Chicago Teachers Union Warns of No In-Person Classes Over ‘Immediate Threat’ of COVID-19 Delta Variant

Striking Chicago teachers and their supporters attend a rally at Union Park in Chicago, Ill., on Sept. 15, 2012. Scott Olson/Getty Images

One of the largest teachers unions in the country—the Chicago Teachers Union—warned that the COVID-19 Delta variant or other new strains of the virus may pause in-person instruction.

In a letter (pdf) to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the union said that “new pandemic variants pose immediate threats to the health of all Chicagoans, but especially our unvaccinated student population,” while praising Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mask mandate at schools.