Coronavirus: Mayor Rotering Issues Order Requiring Face Coverings

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Mayor Nancy Rotering issued an order Friday requiring everyone in Highland Park to wear face coverings while engaging in certain activities. The emergency order takes effect Monday for residents, visitors and employees ages 3 and above, city staff announced. It is set to remain in place for the duration of the city's state of emergency.

The mask mandate applies to those working in or patronizing any business, including grocery, construction, landscaping and delivery. It also applies to those riding in buses, trains, taxis or ride-hailing vehicles.

Face covering is not required at home, in personal vehicles or while exercising outdoors at a distance at least six feet from others, according to the April 17 executive order. Members of the same household are permitted to be outside without masks, and the order does not apply when wearing the mask would cause a safety risk to the person or the public.

"For the health and safety of everybody involved, we are now mandating that if you are an essential business or service, the employee, as well as the customer, is required to have a face covering," City Manager Ghida Neukirch said.

Illinois Coronavirus Update April 17 — Don't miss updates about precautions in the Highland Park area as they are announced — Sign up for Highland Park Patch news alerts and newsletters.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a recommendation on April 3 that everyone to cover their nose and mouth when outside the home to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission, especially from people who do not show symptoms.

Due to a chronic shortage of protective equipment across the country, public health officials have called for surgical masks and N95 respirators to be reserved for medical professionals and emergency personnel.

"It is critical that we follow the recommendations of the CDC in terms of remaining at home as much as possible. Continuing to observe social distancing guidelines is vital to protecting our community’s health," Rotering said in a release. "The requirement that the public wear masks is not a replacement for social distancing, it is in addition to social distancing."

Business owners may deny admission or service to anyone who does not have their face covered. If employees or customers are not complying with the order, city staff asked the public to contact business owners and managers directly.

"They need to set up procedures to ensure that all their employees and customers are wearing face masks, and if they need to deny someone access to their premises because they don't have a face mask [or face covering] then they need to be prepared to do so," Neukirch said.

Highland Park police are enforcing executive orders issued during the city's state of emergency and may issue $100 citations to enforce them, according to the city manager. Highland Park police had yet to issue any citations since Rotering issued a declaration of emergency on March 14.

"If someone is shopping at a grocery store, for example, and they see a customer that doesn't have a face mask on, we would encourage those people to talk to the business owner or the manager rather than calling the police department."

Related:
Face Masks And Coronavirus: 5 Things To Know
Three Ways To Make Face Masks In 5 Minutes
Illinois Sees Deadliest Day Of Coronavirus Crisis As 125 Die

As of Friday, there were 99 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Highland Park's 60035 ZIP code and 13 cases in Highwood's 60040 ZIP code, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. It was not clear how many, if any, residents of either town had died.

That's because the Lake County Health Department has not identified the locations or ages of the 70 residents it reported having died from the virus — information that has been released on the daily basis by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office — and Lake County Coroner Howard Cooper said his office has not been maintaining reports for people that die of COVID-19 where the cause of death is found to be natural.

Highland Park city officials follow those in the Chicago-area suburbs of Glenview, Cicero, Skokie, Morton Grove and Northbrook in issuing local face-covering orders. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said a statewide requirement is under consideration.

"Unfortunately, we are continuing to see a rise in cases in Highland Park and will likely reach 100 cases over the weekend," Rotering said, announcing her order. "The public's health and safety are our priority. This order further protects our most vulnerable neighbors, essential workers, and all residents."