Chicago residents are criticizing Lightfoot administration's focus on social distancing amid civil unrest as the city reopens. | youtube.com
Chicago residents are criticizing Lightfoot administration's focus on social distancing amid civil unrest as the city reopens. | youtube.com
Under the third phase of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's reopening plan, Illinois restaurants will be allowed to open, but some Chicago residents think that the state's focus on social distancing is out of touch given the city's ongoing protests and civil unrest.
On March 16, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued guidance for restaurants that were ordered to close in Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, noting that although customers could enter restaurants to order food and leave immediately, they were not allowed to consume food in the restaurant or gather outside.
To comply with the state's reopening plans, the city is now measuring how far apart restaurants' outdoor seating. The requirements come amid protests surrounding racial inequality following the death of George Floyd, leading some residents to believe that the city should be focusing on larger issues.
".@chicagobars The City is up for grabs and the city is at our restaurant measuring the distance between our patio tables. Are you serious? Priorities," Chicago pubs Cork & Kerry Tweeted on June 4.
On May 26, the city of Chicago released new rules that outlined what reopening restaurants could look like, including:
- Outdoor dining with standard social distancing, for rooftop dining, rooms with retractable roofs, and indoor dining where half or more of a wall could be removed, via opening windows, doors or panels- with tables eight feet from those openings;
- Frequent disinfection of facilities;
- Face coverings required for employees all the time and for guests when not seated;
- Employees and diners encouraged to maintain minimum six feet physical distancing;
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