1 year after Chicago stay at home order given, Mayor Lightfoot charts path forward out of pandemic

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Mayor Lori Lightfoot addressed the city of Chicago Friday, exactly one year after issuing a shutdown order to battle the burgeoning COVID-19 pandemic, to chart the path forward.

Near the top of her address, the mayor led the city in a moment of silence for the 5,000 Chicagoans who have died from the virus, but much of her speech focused on what she said will be better days ahead.

Exactly one year after announcing the city of Chicago shutdown in response to the growing COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Lori Lightfoot delivered remarks charting a path forward.

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"Chicago has continued to be the resilient city that we have always been," Lightfoot said. "Tested, to be sure, but made stronger and never broken. And tougher than ever before. We've adapted. We've endured. And now, my friends, it's time to rise again."

Lightfoot acknowledged the economic pain of so many in the city; people who have been out of work, business owners who have struggled. She also acknowledged personal sacrifices made by all, like canceled weddings and missed time with loved ones, and the fear people have endured from the virus itself.

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Then she turned to the future. She spoke about her administration's priorities in the coming months, including using federal stimulus money wisely, to fund housing, food and utility assistance, rebuilding the city's aging infrastructure, providing additional relief to small businesses and resources for community-based mental health and wellness services.

"The success of our recovery will not just be measured by the size of busy downtown crowds or our GDP, but how quickly residents who have been hit the hardest are able to get back on their feet and move forward with confidence," the mayor said.

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The mayor ended her speech by reminding people that Chicago was made better by its response to the Great Chicago Fire and the Great Depression. Now, she said, the Great Pandemic provides an opportunity to emerge stronger.