On Feb. 9, Governor Pritzker announced he will lift the indoor mask mandate for most settings, but will leave the mandate in place for schools. Following the Governor’s announcement, State Senator Craig Wilcox (R-McHenry) issued the following statement:
“This afternoon, Gov. Pritzker held a press conference and announced he will be lifting the indoor mask mandate for most settings on Feb. 28. However, even though nearly every other state in the nation has removed mask mandates for children in schools, the Governor expressly said the lifting of his mask mandate will NOT apply to school settings in Illinois. The end of the indoor mask mandate will also not apply to healthcare settings like nursing homes, long-term care settings, hospitals, and doctors’ offices.
“I have never been in favor of statewide mandates and have always advocated for local control. But we are now entering our third year where Gov. Pritzker has ruled unilaterally through executive orders and statewide mandates. During that time, he has rejected input from lawmakers, from local and county elected officials, and from residents- including parents. He has continually said that science drives his decisions but lifting a mask mandate for adults and not for children, who are the least likely to have serious complications from Covid-19, defies all logic.”