* Press release…

The Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) has released the following statement regarding Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reinstatement of a statewide indoor mask mandate:

“Retailers remain dedicated to the health and safety of employees, customers and our communities. We support the governor’s mask mandate as a measured approach that ensures shoppers continue to have access to needed goods, food and medicine with minimal disruption,” said Rob Karr, president and CEO of IRMA. “We ask all customers to abide by this public health order in a respectful manner. We strongly encourage local law enforcement agencies to promptly assist us in ensuring employees are not subjected to verbal and physical abuse as we have seen in the past and call on local health departments to enforce this order in uniform fashion. We must all work together to ensure the health and safety of our communities.”

Republican responses are here. This post will likely be updated.

*** UPDATE 1 *** Another one…

The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) released the following statement regarding efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus:

“The scientific data is irrefutable: vaccines and mask wearing are safe and effective ways of slowing the spread of the deadly virus. These lifesaving vaccines were created by American manufacturers under federal oversight and are the best way to protect our communities and restore our economy,” said Mark Denzler, President and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “The IMA and our members across the state support vaccinations and mask wearing to slow the spread of this virus. We cannot cede the progress that has been made in restoring our nation’s health and economy.”

…Adding… I asked an IMA spokesperson if this means the group specifically supports the new mandates…

The statement speaks for itself, but to answer your question – Yes

*** UPDATE 2 *** HCCI…

The Health Care Council of Illinois (HCCI), representing over 300 skilled nursing facilities, 55,000 residents and 100,000 employees in Illinois, issued the following statement regarding Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s announcement today to require COVID-19 vaccinations for all healthcare workers, which HCCI called for earlier this week:

“We support Gov. Pritzker’s move to require all healthcare workers receive the COVID-19 vaccine and call on those implementing the Governor’s order to ensure that all segments of the industry are covered, including home and community-based services.

Operators of Illinois’ skilled nursing facilities have spent countless hours formulating plans to educate, encourage and collaborate with residents and staff to get vaccinated, from working one on one with unvaccinated employees, employing infectious disease experts to answer questions and concerns about the vaccine, and partnering with trusted community groups to deploy information campaigns about the importance of the vaccines.

With the rise of the highly contagious Delta variant, we recognized bolder action was necessary to protect the most vulnerable.

The vaccine is the most effective way to put an end to this pandemic. This mandate is a step in that direction.

We are committed to continuing to collaborate with our state leaders, regulatory agencies, unions, workers and community partners to identify the best strategies to keep our patients safe and healthy.”

*** UPDATE 3 *** Press release…

The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce released the following statement regarding the statewide mask mandate:

“With COVID-19 cases rising across Chicago and the state of Illinois, we must do everything in our power to protect ourselves, those around us, and our path to economic recovery. Businesses are in a unique position to change the trajectory of this pandemic, which is why the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce has called on businesses to review and implement policies that require all employees be vaccinated before returning to the worksite, unless a valid health or religious reason is presented. Masks are an essential tool in preventing the spread of the virus, and we support the Governor’s indoor mask order as a common-sense way to help ensure businesses stay open and are able to get people back to work,” said Jack Lavin, president & CEO, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce.

*** UPDATE 4 *** IPHA…

Tom Hughes, Executive Director of the Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA), released the following statement on Thursday:

“As local health providers, we know that vaccinations and wearing a mask are two effective ways to help end this global pandemic. On behalf of the 88 certified local health departments our association represents, we strongly support the new mask and vaccination mandates issued by the governor today to help protect the health and safety of the people of Illinois against this highly transmissible COVID- 19 variant.

“Our state is facing a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases, and are now straining the demands placed on hospitals, healthcare workers and those charged with protecting the public health, including members of our association. This new surge of cases and hospitalizations has resulted in just one ICU hospital bed available for a region of Illinois covering 20 counties, and more children being hospitalized for COVID-19 than in previous surges. These alarming facts show that something must be done immediately to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed and unable to care for new patients and to protect those that remain vulnerable.

“Members of our association has been on the frontline of protecting the public’s health since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. We strongly support these new mandates that will help save many lives across our state and prevent more hospitalizations. The vaccine is a safe and proven way to help end this pandemic and to prevent future mitigation efforts from being placed on regions in Illinois. We strongly encourage members of the public to support these efforts and get vaccinated to protect their health and stop the spread of COVID-19.”

*** UPDATE 5 *** IHA…

The Illinois Health and Hospital Association and the Illinois hospital community continue to urge all individuals, including hospital employees, to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to safely protect themselves, their families and their communities against severe disease, long-term health consequences of infection and possible death.

COVID-19 vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective. The U.S. currently has the safest vaccine supply in its history. The nation’s long-standing vaccine safety system ensures that vaccines are tested and safe.

From the outset of the administration of these life-saving vaccines that began last December, hospitals across the state have been a critical source of vaccines for their patients, the public and communities.

Over the past few months, many hospitals and health systems in Illinois have put in place mandatory vaccination policies for their healthcare employees.
As the prevalence of infection from the Delta variant grows, vaccination is increasingly important to protect the public by mitigating the spread of this variant and preventing hospitalizations and deaths.

We believe the Governor’s vaccination requirement is another important tool to assist hospitals in their ongoing efforts to encourage vaccination of their staff as they work to address their local workforce needs while ensuring the health and safety of their employees, patients, and communities.