North Cook News

A Park Ridge watchdog organization is asking if Cook County’s emergency COVID orders mandating vaccinations for those attending public spaces were implemented by Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle without ever being formally ratified. 

“Section 38-31 of the Code of Ordinances requires President Toni Preckwinkle and the Board of Commissioners to appoint a chief executive officer who is qualified as either a public health administrator or as a medical health officer,” Julie Donatelli, spokesperson for Freedom Park Ridge, told North Cook News. “The CEO of the Cook County Department of Public Health was Dr. Terry Mason until he was fired by Toni Preckwinkle in April 2020. Dr. Kiran Joshi and Dr. Rachel Rubin subsequently took Dr. Mason’s place as 'co-leads' and continue to serve in that capacity. Shouldn’t the emergency order have come from them instead of Toni Preckwinkle since it’s only the department’s CEO who is authorized to adopt emergency regulations? If the answer is that Drs. Joshi and Rubin are not considered to be filling the CEO position, then why has this position remained open for almost two years given that it’s required by law to be filled?” 

Seventeenth District Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison first called out the disparity, saying that Preckwinkle made the unilateral decision to implement the new COVID mandate for Cook County and that "the Cook County Board of Commissioners played no role in this decision.” He added that he inquired about the decision with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Morrison’s concern on the topic came as Preckwinkle instituted mandates such as mandatory proof-of-vaccination for those in public settings—across the county back in January.

"It’s concerning that the unilateral decision of a single person can have such a profound impact on the freedoms of so many Cook County residents and businesses,” Donatelli said. 

After the orders, a Winnetka Starbucks drew the ire of some North Cook county residents when it posted a sign noting the dining room was for the vaccinated only, North Cook News previously reported.

According to a Pew Research survey, the majority of the unvaccinated respondents oppose compulsory immunization for the everyday use of public facilities. 

Eighty-eight percent of unvaccinated respondents agreed that, "There’s too much pressure on Americans to get a COVID-19 vaccine." Another 81 percent of the unvaccinated respondents agreed with the assertion "We don’t really know yet if there are serious health risks from COVID-19 vaccines" and "Public health officials are not telling us everything they know about COVID-19 vaccines."  

According to an Axios/Ipsos poll from August 2021, 20% of Americans say they will never be vaccinated. This is down from 34% in March 2021.