Ald. Brendan Reilly: Chicago Will Still Partially Reopen Wednesday


Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward) says Chicago businesses will still partially reopen Wednesday, even after widespread looting devastated the city over the weekend.

“The mayor is going to continue to move forward with the cautious reopening for outdoor dining for restaurants, knowing that unfortunately in the last 48 hours large swaths of the city of Chicago’s commercial districts have been demolished or are on fire,” he said Monday night.

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The city plans to allow outdoor dining, barbershops and limited retail to resume operations Wednesday, more than two months after being shuttered by the COVID-19 pandemic in March. 

“For those restaurants who are comfortable giving it a go on the reopening on Wednesday, we don’t want to hold them back as a city,” Reilly said. 

Reilly’s ward includes much of the Loop and River North, which saw heavy looting Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, the streets downtown were eerily quiet, with most major entrances, as well as the CTA, shut down. 

Reilly says the damage caused by rioters will be compounded by the ongoing COVID-19 shutdown, which had already led to some businesses closing for good. 

“What happened this weekend, with the incredible devastation and destruction of those businesses, that accelerated that timeline for many, especially the mom-and-pop stores that don’t have a big cash reserve,” Reilly said. 


Community Reporting Series

“Chicago Tonight” is expanding its community reporting. We’re hitting the streets to speak with your neighbors, local businesses, agencies and leaders about COVID-19, the economy, racial justice, education and more. See where we’ve been and what we’ve learned by using the map below. Or select a community using the drop-down menu. Points in red represent our series COVID-19 Across Chicago; blue marks our series “Chicago Tonight” in Your Neighborhood.


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