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* Press release…
Governor Pritzker Announces COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement for Healthcare Workers, Pre-K-12 Teachers and Staff, Higher Education Personnel and Students to Slow Spread of Delta Variant
All Illinois Residents Required to Wear Masks Indoors, Regardless of Vaccination Status
Downstate Communities with Lower Vaccination Rates Experiencing Sharp Increase in COVID-19 Hospitalizations
CHICAGO – As COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates across the state continue to increase, particularly in downstate communities with the lowest vaccination rates, Governor JB Pritzker and IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike today announced vaccination requirements for individuals in high risk settings. All healthcare workers, including nursing home employees, all pre-k-12 teachers and staff, as well as higher education personnel and students will now be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Employees in all of these settings and higher education students who are unable or unwilling to receive the vaccine will be required to get tested for COVID-19 at least once per week, and DPH and ISBE may require increased testing in certain situations.
The Governor and Dr. Ezike also announced a statewide indoor mask mandate for all Illinois residents, regardless of vaccination status, as COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates continue to increase. The masking requirements are effective Monday, August 30th.
The public health requirements come as regions with low vaccination rates continue to see a surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations. In IDPH region 5, Southern Illinois, with the lowest vaccination rate in the state at 44 percent, only 3% of ICU beds are available as the region experiences the highest case rate in the state. Since August 1st, local health departments across the state have reported 27 COVID-19 outbreaks at schools and currently hundreds of schools are being monitored for potential COVID-19 exposures.
“The quick spread of this disease in Illinois and across the country is holding us all back from the post-pandemic life we so desperately want to embrace, and it’s harming the most vulnerable among us,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “We are running out of time as our hospitals run out of beds. Vaccination remains our strongest tool to protect ourselves and our loved ones, to restore post-pandemic life to our communities, and most crucially, to maintain our healthcare system’s ability to care for anyone who walks through their doors in need of help – and Illinois is taking action to keep our communities safe.”
“Unlike the wave of COVID-19 we saw earlier this Spring, we’re now seeing our hospital resources stretched thin with some areas of Illinois reduced to only a handful of available ICU beds,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “The vast majority of hospitalizations, as well as cases and deaths, are among those who are unvaccinated. This has become a pandemic of the unvaccinated. We have safe, proven, and effective tools to turn the tide and end this pandemic. But until more people are vaccinated, masks are the order of the day and will help us slow the spread of the virus.”
COVID-19 Vaccination
From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pritzker administration has implemented policies and guidelines in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to slow the spread of the virus and protect the health and safety of residents. With the Delta variant causing a rapid increase in infection rates across the state and nation and downstate hospitals in Illinois approaching capacity for hospital and ICU beds, employees in high risk settings will now be required to receive the vaccine or be subject to routine testing. Earlier this month, the administration announced that employees at all State-run congregate facilities would be required to be vaccinated.
To lower the number of breakthrough cases that require hospital admission, the majority of whom are 65 and over or immunocompromised, all healthcare workers, including workers at public and private nursing homes, must get vaccinated. Teachers and staff at pre-k-12 schools as well as personnel and students at higher education institutions are required to receive the vaccine. Workers and students in applicable settings must receive the first dose of a two-dose vaccination series or a single-dose vaccination by September 5, 2021. Second doses of the vaccine must be received by 30 days after the first dose.
Workers who do not receive the vaccine or those who opt out for medical reasons or based on a sincerely held religious belief must follow a routine testing schedule to detect cases early and prevent further spread. Testing will be required a minimum of once per week in schools and healthcare facilities. The frequency of testing may be required to increase in the event of positive cases.
Healthcare, school workers, and higher education personnel and students attending in-person classes who do not provide proof of vaccination will be prevented from entering healthcare and educational facilities unless they follow the required testing protocol.
The COVID-19 vaccine has been available for healthcare and nursing home workers since December 15, 2020, and open to teachers since January 25, 2021. To increase ease of access for all residents, the Pritzker administration established 25 mass vaccination sites across the state that were run by members of the Illinois National Guard (ILNG) who administered 1,869,755 shots to residents across the state. Additionally, teams of ILNG members supported over 800 mobile vaccination clinics across the state on top of an additional 1,705 state-supported mobile sites that focused on communities hardest hit by the pandemic, young residents, and rural communities.
