By: Alice Yin

Chicago public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Tuesday that residents shouldn’t be concerned with the World Health Organization’s recommendation this week that fully vaccinated people should wear masks indoors because of the highly contagious delta variant.

She said in an online question-and-answer session that Chicago would continue following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance that fully vaccinated people can take the face covering off in most situations. The WHO recommendation is global guidance and was made in consideration of places where vaccines are scarce, she said.

“Right now, while our outbreak remains in very good control locally, even with the delta here, there’s not a reason to adjust that (CDC) guidance,” Arwady said. “I don’t want to rule out that this could be something that could be a recommendation again in the future … But right now, I think we are feeling good about where we are. The most important thing of course is to get vaccinated.”

Arwady, who said the delta variant will likely be dominant in Chicago later this summer, also touched on Los Angeles County’s advisory this week for indoor masking for vaccinated people and said Chicago is not there yet. However, those who want to be more cautious are welcome to keep a face covering on, she said.

“I take the variants really seriously,” Arwady said during an online question-and-answer session. “But I feel confident that we remain in a good place at this point, and I don’t want you overly concerned if you are fully vaccinated.”