Evanston and Skokie are aligning with the rest of Cook County in requiring masks in indoor public spaces.
The mandates come after Cook County issued a similar one last week. Evanston and Skokie are among a very small handful of suburbs that operate their own health departments independent of the Cook County Department of Public Health.
Skokie’s mandate went into effect Aug. 23 and requires everyone over the age of 2 who can medically tolerate a mask to wear one while indoors. Examples of public spaces include restaurants, movie theaters, retail stores, fitness clubs and common areas of multiunit buildings.
Evanston’s mask mandate goes into effect Friday, Aug. 27.
“With an increase in COVID-19 cases both locally and nationally, combined with the threat posed by the highly contagious delta variant, we must use every tool at our disposal to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Ike Ogbo, Evanston’s Health & Human Services director.
There are limited exceptions for eating and drinking in public, but the Evanston and Skokie orders are in alignment with the Aug. 20 mask mandate issued by the Cook County Department of Public Health and Chicago Department of Public Health.
As part of the orders, businesses and other venues must post signage indicating that masks are required for all individuals regardless of vaccination status. Evanston and Skokie have made available signs that businesses can print and display.
“In addition to getting vaccinated, wearing a face covering in indoor public spaces is one of the most effective ways we can protect ourselves and others,” said Ogbo.
Illinois reported 4,203 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases Saturday, 2,007 on Sunday and 3,003 on Monday. Those numbers are up from the first half of July, when the state was reporting fewer than 1,000 new cases each day.
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter.
