* This post will be updated. Click here if the video doesn’t show up below…

Governor Pritzker gives a COVID-19 Update. https://t.co/YSbAP9qRPp

— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) August 4, 2021

…Adding… Pritzker…

This [mask] requirement extends to P-12 sports. Face coverings will be required for all indoor recreation, whereas outdoors, where transmission risks and rates are lower, athletes and coaches will not be required to mask.

We will continue to encourage school districts to make sure their athletes are tested regularly to catch any potential outbreaks early, and to ensure that schools have what they need to adhere to the new mask requirement. My administration is ready to supply masks to any school districts that need them. That’s on top of the free COVID-19 testing supplies we’re providing to all of our public schools statewide.

Please pardon all transcription errors.

* Vaccines…

Today I’m also announcing that Illinois will require vaccinations for all state employees who work in congregate facilities such as our veterans homes, our corrections facilities, and the Department of Human Services developmental centers and psychiatric hospitals, our most vulnerable residents, such as veterans who can’t live on their own, and adults living with developmental disabilities have no choice but to live amongst these workers.

By and large residents of the state run facilities have done what they can do to protect themselves by getting vaccinated. For example, residents of our state’s veterans homes have vaccination rates of 96% 98% and even 99%.

And yet many of the long term care facilities employees have themselves, not been vaccinated, they run the risk of carrying the virus into work with them, and then it’s the residents who are ending up seriously sick hospitalized or worse. It’s a breach of safety. It’s fundamentally wrong. And in Illinois, it’s going to stop. […]

We’ve notified the unions about this necessary safety measure, requesting that they come to the negotiating table to work out the details. Our state agencies will continue to make the vaccine readily available for employees, including posting vaccination drives at work sites and offering paid time off for receiving the vaccine.

This directive takes effect October 4 Two months from today, leaving ample time for employees to get fully vaccinated. If I could do it sooner. I would. Until then, all employees will remain masked up.

Related: 5 new positive COVID-19 cases at La Salle veterans home - IDVA confirms 2 residents, 3 workers positive from July 29-31

* Long-term care facilities…

Finally, I’m announcing a universal mass mandate in all long term care facilities all long term care facilities across Illinois, including those that are privately owned and operated. This means everyone vaccinated or not, must wear a mask when you’re in a facility with long term care patients and residents. This is already standard practice in much of the industry. But while the Delta variant rages on, I want to leave no doubt on the need for compliance.

* Wrap-up…

I want to end with a message for our vaccinated residents. I know this is hard. You did the right thing for yourself, for your family, for your community. And now, because of the new delta variant and the high number of unvaccinated people in the United States. It feels like we’re going backwards in this journey.

Please remember that the vast majority of vaccinated people are safe, no vaccine is 100% effective in hearing about breakthrough cases on the news can feel scary. Even when breakthroughs are rare and mild, but the likelihood of a vaccinated person testing positive for COVID-19 remains extremely low, and most importantly these vaccines are doing what they’re designed to do essentially to eliminate the risk of hospitalization and death again to all of those who are already vaccinated.

I’m going to ask you to do one more thing. Talk to someone in your life who could get the vaccine, but hasn’t yet. Please share your story with them share why you got that. Let them know that the vaccine is free, let them know that they can go to their doctor to a pharmacy to a clinic, and if their hometown, someone can come and vaccinate them right there at home. Let them know that they’ll still be eligible for the $1 million, Illinois vaccine lottery, and most importantly, that they’ll receive the life saving benefits of the vaccine.

We’ll get through this all together as Illinoisans as we have in so many other circumstances. By working together. And I want to thank everybody.

