Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Tuesday her top aides are wearing face masks and undergoing daily temperature checks, but she’s exploring additional measures to prevent the coronavirus from infecting the mayor’s office.
The safety of elected officials during the pandemic is front and center now that a valet to President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary — whose husband is one of Trump’s closest advisers — have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is working from his Gold Coast mansion after a member of his senior staff tested positive for COVID-19.
The infected staffer worked “down the hall” from the governor and attended daily meetings with Pritzker at the Thompson Center while following safety protocols, including wearing face masks, maintaining social distance and undergoing daily temperature checks, the governor said.
Across the street at City Hall, Lightfoot has taken similar precautions with employees in the mayor’s office.
“We have not had any cases amongst the senior staff. But like every other organization, we’ve had someone in the kind of larger mayor’s office … of over a hundred people,” the mayor said.
“The person was diagnosed, went into quarantine and isolation. We notified all of the people the person had come in contact with. This has been some weeks back. So we have a very specific protocol on how to handle these cases. We are doing temperature checks. And we are looking at other safety measures.”
Lightfoot said most of her staff has been working from home for weeks along with many other employees who normally work out of City Hall.
“We do have a small group that remains in the building. We’re being diligent about who comes in and who doesn’t. Most people are wearing masks. We’ve got hand-sanitizing products all over the office,” the mayor said.
“But we’re also looking at some additional measures, particularly as we start to think about the possibility of bringing staff back to City Hall. Those are ongoing conversations that we’re having.”
The mayor did not say how often she has been tested for the coronavirus or when she was tested last.
Lightfoot is frequently seen wearing a face mask that looks like the Chicago flag, with the words, “Stay Home. Save Lives.” Like the governor, she takes it off while speaking publicly.
On Tuesday, she congratulated 88 new firefighter EMTs by offering elbow bumps.
