Does Pritzker’s plan to lift mask mandate end the debate in Illinois schools?

Even as Illinois rolls back mask mandates in indoor settings at the end of this month, schools will still require masking, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said.

Pritzker announced Wednesday that the state plans to end mask mandates in public settings by Feb. 28, though any local or federal mandates will remain in place.

“In-person learning in a healthy environment is what is best for our children,” he said in a press conference Wednesday. “ ... Schools need a little more time.”

Children have lower vaccination rates than adults, Pritzker noted. Additionally, schools may face challenges with maintaining social distancing in places like hallways.

Under executive orders from Pritzker, masks are required in all school settings, and school employees must either be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing.

On Friday, however, Sangamon County Judge Raylene Grischow granted a temporary restraining order for students and school employees named in either of two separate lawsuits related to COVID safety mitigations in schools. Pritzker is named as a defendent in the cases, along with nearly 170 school districts and other state health and education officials.

According to the restraining order, the children of the named plaintiffs — and only the named plaintiffs — will be exempt from the mask mandate.

Pritzker has asked the Fourth District Appellate Court for an appeal, but as of Wednesday it has not issued an opinion.

Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey and Oregon all announced timelines to end their school masking requirements this week, with the latest end date being March 31.

Pritzker didn’t provide a timeline for removing the school mask mandate, but he said that he hoped and expected that Illinois would continue to “move to a place where we can” in the coming weeks.

At the height of the most recent wave, COVID-19 hospitalizations peaked at around 7,400 patients. Hospitalizations began to drop quickly in late January. Just over 2,500 people were hospitalized with COVID as of Tuesday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported.

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.

This story was originally published February 9, 2022 at 3:10 PM.