Chicago, Aug 26 (IANS): Mayor of Chicago Lori Lightfoot announced that all the city workers must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by October 15, while allowing for medical or religious exemptions.

"As cases of Covid-19 continue to rise, we must take every step necessary and at our disposal to keep everyone in our city safe and healthy," Lightfoot said in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement said that those who wish to be exempted for medical or religious reasons must get approval from the Department of Human Resources which will consider the requests on a case by case basis, Xinhua news agency reported.

The city has more than 30,000 employees, the Chicago Tribune newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker required state employees who work in congregate settings, such as prisons and veterans' homes, to be vaccinated by October 4.

According to statistics, 50.5 per cent of people in Illinois have been fully vaccinated, and 65.1 per cent have received the first dose.