Pritzker Mandates Masks in Schools, Vaccines for Some State Employees
Governor JB Pritzker Wednesday announced he will require all students and staff in schools from preschool through high school to wear masks in the upcoming school year. He is also mandating vaccines for some state employees.
As the upcoming school year approaches with a dramatic increase of COVID-19 cases around the state, especially among the unvaccinated, Governor JB Pritzker ordered Wednesday that all students and staff in schools, from preschool through 12th grade, will be required to wear masks.
Pritzker also announced he’ll require state employees who work in congregate facilities, like prisons, behaviorial health facilities, and veterans’ homes, will be required to receive the vaccine by October 4th.
“People are dying who don’t have to die,” Pritzker said Wednesday in Chicago. “It’s heartbreaking and it impacts us all.”
Local decisions on masks in schools for the upcoming year have been contentious affairs in all corners of the state. Pritzker’s new order certainly takes the decision out of the hands of beleaguered school boards and superintendents, but will likely leave an angry sect of parents around the state.
While the initial strain of the COVID-19 virus didn’t impact children to the extent it did seniors or those with comorbidities, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike says Delta variant cases among children have grown dramatically.
Ezike says in January, cases among kids under 10 were about 5.5% of total cases in the state. Last month, it was closer to 15%. 23% of cases last month were kids 10-19.
Pritzker says the key to combating the Delta variant and moving past mitigations is vaccination.
“The vast majority of vaccinated people are safe,” Pritzker said. “No vaccine is 100% effective and hearing about breakthrough cases on the news can feel scary, even when breakthroughs are rare and mild. But, the likelihood of a vaccinated person testing positive for COVID-19 remains extremely low.”
He says while a person can still get a mild case of COVID-19 after vaccination, the vaccine is preventing serious cases.
“These vaccines are doing what they are designed to do,” Pritzker said. “That is eliminating the risk of hospitalization and death.”
When asked Wednesday, Pritzker said a full, statewide mask mandate is “not something on the table.” But he said officials are always reviewing latest statistics and options available to them.
The mask requirement also extends to all public and private long term care facilities in the state. All indoor sports scheduled for the fall will also require masks, including high school volleyball.
“Illinois high school student-athletes and coaches have been resilient in dealing with myriad mitigations and unexpected changes over the past year. We hope all Illinoisans do their part to stop the spread of COVID-19 so we can quickly move beyond this and remove masks from indoor athletic events,” said Illinois High School Association Executive Director Craig Anderson.
Pritzker will likely have to negotiate the vaccine requirement with state workers unions. AFSCME Council 31 President Roberta Lynch said in a statement Wednesday they believe educating state employees is a better track than mandating the vaccine.
“The employees in these congregate facilities have been on the job every day since the onset of this pandemic, putting their own health and safety at risk to assure public safety and provide essential care. We strongly oppose any effort to define them as part of the problem rather than recognizing their dedication and the vitally important contributions they have made to protecting health and saving lives,” she said.
