More suburbs now requiring wearing masks in public

CHICAGO - More Chicago suburbs are now requiring wearing masks in public amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is also following suit, now requiring all essential city works to mask-up. However, the governor is still not requiring it.

The sign on the automatic doors of “Super H Mart” in Niles says a business can decide to deny entry or service to customers that are not wearing masks or a face covering. FOX 32 did not see any violators on Monday.

Across the parking lot, the same notice is on the doors of big-box retailer Home Depot.

At the beginning of April, the CDC started recommending that people wear masks in public to limit person-to-person spread of coronavirus.

You are told if you cough, to cough into your elbow. So if you are wearing a shawl or a covering, that will limit the spread of the COVID virus,” said Niles Mayor Andrew Przybylo.

The mayor says there are 154 coronavirus cases in the Niles area. The village’s executive order to wear a mask is to help limit person-to-person spread, but no one will be ticketed if they do not follow it.

“We didn’t want to have to send our police officers in to do this, because then they’d be in jeopardy,” Mayor Przybylo said. “It’s merchant driven and community enforced. If you see someone that doesn’t have it, say something.”

Seven other suburban areas have similar rules, but 20 miles away in Cicero, there are stiff penalties. If residents do not comply, they could be ticketed and essential businesses could lose their license.

Soon, wearing a mask could be a statewide mandate as Governor JB Pritzker says he is considering requiring it.

“That is what has led me to think hard about whether we should require people to wear masks when they go to public places like that, because if you're not wearing a mask and you're not keeping socially distant, between those two things together, [it leads] to people getting sick,” Governor Pritzker said.