Vaccination proof may be needed in Chicago for venue access

Chicago’s top doctor hinted the city could introduce a new proof of COVID-19 vaccination requirement for residents to visit bars, gyms, restaurants and other venues as have other major cities.

Chicagoans could soon be required to prove they are vaccinated to gain access to more venues around the city, Chicago’s top doctor said Dec. 7.

Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health Dr. Allison Arwady said the city could follow other major cities and mandate proof of vaccination to go to gyms, bars, restaurants and other venues. In April Arwady proposed a vax pass program giving special privileges to vaccinated residents, but it was never implemented.

Arwady said she prefers having people prove they are vaccinated to another round of “major shutdowns” such as Gov. J.B. Pritzker imposed statewide at the onset of the pandemic.

“It’s certainly something that, as this increase is continuing and with a new variant, we may do more of,” she said.

The measure to incentivize further vaccination among Chicagoans arrives as city COVID-19 rates soar to the highest average case rate since January – reporting a seven-day average of 903 cases as of Dec. 8. The statewide average was 7,417 cases, the highest since late December.

That new case rate was up more than 207% over the daily average reported Nov. 1. Arwady attributed the spike to seasonal trends seen last year.

“This is, again, the winter surge, as we move inside and see more spread, even before omicron,” Arwady said. “This is … regional with winter here and with a lot of people still not vaccinated.”

With Chicago’s positivity rate reaching 4.1% this week after it was 1.6% on Nov. 1, Arwady said the city is now considered “very high” risk for transmission. But she speculated the spread could get worse after the first case of the omicron variant was identified Dec. 7 in Chicago.

Arwady said experts expect the vaccine to offer some protection against the new variant, especially when it comes to preventing severe illness and death.

For now, she said the best thing Chicagoans can do is get fully vaccinated and boosted before moving indoors for the holidays.