Governor JB Pritzker To Lift Illinois' Indoor Mask Mandate On Feb. 28, But Says 'Schools Need A Little More Time'
Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday said he plans to lift the state’s indoor mask mandate for most places at the end of the month, citing plummeting infection and hospitalization rates in Illinois. But he said he would keep his mask mandate for Illinois schools in place for weeks longer than that.
Pritzker said, if the state’s downward trend in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continues, he will lift the state’s indoor mask mandate on Feb. 28; meaning masks would no longer be required at restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and other public gathering places. Still, Pritzker and Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said masks will still be highly recommended to limit the spread of COVID-19 and avoid another surge in cases.
Also, individual businesses still have the right to require customers to wear masks or show proof of vaccination on their own, even after state and city officials lift those mandates. “Schools are unlike most other environments. There are far lower vaccination rates for school-aged children than adults, higher exposure on a daily basis to younger children who are not yet vaccine eligible, and more difficulty maintaining distance in hallways and gyms and classrooms. The equation for schools just looks different right now than it does for the general population,” he said.
Meantime, he is appealing a Sangamon County judge’s ruling issuing a temporary restraining order prohibiting the state from enforcing the school mask mandate at more than 140 school districts where parents and teachers have challenged his authority to impose such requirements.
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