DeKalb, IL — As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the country, Chicago’s Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued a stay-at-home advisory to encourage residents to stay home and nix Thanksgiving plans.
Starting Monday, Chicago residents are advised to only leave the house when it’s essential for things such as work, school, medical care and grocery shopping, according to a Thursday news release.
"Chicago has reached a critical point in the second surge of COVID-19, demanding that we undertake this multi-faceted and comprehensive effort to stop the virus in its tracks," Lightfoot said in the release.
The advisory is set to last 30 days and recommends against residents having guests – including family and close friends – over for the Thanksgiving holiday. The city also set a limit on in-person meetings and social events to just 10 people, both inside and outside.
"The gains we have made this past year have been the result of our willingness to work together,” Lightfoot said. “Even in this difficult moment, we will continue to unite as we always have for our city in order to halt the rise we're seeing, shake out of the fatigue we've been experiencing, and make the crucial difference in what our future is going to look like."
As of Friday, Chicago has 125,549 total cases since the start of the pandemic, according to the city's Covid dashboard. The most recent 7-day positivity rate is now at 14.5%, up from 10.9% the previous week.