Illinois’ indoor mask mandate will be lifted on Feb. 28, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday, a change that comes as the state’s largest coronavirus surge to date continues to subside and Democratic governors across the country have begun loosening rules in response to improving data and an increasingly pandemic-weary public.
Pritzker is not dropping masking rules for schools, however, as his administration seeks to overturn last week’s court ruling that called into question his legal authority for mandating face coverings, quarantines, and, for school staff, vaccinations or testing.
“All of us are getting tired of wearing masks, that’s for sure,” Pritzker said during a Wednesday morning appearance in Champaign. “I have to say an enormous compliment to the people of Illinois. We have done such a good job — you have done such a good job of keeping each other safe.”
He said a change in mask mandates for schools will come in “weeks hence.”
Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike told lawmakers during a briefing Wednesday that the administration would assess the effect of lifting the mask mandate in indoor public places other than schools before making a decision on masks in schools.
State health officials also told lawmakers that mask rules would continue to apply in health care settings, congregate facilities such as prisons and group homes, and on public transportation. Chicago and other municipalities will be able to continue enforcing stricter rules.
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