CHICAGO: Authorities in the United state city of Chicago have issued a new mask mandate that mandated everyone over the age of two to wear masks when indoors. In a statement issued on July 30, the Chicago Department of Public Health recommended that "businesses, employers, and event organisers require universal masking in all public indoor settings", according the media reports The new guidance keeps masks outdoors optional and makes no changes to the recommendations for social distancing.

Allison Arwady, the city's public health commissioner, in his statement said, "We are taking this step to prevent further spread of the very contagious Delta variant and to protect public health. This isn't forever, but it is necessary to help decrease the risk for all Chicagoans right now." Cook County was added on Thursday to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) list of areas experiencing "substantial" Covid-19 transmission.

Cook, DuPage, McHenry and Will counties in the Chicago area, and 80 others across the state of Illinois have all met the threshold where masks are recommended for everyone indoors, regardless of vaccination status. The CDC announced the new guidelines Tuesday for counties experiencing "substantial" or "high" transmission, as the Delta variant of COVID-19 surged across the country. In Chicago Currently, 903 people were hospitalised statewide with Covid-19, bringing the seven-day average to 796, the highest level since the week ending June 9, when the state was averaging 816 Covid-19 patients each day.

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