A demonstration organized to protest Cook County’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate was held in front of Skokie Village Hall on Wednesday, Jan. 12. The protest brought crowds from around Skokie and the Chicagoland area, with an estimated 200 people in attendance. Protesters expressed disapproval of Illinois politicians—specifically Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot—and the recent COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

In addition to dozens of picket signs and posters, the demonstration had a handful of public speakers, including republican gubernatorial candidate Jesse Sullivan, a Niles West ’87 alum, a neighborhood rabbi, and others. This protest was one of a series throughout northern Chicago suburbs.

“Vaccine mandates…[are] unamerican. We need to get back to freedom and responsibility, be the land of Lincoln,” Sullivan said.

According to the mandate, business owners and employees of “indoor settings where food or drink are served for on-premises consumption and health and fitness centers” are required by the mandate to either be vaccinated or provide a negative COVID-19 test weekly. Patrons of these establishments are also required to provide proof of vaccination, unless they qualify for any of the exemptions listed in the mandate descriptions.

The mandate drew opposition across party lines, drawing people from different careers, races, and religions. One medical professional, Nicole Kiernicki, picketed along the Oakton Street sidewalk.

“I believe in the freedom of choice, and I believe in ‘my body, my choice,’ and with these mandates, it is too experimental at this point for us to see long-term data. I am not an anti-vaxxer by any means, however, this vaccine has got too little information for a virus that has shown a pretty good survivability rate,” Kiernicki said.

At the time of publication, the CDC reports that there have been 68,671,563 total cases and 856,288 deaths, resulting in a 98.75% survivability rate.

“I’m in emergency medicine, and I have seen bad flu years—it’s no different than what we see here. The global response to the lockdowns and all of that is just completely out of line as far as what we’re actually seeing as far as the survivability rate,” Kiernicki said. She credits her medical background for her understanding of how viruses and vaccines operate, and expressed her concern regarding the effectiveness and safety of mRNA vaccines.

One organizer of the event, Anna Steinberg, coordinated the protest because of her children.

“The new Cook County vaccine mandates require children, five years old and up, to be vaccinated to participate in many other public activities such as entering a library, participating in sports activities, and dining at a restaurant. Children who are unvaccinated for any number of reasons are stripped of their childhood and ‘life, liberty and pursuit of happiness’ by these restrictions,” Steinberg said.

The Skokie mandate is directed specifically at restaurants, bars, indoor fitness centers, and entertainment venues. The mandate clarifies that entertainment venues can include arcades, bowling alleys, movie theaters, and banquet halls, among other venues offering indoor food and beverage services. Indoor fitness centers  are further defined as gyms, yoga studios, dance studios, skating rinks, and any facility offering indoor group fitness classes. The Skokie Public Library does not require patrons to be vaccinated, but masks are required in the building.

Per the Order, the Skokie mandate will be in effect until the Director of the Skokie Health and Human Services department, Michael Charley, “makes a written determination that the threat to public safety has diminished to the point where this Order can be safely repealed or amended.”

The Cook County mandate, which covers all of Cook County except Chicago, Evanston, Oak Park, Skokie and Stickney Township, will remain in effect “for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency as declared by United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, or until such time the Cook County Department of Public Health makes a written determination that the threat to public safety has diminished to the point that this Order can be safely repealed.”