* More…

I will continue to listen to the IDPH and other experts to evaluate any and all necessary action to protect children, prevent death and support our healthcare systems. I’m asking private employers to do the same. Already we’ve seen companies with Illinois operations like Tyson and Google announce vaccine requirements for employees. I applaud those employers who have taken steps to protect their employees, their customers, and the public from the virus and I hope to see others join them most crucially, I’ll be putting out a call to all long term care facilities and nursing homes in the state of Illinois your workers are on the front lines of protecting 1000s of our elderly loved ones. But across the state staff vaccination rates are dramatically lower than those of your residents, and a troubling number of facilities staff vaccination rates are below 25%

* Press release…

As COVID-19 infection rates across the state continue to increase and with a number of school districts not yet adopting CDC guidance on masking, Governor JB Pritzker and IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike today announced masks will be required for students, teachers, and staff at pre-kindergarten-12th grade schools and day cares across the state. The new requirement formalizes CDC guidance released in July on universal masking for both unvaccinated and vaccinated people in schools to ensure a safe return to classrooms.

The governor also announced his intent to require all state employees working in congregate facilities to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by October 4th. The state is informing the unions representing these employees of its intention to move forward with this requirement, which covers employees at the Departments of Human Services, Veterans’ Affairs, Corrections and Juvenile Justice working in congregate facilities. The state is also requiring universal masking in private long-term care facilities and strongly encourages owners of private facilities to join the state in adopting vaccination requirements.

The new measures are part of the state’s ongoing effort to combat a new surge as the Delta variant rapidly spreads among the unvaccinated. Since COVID-19 metrics reached their lowest points earlier this summer, cases have soared by a factor of nearly 10, hospitalizations and ICU rates have more than doubled in a month, and the number of COVID patients requiring a ventilator has multiplied nearly 2.5 times over since July 16th. In June, 96 percent of people hospitalized in Illinois with COVID-19 were unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated, with the majority of those hospitalizations occurring in residents under 60 years old.

“Given our current trajectory in hospitalizations and ICU usage, we have a limited amount of time right now to stave off the highest peaks of this surge going into the fall,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “To combat the Delta variant, Illinois is taking three key steps to protect our state’s 1.8 million unvaccinated children under 12 and their families, residents and staff of long-term care facilities, and those highly vulnerable people who rely upon state employees for their daily care. I also encourage every Illinoisan who is eligible to get vaccinated as soon as possible, as millions of their neighbors already have. This vaccine is safe, effective, and essentially eliminates the risk of hospitalization and death even from the Delta variant. In short, it’s the best tool we have.”

“Vaccination is the best way we can prevent further spread, hospitalizations, and deaths due to COVID-19 and the Delta variant,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “Data show that the vaccines are preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death, and are effective against the Delta variant. We have the tools to turn the tide of another wave, but we need people to use them.”

Mask Requirement

In preparation for the start of the upcoming school year and in response to the highly contagious Delta variant, all students, teachers, and staff at pre-kindergarten – 12th grade schools and day cares will be required to wear masks regardless of vaccination status, effective immediately. This guidance is in line with recommendations from the CDC.

The state is also requiring universal masking in long-term care facilities regardless of vaccination status.

Illinois is home to 1.8 million children under the age of 12 who are not yet eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. With the Delta variant infecting the younger population at a greater rate and with people under 29 years old now accounting for 12 percent of COVID hospitalizations in June, requiring the use of masks is the most effective tool to allow students to return to their classrooms safely while protecting them from the virus. Mask wearing will also help prevent unvaccinated students from transmitting the virus to more vulnerable members of their broader communities.

The mask requirement is inclusive of youth sports and activities, with masks now required for all indoor extracurriculars and sports. In line with CDC guidance, masks are not required for activities outdoors where transmission risks and rates are lower.

The administration is providing free testing to all pre-K-12 schools in Illinois outside of Chicago, which received a separate federal funding allocation for testing.

IDPH also provided additional guidance for students and staff who are exposed to someone who tests positive for COVID-19. Close contacts of a positive case can remain in school if they receive testing on days one, three, five, and seven post exposure and if they wore masks at the time of exposure.

“The CDC strengthened its guidance last week for universal indoor masking in schools, and Illinois will continue to follow the science, data, and public health experts to keep students in school and keep communities safe,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala. “We know that consistent and correct mask use is the simplest, most effective way to keep students safely in school, where they can learn and grow to their fullest potential.”

