Thread by @MsKellyMHayes

.@GovPritzker pls overrule Chicago's mayor and keep our schools closed. You know she will never admit her plan is a mistake. People will die because of her intransigence, just as they have before. We need state action. wsj.com/articles/europ…

Chicagoans aren't just up against a virus. We are up against a mayor who is fighting to reopen bars and restaurants as the new strain takes hold. There U.S. death toll will hit 500K next month and Chicago's mayor is ready to feed us to the virus to keep the economy going.

Members of the Chicago City Council have questioned the mayor's office about the new strain & any enhanced mitigations it might require. The mayor's staff simply says the vaccine will protect against the new strain. But the new strain will take hold here before most of us get it.

The VAST majority of Chicagoans will not have access to the vaccine before B117 becomes the dominant strain in our city. Ask any expert. There is no controversy about this. Population wise, the number of people vaccinated won't be remotely meaningful by then.

“I see the new strain as a threat multiplied. Take everything we know about the risk of this virus and just multiply it substantially,” said Dr. Ashish K. Jha, dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health. nytimes.com/2021/01/15/hea…

So let's talk math: At present, it's estimated that children are about half as likely as adults to spread COVID-19, and some experts say this applies to the new strain as well. But if the new strain is 40-80% more transmissible, in what world is it safe to reopen schools?

And what about teachers? Remember them? I rarely hear them mentioned when people talk about how safe it is to reopen schools. Personally, I support @CTULocal1.

Chicago's reopening plan has always been terrible, as explained here. But with the new strain, it's just murderous. The mayor won't back down. The governor must step in.

truthout.org/audio/chicago-…

Chicago's mayor's only plan to address the new strain is that the vaccine will combat it. Well, the B117 variant is spreading wildly and the federal vaccine reserve is gone. Your move, @JBPritzker. Please follow the science, because our mayor won't.