Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced today that his office will issue a statewide mission to require P-12 students studying in private and public schools to wear masks in class, regardless of vaccine status.
As the Delta variant spread in the United States, Illinois reported more than 11,600 new cases in the week from July 23 to July 30. The requirement to wear masks is becoming more and more common in the Chicago area, and some companies have recently implemented informal regulations between themselves and Chicago Public Schools to declare city school missions that will take effect in the upcoming school year. Although other school systems have followed suit, the governor’s new authorization has made it effective statewide.
“Very few school districts choose to follow Federal Centers for Disease Control regulations to ensure the safety of students and faculty,” Pritzker said at the meeting. “With immediate effect, all P-12 schools and daycare centers in Illinois must comply with CDC Regardless of the status of the vaccine, general masking instructions are carried out internally. “
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The CDC issued guidelines earlier last month urging unvaccinated people to wear masks indoors and in crowded environments. The agency stated that in addition to requiring students to wear masks, schools should provide three feet of space between students as much as possible. Currently, the vaccine is not suitable for children under 12 years of age.
Although some teachers expressed concern about returning to school because some places still have lax regulations for them, the CDC stated in a statement that students “benefit from face-to-face learning” and should give priority to resuming face-to-face teaching.
“My goal has always been to get all children back to the classroom safely at the beginning of the school year, and most importantly, to keep them there,” Pritzker said. “Without these measures, we might see more outbreaks than in the second half of the school year. Preventing outbreaks from the beginning can also prevent children from having to stay at home because they are sick or in quarantine.”
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Pritzker added that this task extends to all indoor sports, but does not include outdoor sports. Athletes will undergo regular testing, which he said will be provided free of charge as part of a larger pool of funds dedicated to providing masks and testing supplies to schools across the state.
Pritzker noted that as Illinois makes progress in containing the Delta variant and vaccinating children under 12 years of age, Illinois “will adjust our requirements for schools accordingly.” Pritzker added that the state will require all employees working in facilities such as veterans’ homes, correctional facilities, psychiatric hospitals and the Department of Public Services to be vaccinated.
This is because the governors of California, New York and New Jersey have implemented similar vaccination requirements.