A number of school districts across the state have already adopted CDC guidance and implemented a mask requirement to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 among students, teachers, and staff and the communities they live in. Those districts include the state’s two largest school districts, Chicago and Elgin U-46, as well as Edwardsville Community School District 7, Peoria Public School District 150, Champaign Unit 4 School District, Springfield School District 186, and Naperville School District 203.

To help schools across the state protect the health and safety of students and staff, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) has distributed 2.5 million free face masks to public schools since the beginning of the pandemic. The free masks grant every child the ability to access the learning opportunities provided by their school in person, regardless of their ability to purchase a face covering or make one at home. The administration will continue to supply masks to school districts as they request assistance.

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) aimed at protecting the state’s most vulnerable residents. With the Delta variant causing a rapid increase in infection rates across the nation and Illinois, the state is taking additional steps to slow the spread of the virus in congregate facilities, where residents are most vulnerable.

With vaccination rates among residents in state congregate facilities largely being significantly higher than rates among staff, approximately 80 percent of the new COVID-19 cases in state-operated congregate care facilities have been due to infection among employees. However, the individuals in these facilities, who frequently lack the ability to live on their own, are bearing the brunt of the consequences of unvaccinated workers as their hospitalization rate due to the virus increases.

The state is notifying the unions representing all employees who work in 24-7 state-operated congregate living facilities of the intent to require that these employees receive the COVID-19 vaccine by October 4th. This includes employees who work in state veterans’ homes, developmental centers, correctional facilities, and juvenile justice facilities. Increased vaccination rates will help prevent and slow community spread, reduce the likelihood of infecting vulnerable populations, and allow for potentially less-severe illnesses for those who contract COVID-19 post vaccination. State agency leaders will ensure ongoing vaccination opportunities for employees at state-run facilities, as they have since vaccine was first made available to employees.

Governor Pritzker urged privately-owned and operated long-term care facilities to implement a similar vaccination requirement for their employees to protect the vulnerable residents they serve.

“As the highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread and evolve, our state guidance needs to do so as well,” said House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch. “We know vaccines save lives and build herd immunity in our communities, so it is imperative that we encourage everyone to get theirs. But with the lower rate of vaccinations among teens and younger children not yet eligible to receive theirs, these are the difficult decisions our leaders must make to prevent illness and save lives.”

“When we follow medical science, we make progress against this pandemic. I applaud the governor for continuing to follow the science to protect the people of Illinois,” said Illinois Senate President Don Harmon.

“Keeping our veterans safe and healthy is a top priority, especially those in our state-operated long-term care facilities who were hit hardest early on in this pandemic,” said State Senator Tom Cullerton (D- Villa Park), Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs committee. “I commend the governor for taking the necessary actions needed to protect the most vulnerable in the state, as well as the workers who care for the veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country.”

“I want to thank Governor Pritzker for taking steps to secure the safety and welfare of our residents. These decisions are not easy, however not making decisions is not an option when the health and lives of Illinoisans are at stake,” said State Rep. Fred Crespo (D-Hoffman Estates). “As he did in the past, Governor Pritzker is following the science, which is the only way to combat this pandemic. This is not a political issue, it’s a very serious health issue. The sooner we act, the more successful we’ll be in controlling the Corona Delta variant.”

“Anything we can do to protect our most precious children who are still unable to receive vaccinations is essential. We have to do everything in our power to keep the COVID numbers down,” said State Rep. Sue Scherer (D-Decatur).

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.

* On to questions for the governor. Parents are asking what has taken you so long? Others say they are going to file lawsuits to challenge this mandate…

It’s important that you know as I watch these numbers, as the IDPH tracks this across the state that we take action. We want to take action at the proper time we want to make sure that we’re keeping our hospitals as open as possible. So their beds available even for people who might have other kinds of ailments. And so we’re doing this I think at the right time and making sure that as schools get back in session that we’re limiting the spread, mitigating the spread…

We have the legal authority to enforce this and we will if necessary. What we think is going to happen is that schools will follow this do the right thing, again this is about keeping our children and their families safe. That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to get every child into school every day, so that they can learn properly. We left it open to school districts last year to make the kinds of adjustments that they needed to to keep kids in school, and this year because things are very different. Now that we have a vaccine available for at least every person 12 And over including all the people obviously the adults that work in schools. We now have the ability to keep many of those people safe, but we also have kids who are unvaccinated so we’re trying to do the best we can for them and their families.

