Chicago Mayor’s Call To Cancel Thanksgiving Plans Amid COVID Rise Gets Mixed Reactions

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is either progressive with her calls to cancel Thanksgiving plans or a hypocrite, depending on who you ask.

Lightfoot on Thursday unveiled a “Protect Chicago” strategy that limits some social activities due to the rise in new cases of COVID-19. Illinois on Thursday reported a state-wide total of 12,702 new and probable cases of COVID-19 and 43 fatalities. More than half a million people in the state have contracted COVID-19 and the state-wide death toll is 10,447.

“While this is tough, and of course this whole year has been tough, we must tell you, you must cancel the normal Thanksgiving plans,” Lightfoot was quoted by ABC News as saying during a press briefing on her strategy.

Reactions on social media were mixed. One observer noted that Lightfoot gave her address while not wearing a mask. Another suggested it was a mistake to lift some of the restrictions such as those for bars and restaurants in the first place. Another said it was blatant interference on people’s private lives. Another, however, just said “thank you.”

The Illinois Department of Health issued similar recommendations for Halloween, urging families to plan events at home.

Lightfoot’s latest restrictions go into effect on Monday. Chicago residents are urged to leave home only for essential needs, avoid hosting guests outside of the immediate household and use remote forms of communication “especially on holidays such as Thanksgiving.”

“We are at a critical point in our ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Business Affairs & Consumer Protection Commissioner Rosa Escareno. “Everybody needs to step up right now to flatten the curve, save lives and help our businesses reopen safely.”

States in the U.S. South and Midwest are among the hardest hit by the surge in new cases of COVID-19. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, said Thursday she was reviewing what actions she could take to limit the spread of COVID-19 in her state. Nearly 7,000 new cases were reported in Michigan on Thursday.

"I have been asking members of the legislature for some thoughtful partnership here to bring our numbers down,” she was quoted by the Detroit Free Press as saying. "However, they have not shown any appetite for that, or, frankly, for anything else. In fact, they’re not in session this week until December.”

The seven-day national average of new daily cases is above 125,000, more than 65,000 people are hospitalized and more than 1,000 people are dying from COVID-19 complications per day, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project.