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Masks

Beginning Thursday, February 10, archdiocesan churches and chapels in Lake and Suburban Cook Counties (excluding Oak Park and Evanston) can move to mask-optional for all Masses, liturgies and Religious Education classes. The City of Chicago, Oak Park, and Evanston Health Departments currently have standing orders requiring masks applicable to Masses, liturgies and Religious Ed classes. We will continue to follow these orders in those municipalities while they are in effect. This mirrors the guidance provided to archdiocesan schools, as well.

To be clear, archdiocesan and parish offices, including parish halls and social gathering places, must wait until the governor’s current statewide mask order is lifted on February 28 before moving to a mask-optional environment. Even then, some municipalities may still have standing orders requiring masks. We will continue to monitor developments in those jurisdictions and communicate updates accordingly.

As we transition to mask-optional, please note the following:

Parishioners and Religious Education families should be reminded to report any COVID positive cases (instances when the individual has been on parish property within 48 hours of symptoms or positive diagnosis) to the parish office so that appropriate communication can be shared with any close contacts.
Everyone is encouraged to vaccinate, boost when eligible, and wear masks, if preferred. N95 masks are highly effective at preventing transmission of COVID regardless of whether the wearer is around masked or unmasked individuals. We support everyone in whichever decision they make regarding the regular use of masks.
Masks may be required during periods of high community infection. We will continue to assess current trends and based on infection levels, we may require churches to temporarily require masks once again in the future.