Gov. JB Pritzker will ease Illinois mask mandate following new CDC guidance, officials say
The State Journal-RegisterMay 14, 2021
May 14—Gov. JB Pritzker plans to relax his statewide mask mandate after federal health officials said Thursday mask-wearing is not necessary in most places for people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
That announcement on Friday from the
The state health department, an agency controlled by the Democratic governor, said in a statement: "The governor believes firmly in following the science and will be delighted to revise his executive orders in line with the
However, the city of
Unlike the statewide mandate, which has no specific penalties for non-compliance, the city mandate can come with fines for businesses and individuals not wearing a mask in most indoor public settings.
Langfelder has said the
The state on Friday entered Pritzker's "bridge phase" on the way to a potential easing of all COVID-19-related restrictions as early as
During the bridge phase, capacity limits are loosened from 50% to 60% in offices, retail establishments, museums, amusement parks, ticketed spectator events, movie theaters, zoos and conventions.
Limits also have been expanded for restaurants and bars, with indoor standing areas now allowed at 30% of normal capacity, and 50% capacity allowed for outdoor areas.
The
But the
It's unclear how schools, offices and local businesses would put the
More than 154 million Americans, or about 47% of the population, have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and about 120 million are fully vaccinated.
COVID-19 shots nationwide opened up in recent days for children ages 12 through 15, adding to the 16-and-older population that already had received federal clearance to receive vaccine.
In
The
The department memo said "fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any non-health care setting, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal or territorial laws, rules and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance."
"In addition," the memo said, "employees and residents of congregate settings, such as correctional facilities and homeless shelters, should continue to mask. Similarly, schools should continue to follow the
Almost 41% of
But the share of the population fully vaccinated "need to go higher if we want to continue to enjoy the benefits of what we have achieved," the
"We support the new guidelines because of their intended purpose of encouraging all residents to be vaccinated," according to the statement. "We must encourage our family members, friends and coworkers to take advantage of the vaccine, both for themselves and their children."
The statement added: "We want to thank the residents and businesses of
Forty-nine additional deaths of people with COVID-19 were reported statewide Friday, along with 1,841 new COVID-19 cases.
There have been a total of 1.36 million COVID-19 cases and 22,369 deaths of Illinoisans since the pandemic hit the state in spring 2020.
As of Thursday night, 1,708 people in
The statewide seven-day test-positivity rate was 3.1%.
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