CHICAGO — Gov. J.B. Pritzker Wednesday announced masks will be required in all pre-K-12 schools, day cares and long-term care facilities across the state.
The mask mandate also applies to indoor sporting events, according to Pritzker. Masks are not required for outdoor sporting events or extra-curricular activities.
The governor also announced his intent to require all state employees working in congregate facilities to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by October 4th.
The state is informing the unions representing these employees of its intention to move forward with this requirement, which covers employees at the Departments of Human Services, Veterans’ Affairs, Corrections and Juvenile Justice working in congregate facilities.
The state is also requiring universal masking in private long-term care facilities and is strongly encouraging owners of private facilities to join the state in adopting vaccination requirements.
In June, 96 percent of people hospitalized in Illinois with COVID-19 were unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated, with the majority of those hospitalizations occurring in residents under 60 years old.
“Given our current trajectory in hospitalizations and ICU usage, we have a limited amount of time right now to stave off the highest peaks of this surge going into the fall,” said Pritzker. “To combat the Delta variant, Illinois is taking three key steps to protect our state’s 1.8 million unvaccinated children under 12 and their families, residents and staff of long-term care facilities, and those highly vulnerable people who rely upon state employees for their daily care.”
A number of school districts across the state had already adopted CDC guidance and implemented a mask requirement, such as Peoria Public Schools.
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