Title
RESOLUTION OPPOSING COOK COUNTY’S VACCINATION PASSPORT MANDATE
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WHEREAS, in late 2019, an outbreak of novel coronavirus ("COVID-19") occurred in China and quickly spread across the globe; and
WHEREAS, the State of Illinois has been in a continuously declared disaster due to the COVID-19 pandemic since March 9, 2020; and
WHEREAS, the Governor of Illinois has issued 96 Executive Orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, mandating everything from business closures to capacity limits to masking to vaccinations for Illinois residents; and
WHEREAS, on December 10, 2021, Governor Pritzker issued Executive Order 2021-32, which once again extended a mask mandate for all individuals in all indoor public places, regardless of vaccination status; and
WHEREAS, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, over 72% of the population in Cook County is vaccinated with at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, and over 66% fully vaccinated with both doses; and
WHEREAS, despite the widespread availability of vaccines, and prevalence of vaccinations, Cook County is now in the midst of a surge of COVID-19 cases; and
WHEREAS, while information on the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 is still developing, it appears that the variant is causing a significant amount of breakthrough infections even among the vaccinated population, but the County has provided no information or data as to local death rates, hospital stays, and serious infections among the vaccinated versus unvaccinated population; and
WHEREAS, on December 23, 2021, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced that Cook County would impose a vaccine mandate as of January 3, 2022, barring anyone eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine who elects to remain unvaccinated from entering bars, restaurants, gyms and fitness centers, entertainment venues where food and beverages are served, and sports arenas, concert venues, bowling alleys and movie theaters; without providing any data as...
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