Lightfoot lets Chicago workers out of vaccine mandate if they pay to get tested until 2022

Unvaccinated Chicago city employees must be tested twice a week, at their own expense, to avoid losing their paychecks.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Chicago city employees can temporarily opt out of COVID-19 vaccinations if they pay to get tested twice a week for the rest of 2021.

Multiple unions, including the Fraternal Order of Police and the Chicago Federation of Labor, have vocally opposed Lightfoot’s vaccine mandate. Only one in four members of the Chicago Police Department is vaccinated, according to the most recent data available.

“There will be consequences if people are not complying with what the policy is by the Oct. 15th deadline,” Lightfoot said.

All city workers must report their vaccination status to the city by Oct. 15. Prior to Lightfoot’s most recent announcement, any city employee who failed to report their vaccine status or get vaccinated would have been placed on no-pay status.

Now, unvaccinated city employees will be required to be tested for COVID-19 twice a week on their own time, at personal expense.

After Dec. 31, Lightfoot said city workers need to be fully vaccinated unless they have received an approved religious or medical exemption.