Pritzker Lifting Indoor Mask Mandate Feb. 28, Republicans Criticize
Governor JB Pritzker announces the end of his statewide mask mandate Wednesday. Republicans criticized Pritzker over a multitude of issues, including timing and the mandate remaining in place for schools. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
As the pandemic rages on, Governor JB Pritzker Wednesday found himself defending his decision to pull back his second indoor mask mandate at the end of February.
More from the Chicago Tribune:
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker will lift his indoor mask mandate for most public places on Feb. 28 if the state’s largest coronavirus surge continues to subside, a move that comes as Democratic governors across the country begin 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 members, vaccinations or testing.
In announcing his decision, Pritzker cited a rapid drop in the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 since that figure reached an all-time high in mid-January during a surge, driven by the highly contagious omicron variant, that put enormous strain on the state’s health care system.
“We are on track to come out on the other side of this latest COVID storm in better shape than even the doctors expected,” Pritzker said Wednesday. “If these trends continue, and we expect them to, then on Monday, Feb. 28, we will lift the indoor mask requirement for the state of Illinois.”
The governor was quick to dismiss critics who contend the decision is motivated more by politics than by public health considerations.
“These are the same people that wanted us to take masks off or encouraged people not to get vaccinated back when we ... had rising infections and rising hospitalization, so it’s hard to take them seriously at this point,” he said.
Republicans in the state legislature have repeatedly characterized Pritzker’s mask mandate as an overreach of his executive authority, saying such a policy needs to be decided on by lawmakers.
“He has not invited Republicans to participate in any meaningful discussion, whether it’s in a closed meeting of leaders but also on the floor of the House of Representatives and chambers,” House GOP leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs said Wednesday during an unrelated news conference. “The governor has taken this ‘going-alone’ approach too long.”
Durkin also called for an end to masking in schools. “Let’s let parents and children go back to schools without having to deal with this mask situation,” he said.
Despite Pritzker’s intention to continue requiring masks in schools for the time being, that issue has been complicated by a Sangamon County Circuit Court judge’s decision last week to block the state and school districts named in a set of lawsuits from enforcing the requirement for students and teachers named as plaintiffs in the case. The state is asking an appellate court to reverse the ruling.
The legal limbo has created chaos for school districts this week as they grapple with whether to continue requiring masks or make them optional.
Republicans, of course, continued to criticize Pritzker on a number of issues.
From Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods):
“One has to wonder if this is just about winning a lawsuit and maintaining his ability to exercise power over the people of this state. The Governor’s continued piecemeal approach isn’t working and leads to confusion and frustration. It’s time to get back to living in a sense of normalcy and that begins with empowering individuals to be responsible for themselves. Learning to live with COVID-19 means getting to the point where we trust individuals and families to make the best decisions for their own health and safety.”
From GOP gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin:
“A few short days ago, this Governor refused to end mandates saying we needed to ‘follow the science’ but today says everyone can remove their masks except the lowest risk population. Illinois is being led by a Governor who puts politics and special interests ahead of parents and their children. Enough is enough.”
From GOP gubernatorial candidate Jesse Sullivan:
“Under J.B. Pritzker’s new round of orders, Illinois kids don’t have to wear masks in restaurants, stores, museums or church - but they do in schools. Mandates in schools won't be lifted for weeks and he is already talking about reinstating them in the future. This isn't real science. It's political science. That's unacceptable. It's time to return parental control to our kids' education."
From GOP gubernatorial candidate Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia):
“Governor Pritzker has once again put his political agenda in front of what we know to be in the best interests of our students and their education. Governor Pritzker is fighting in court to force masks on your school children. This unilateral move without engaging the legislature does not make him a leader. Instead, it makes him a tyrant. And his inability to stand up to the woke mobs and special interests makes him a coward. It's time to stop this nonsense and end the mandates today. Defending freedom and protecting our kids shouldn't be issues you need to poll before standing up and doing something about it.”
Bailey stormed out of a Capitol news conference after being pressed on the effectiveness of the COVID vaccine and recent GOP support of January 6, 2021 insurrectionists.
From GOP gubernatorial candidate Gary Rabine:
“Illinois kids and parents go into day five of JB Pritzker’s mask mandate mess. Today, he will compound the chaos by beginning to lift the mandate for the general public but keep it in place for schools. Other states, including those with Democratic Governors, have figured this out. But when politics, not people, are your main concern as Governor, this is what happens. COVID chaos and a crime epidemic are Pritzker’s legacy. It’s time to take our state back.”