Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Tests Positive For COVID-19 Just After Closing Deal To Reopen Schools
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Tuesday, Jan. 11, that she tested positive for COVID-19. The development comes almost immediately after she brokered a deal to reopen the city’s schools after a weeklong shutdown over the disease.
“I am experiencing cold-like symptoms but otherwise feel fine which I credit to being vaccinated and boosted. I will continue to work from home while following the CDC guidelines for isolation,” the mayor tweeted.
In another Twitter post, she urged her followers “to get vaccinated and boosted as it's the only way to beat this pandemic."
Politico noted the ironic timing of Lightfoot’s announcement. It was posted less than 24 hours after the mayor negotiated a deal to end the city’s standoff against the Chicago Teachers Union, ending the teacher walkout over classroom safety conditions amid the omicron surge.
A number of social media users underscored that Lightfoot will work from home but pressured teachers to return to their classrooms. In an interview Sunday (Jan. 9) on NBC’s Meet the Press, Lightfoot said, “What the Chicago Teachers Union did was an illegal walk-out. They abandoned their posts and they abandoned kids and their families.”
A tweet from one of her critics is below.
Reuters reported that in-person classes resumed in Chicago on Wednesday, Jan. 12, ending the teacher walkout.
According to NBC Chicago, Lightfoot’s positive COVID-19 test comes as the city reports an average of 4,793 new COVID cases per day, a decrease of 5,189 from the previous week. However, hospitalizations increased 37 percent in the last week.