* Are you still considering or are you at all considering a universal mask mandate outside of schools and other throughout the state and other buildings?…

It’s not something on the table but obviously we monitor these numbers very closely, and we make adjustments as necessary.

* If you have a parent who I don’t want my child to be masked? … What is the recourse there?…

So, obviously schools are the ones that are responsible for keeping their school environment safe. This is something that’s in endeavoring to help them. Schools can be held liable if they don’t follow the mandates are put in place, there’s even the ability for the state to revoke recognition status for school, though I think that’s something that would happen long after other mitigation or other efforts are made to get a school to impose mitigations and to maintain the mask mandate.

* What about the ILGOP demand that you take down your TV ads?…

I’ll just say that we’re celebrating the fact that the people of Illinois have stepped up and are doing the right thing, following the mitigations have kept our state safe, and obviously as the virus which is unpredictable, now has delta variants. We’re addressing it as best we can with masks in schools, requiring people who are providing service to those who are vulnerable in the state to be vaccinated. Those are I think the right things to do and nobody’s you know doing what they’re describing what we’re doing is simply saying that Illinois is doing a good job of addressing the challenges that were faced by this very unpredictable virus.

* Could this be first step to remote learning?…

Again, that is not on the table. We have many different tools today than we had six or eight or 12 months back, and that is we have vaccinations available. People should go get vaccinated, that is the most important thing you can do to yourself, your community, your school safe. We hope that people will take advantage of that, that will reduce the need to have masks, and indeed, that may be the reason as we see vaccines available for kids under 12. I, you know, that’s one thing that we’ll take into account as we’re contemplating how long a mask mandate might need to stay in place in schools, but that’s what we’re talking about today’s mask mandates of schools, and to make sure we’re keeping the most vulnerable people in care of staff who should be vaccinated, making sure that they’re getting back on their feet and keep everybody safe

* On vaccines, why not do it more quickly, why not all state workers?…

As you’ve seen, there are, you know there’s a menu of options for managing through waves of this virus. And so we’re simply taking advantage of what we think will work for the most vulnerable populations to keep them safe. And again, I want to remind you, we live in a world where vaccines are readily available literally if you are in this room and you haven’t been vaccinated, I hope that’s nobody in this room, but if you haven’t been vaccinated, you can walk down the street and go to a Walgreens or CVS, you can find the Public Health Department, and you will get vaccinated probably within the hour.

* Mandate on private employers to vaccinate workers?…

That’s not something we’re looking at compelling companies to do that now. But certainly companies that are doing it, I think are doing it because they want to keep their workers safe, and the rest of our communities safe

* Another question about tougher mitigations…

We’re no longer in the kind of mitigation plan that you’re talking about there. We are living in a world now where there are vaccinations available to everybody and what we’re trying to do is address the vulnerable, and make sure that everybody wherever there is a problem and you’ve seen there’s been, you know, a high likelihood of spread in certain areas and red alert and other areas and so we’re essentially focusing in on those areas and doing everything we can to get everybody vaccinated and that’s really what our plan is right now.

* Should NY Gov. Cuomo resign?…

Yes, Governor Cuomo should resign.

* Energy bill talks?…

We have spent more than a year negotiating, working in working groups with all of the interests involved. This is not something that’s left to interest groups to decide. This is a decision that gets made by the legislature and by the governor. And here we are. This bill has been put together after much negotiation over many, many months, and we now have a piece of legislation that is ready to go. And it needs to be called by the legislature and voted on. And the legislation that I put forward that is that compromise is what is ready to move and I intend to sign it if they’ll pass it.