The administration also launched vaccination clinics in communities experiencing high case rates. Clinics were set up in central locations within communities including schools and houses of worship and were also present at community events and, most recently, the Illinois State Fair and upcoming Du Quoin Fair.
Building on these efforts to make access to the COVID-19 vaccine equitable and easy, the administration has offered support to every school district in the State in the form of free mobile vaccination events. So far, the administration has hosted 138 school-focused event with another 163 scheduled for the coming days and weeks.
Mask Requirement
To slow the spread of the highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant, all Illinois residents over the age of two will be required to wear a mask in all indoor settings, effective Monday, August 30th. The requirement is applicable to both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents statewide. Countless studies have demonstrated the efficacy of masks at preventing the spread of COVID-19, with the CDC identifying at least 10 that confirm the benefit of universal masking via community level analyses – including two U.S. states – in addition to observational, economic, epidemiological, and cross-sectional survey studies. A small sampling can be found below:
* “Community Use of Face Masks And COVID-19: Evidence From A Natural Experiment of State Mandates In The US” found an estimated overall initial daily decline in new diagnoses of 0.9% grew to 2.0% at 21 days following mandates.
* “Trends in County-Level COVID-19 Incidence in Counties With and Without a Mask Mandate — Kansas, June 1–August 23, 2020” studied a Kansas executive order requiring mask wearing in public spaces from which county authorities could opt out. The estimated case rate per 100,000 decreased by 0.08 in counties with mask mandates but increased by .11 in those without.
* “Association of Country-wide Coronavirus Mortality with Demographics, Testing, Lockdowns, and Public Wearing of Masks” evaluated 169 countries on per-capita mortality on potential predictors including age, gender, obesity prevalence, temperature, urbanization, smoking, duration of the outbreak, lockdowns, viral testing, contact-tracing policies, and public mask-wearing norms and policies. Duration of mask wearing by the public was negatively associated with per-capita mortality from COVID-19.
While face coverings are not required outdoors, masks are strongly encouraged in crowded outdoor settings like festivals and concerts as well as for activities that require close contact with people who are not vaccinated.
These latest vaccine, testing, and mask requirements are a floor in the state’s efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Employers, schools, and other organizations can take additional health and safety steps to help bring an end to the ongoing pandemic. Governor Pritzker previously announced more stringent requirements regarding vaccination and testing for state employees at state run 24-7 congregate living facilities to protect the state’s most vulnerable residents. Leaders in the private sector are encouraged to follow suit.
Vaccination is the key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic and returning to normal life. All Illinois residents over the age of 12 are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at no cost and proof of immigration status is not required to receive the vaccine. To find a vaccination center near you, go to vaccines.gov.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Aug 26, 21 @ 10:40 am
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Previous Post: *** UPDATED x3 - Pritzker administration responds *** AFSCME says it wants same vax deal as teachers
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It’ll be interesting in my neck of the woods how well the indoor mask requirement is followed at county board and committee meetings. Been very poor to date on a voluntary level, and most don’t want to allow for any virtual options for the residents of the county to attend these meetings.
Comment by Anon221 Thursday, Aug 26, 21 @ 11:26 am
==masks are strongly encouraged in crowded outdoor settings like festivals and concerts==
We shouldn’t be having outdoor festivals and concerts while Delta is raging. Doesn’t matter whether it’s DuQuoin State Fair or Blues and BBQ in downtown Springfield this weekend. Maybe shouldn’t be having outdoor sports either. Too risky to have them.
Comment by NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham Thursday, Aug 26, 21 @ 11:26 am
I’m sure those studies he shared will satisfy Amy Jacobson and everyone whining about needing studies to show the efficacy of masks (sarcasm)
Comment by wildcat12 Thursday, Aug 26, 21 @ 11:29 am
== We shouldn’t be having outdoor festivals and concerts while Delta is raging. Doesn’t matter whether it’s DuQuoin State Fair or Blues and BBQ in downtown Springfield this weekend. Maybe shouldn’t be having outdoor sports either. Too risky to have them.==
I’m sure Mayor Lightfoot and Kanye West will take that under advisement tonight at Soldier Field
Comment by fs Thursday, Aug 26, 21 @ 11:38 am
They should seriously consider expanding this to all state emoloyees as well. I’m usually against this sort of action but thanks to people not being able to be safe and in many cases actively endangering others with a complete lack of care, the only option seems to be mandate as many as the state has power over to get vaccinated.
