoor spaces.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot declined to say if Chicago has plans to
institute a vaccine proof mandate of its own, but noted the mayor’s
office is continuously monitoring the results of vaccine mandates in
other cities.
On Aug. 25, Lightfoot announced all city employees must be fully
vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 15.
Currently, 71% of Chicagoans over 12 have received at least one dose
of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 65% have completed a full vaccine
series.
Illinois as a whole slightly lags Chicago in vaccinations, as only
60% of Illinoisans over 12 are fully vaccinated against COVID-19,
with 78% of the state having received a single dose.
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