Chicago Mayor Lightfoot Advises Residents to Defy CDC Guidance, Keep Wearing Masks

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) said Monday she would prefer not to see residents of her city outside when they’re not donning face masks, contrary to guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I think we’ve got to get some clarification from the CDC,” Lightfoot said in a morning interview with MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle. “The rollout … was a bit abrupt, and I think they’ve got a lot of clarification they need to do. I know, for me personally, I’m going to continue to wear a mask in public, and I’m going to encourage others to do so. We’ve got to make sure people are continuing to follow the public health guidance that has gotten us this far, and masks, I think, are a big and important part of that.”

CDC guidelines presently suggest fully vaccinated individuals do not need to wear face coverings in most settings. “We are asking people to be honest with themselves,” agency director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Sunday’s edition of Meet the Press. “If they are vaccinated and they are not wearing a mask, they are safe.”

Many regions eliminated requirements for masking before the CDC issued its latest guidance on Thursday — including Florida, which eliminated its mask mandate in October, as well as Texas, which lifted its mask mandate in early March.

However, Chicago’s mayor advised residents against getting too comfortable with the new guidelines.

“To say, well, if you’re vaccinated, you don’t have to wear a mask, that’s great,” Lightfoot said. “But what about all of the other people out there that aren’t vaccinated, and there’s no way to know that? So I think for the time being, most people are going to continue to wear masks outside, outside of their homes, and I think that’s smart.”

Watch above via MSNBC.