December 22, 2021
Residents of Chicago and Boston will soon be required to show proof of full vaccination in order to enter indoor spaces like gyms, restaurants and entertainment venues, in the latest example of cities tightening public health rules to combat the spread of the omicron variant.
The Chicago Department of Public Health announced Tuesday that beginning Jan. 3, the city will require everyone ages 5 and up to be fully vaccinated in order to access indoor dining, fitness and recreation venues. They must present either their vaccination card, a photocopy of it, a digital record or a printed record from their vaccine provider.
“To put it simply, if you have been living vaccine-free, your time is up,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot wrote on Twitter. “If you wish to live life as w/the ease to do the things you love, you must be vax’d. This health order may pose an inconvenience to the unvaccinated, and in fact it is inconvenient by design.”
The order will remain in effect until city officials have determined the threat of COVID-19 to public health has “diminished significantly,” she added.
Read more at NPR.