City of Sycamore returns to required face masks for all employees, visitors

SYCAMORE – More than a month after Illinois moved into Phase 5 of the Restore Illinois plan, City of Sycamore officials announced masks will go back to being required for all employees and visitors in government buildings as virus cases trend upwards.

Sycamore Acting City Manager Maggie Peck wrote in a Friday email the City of Sycamore will require masks for all employees and customers entering any city building, regardless of vaccination status, beginning Monday.

“So you will need a mask to attend” the City Council meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at Sycamore Center in the city’s downtown area, Peck wrote.

The update comes after city officials within DeKalb County started to relax masking restrictions indoors to only those who are not vaccinated back in June.

Peck said the change in policy was in alignment with recommendations from the DeKalb County Health Department, which on Thursday issued new guidance strongly recommending a return to universal indoor masking in the county, regardless of vaccination status. The county health department’s stance parallels recent changes to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance as COVID-19 again surges in parts of the country, with the more contagious delta variant the prevalent strain.