Here’s when Pritzker said Illinois will end its mask mandate for some indoor places
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Illinois plans to end its statewide indoor mask mandate for certain indoor settings by Feb. 28.
“All of us are getting tired of wearing masks, that’s for sure,” Pritzker said at an unrelated news conference Wednesday, “but I have to say, an enormous compliment to the people of Illinois. We have done such a good job, you have done such a good job, of keeping each other safe.”
More details about the state’s plans for lifting the mask mandate were expected to be released at a 2 p.m. briefing.
The state saw COVID-19 hospitalizations peak at roughly 7,400 during the height of the most recent wave. Those numbers began decreasing rapidly in late January and were at just above 2,500 as of Tuesday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported.
Few details on the plan were available Wednesday morning, but Pritzker said the state would still require masks in K-12 schools and other “sensitive” settings.
“That’s something that will come weeks hence,” Pritzker said.
Masks have been required in indoor public places statewide since August 30. The state’s first mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic went into effect on May 1, 2020 and wasn’t lifted until June 11, 2021.
New York’s governor announced this week the state will also lift its mandate except for schools. Similar mandates are also dropping in Delaware, Oregon and California. New Jersey and Connecticut announced they will lift school mask mandates.
This story was originally published February 9, 2022 at 11:30 AM.