Comment by Eastern Bloc Thursday, Aug 26, 21 @ 11:39 am
Not specifying exact statewide metrics that triggered the mask mandate, or saying which metrics would allow for the mask mandate to be lifted again is going to fuel the “go it alone governor” critics even further.
Comment by harp5339 Thursday, Aug 26, 21 @ 11:49 am
RE: Outdoor festivals, Lollapalooza was a success and has not precipitated a large jump in cases. Simply saying “it’s too risky” doesn’t make it so.
Comment by Graybeard Thursday, Aug 26, 21 @ 11:57 am
Yes, Outdoor festivals may be an additional risk, but I think with proof of vax or neg test, Lolla showed that it can be done in a safer manner.
People need entertainment. Entertainers and Roadies need to work. I think that outdoor festivals (esp with vax/neg test) is a perfect compromise between complete abstinence and having huge indoor gatherings.
Comment by cermak_rd Thursday, Aug 26, 21 @ 12:14 pm
=I think that outdoor festivals (esp with vax/neg test) is a perfect compromise between complete abstinence and having huge indoor gatherings.=
A number of artists are now requiring vaccines for attendees. These are the kinds of decisions that will actually help us get over the hump. We’re going to get to a point where vaccines will be needed to go about regular activities. And that’s not a bad thing.
Comment by Pundent Thursday, Aug 26, 21 @ 12:25 pm
Thomas Devore filed two restraining orders today in Clinton County Court against a school district superintendent.
Since Devore recently announced he is running for 5th District Appellate Court, Judge Michael McHaney (yes, THAT Judge McHaney from the notorious Clay County case)has had to recuse himself from the two cases filed today.
Comment by transplant Thursday, Aug 26, 21 @ 12:53 pm
Yesterday there was a court hearing re masks in schools. The governor won.
Comment by Kyle’s mom Thursday, Aug 26, 21 @ 1:36 pm
A real question - not that I am against the mandated requirement - merely trying to find documentation - - is today’s order/mandate an Executive Order from the Governor? I have searched in various sites and cannot find if it was an Executive Order or what the situation is.
Comment by Just a Question Thursday, Aug 26, 21 @ 2:25 pm
I understand why this step has been take, but it makes me quite sad. I can’t believe we have slipped back so far. I must admit I am also angry with those who haven’t been vaccinated. All of this suffering could have been prevented. Sigh
Comment by Tired Teacher Thursday, Aug 26, 21 @ 2:42 pm
I wonder how it will take Mayor Langfelder, and perhaps aldermen Hanauer and Redpath, to go on Channel 20 crying and moaning about how the new indoor mask mandate will hurt Springfield’s bars and restaurants.
Comment by NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham Thursday, Aug 26, 21 @ 3:08 pm
=I’m sure Mayor Lightfoot and Kanye West will take that under advisement tonight at Soldier Field=
Shorter version- “but, but…..”
Grow up.
Comment by JS Mill Thursday, Aug 26, 21 @ 5:37 pm
Watching Sangamon County numbers for an uptick because of the fair. The first day was the 12th.
Comment by Cool Papa Bell Thursday, Aug 26, 21 @ 9:35 pm
If things are so dire why wait several days to implement? Wouldn’t immediately be more appropriate. Same thing happened the first time.. three days after election.
Comment by Army Friday, Aug 27, 21 @ 8:31 am
=== If things are so dire why wait several days to implement?===
Are you vaccinated?
I ask because when a governor, any governor, decides to change course, even during a pandemic, the goal isn’t necessarily speed, but the end result which in this case “get the word out”, get people prepared for this change, and get public places and other businesses ready to maximize.
It wouldn’t be as necessary if more were vaccinated.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Aug 27, 21 @ 8:45 am
Where can we get details on the scope of this mandate? Can we eat or drink indoors? There was language specifically allowing for this in past statewide mandates and cook county ones which is missing from this one.
Comment by Confused Friday, Aug 27, 21 @ 10:19 am
I am a Wisconsin resident working in Illinois. Am I mandated to wear a mask in Illinois? I don’t see that covered here.
Comment by Wisco Tuesday, Aug 31, 21 @ 12:09 pm