SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – It’s back to normal for Illinois schools in terms of infectious diseases.
Governor JB Pritzker signed an updated Executive Order Friday, after the state says they’ve seen “vast improvements in recent weeks of COVID-19 hospitalizations and transmission.”
Pritzker lifted what were termed “school exclusion requirements” that instead allowed schools to return to normal procedures for handling such diseases.
“We are at a stage in this pandemic where we have more tools than ever before to help prevent severe illness due to COVID-19, including safe and effective vaccines and new treatments,” said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Director, Illinois Department of Public Health, in a news release. “With almost half of the entire Illinois population not only vaccinated, but boosted and up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines, as well as high levels of population immunity from both vaccination and infections, the risk of outbreaks causing severe illness is reduced. In-person learning is important for the social, emotional, and mental health of students, and schools should continue to work with their local health departments to assess risks and implement mitigations as needed to protect their students and staff.”
The Governor’s executive order — coming just days after he was all but forced to lift mask mandates in schools — says districts should continue to seek guidance from local health departments, the Illinois Department of Public Health, and the Centers for Disease Control.
CLICK HERE to view the executive order (PDF document).
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