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* Press release…
Governor JB Pritzker announced the state’s public health emergency will end on May 11, 2023, aligning the state with the federal government’s decision to end the national public health emergency. Ensuring Illinois’ and the federal government’s health emergencies were linked brought in additional federal funding and expanded healthcare access for residents across the state.
“Since COVID-19 first emerged nearly three years ago, my administration has worked diligently alongside the federal government to battle this once-in-a-generation pandemic by following scientific and medical guidance to support frontline workers and save lives. Our state’s disaster proclamation and executive orders enabled us to use every resource at our disposal from building up testing capacity and expanding our healthcare workforce to supporting our vaccine rollout and mutual aid efforts,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Let me be clear: COVID-19 has not disappeared. It is still a real and present danger to people with compromised immune systems—and I urge all Illinoisans to get vaccinated or get their booster shots if they have not done so already.”
After joining 12 other states and the Department of Health and Human Services in declaring a public health emergency at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 9, 2020, the state of Illinois has continued to remain aligned with the federal government to ensure every available resource was utilized in the state’s COVID-19 response. Illinois residents were able to collect additional SNAP benefits, more than 1.4 million children received Pandemic EBT (nutrition) support, and Medicaid expansion ensured access to telehealth options and the resources Illinoisans needed to stay healthy.
The proclamation formalized emergency procedures by activating the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), bringing together decision makers from every state agency and the state’s highly qualified mutual aid network to deploy resources as necessary during the public health threat.
Since March of 2020, state and local partners benefitted from a disaster proclamation in the following ways:
• Allowing federal reimbursement for state response costs.
• Allowing use of State Disaster Relief Fund, covering direct state costs and reimbursements to Illinois National Guard and mutual aid groups.
• Allowing use of the state’s mutual aid network, groups of public safety response professionals — including hundreds of health care providers and management professionals, law enforcement officers, fire fighters, emergency medical technicians and disaster response professionals — that are available to deploy to areas of shortage.
• Authorizing the Governor to activate Illinois National Guard reservists, some of whom were doctors and nurses and served on the front lines of the pandemic response.
• Allowing expedited procurement should it be necessary.
• Authorizing additional executive actions as needed to protect public health and safety.
posted by Isabel Miller
Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 2:48 pm
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Previous Post: Afternoon roundup
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Bad governing. Lazy governing. And I mean this at the federal, state, and local level.
3,700 people died from COVID in this country last week. There’s only been about a 15% uptake in adults on the bivalent booster. Pfizer has said it expects to fetch $130 a shot once the government stops funding vaccinations. Testing’s going to cost you now, too. And the response from elected and medical leaders alike has been to throw up hands and push everything off to “personal choice.”
None of this bodes well.
Comment by Roadrager Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 2:57 pm
Be interesting to see what this does to Work From Home. Currently WFH is tied to the PHE. Hopefully the state and the unions can work something out. Not everyone needs to be in the office. Plenty of us are productive from home. Saves on office space. (I don’t think I even have a desk or desktop anymore.) Saves on commuting time and expenses. Just makes sense. Or at least go hybrid.
Comment by DHS Drone Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 3:02 pm
So @Roadranger, exactly how long do you want this sort of stuff to last? COVID is here to stay. We have vaccines now. And, yes, people will always still die from COVID. But we aren’t anywhere close to the rates we were when the pandemic was in full blown mode. You are free to continue to take whatever mitigation measures you feel are necessary. I support you in doing that. But you can’t keep ringing the COVID bell forever. It’s time to move on.
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 3:06 pm
==How prescient of him.==
No. It’s when the President is ending the national disaster declaration. Illinois (and many other states) have kept their declarations in place to allow for continued access to certain federal funds.
==-only claimed an emergency to get more money==
You opposed to the state accessing federal funds?
==avoid normal oversight==
Everything has been pretty transparent.
But go ahead, continue complaining. It’s what some of you do best.
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 3:27 pm
== What a coincidence. ==
You have a problem with federal/state coordination?
Comment by Big Dipper Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 3:33 pm
Back to having to actually balance the budget. Here come the tax hikes.
Comment by Trap Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 3:40 pm
That’s fine. I’m still gonna wear a mask if information re viral spreads makes me nervous.
Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 3:40 pm
While the date may be somewhat arbitrary, I can understand moving on to the next phase. Vaccines are now available as are the anti-viral medicines that can be prescribed. Each of us will need to determine what our risk tolerance is, how we can mitigate that risk, and plan accordingly.
Comment by Pundent Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 3:42 pm
Trap, do you even understand how the budget works? What does ending the pandemic emergency have to do with that?
Comment by lol Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 3:42 pm
==So @Roadranger, exactly how long do you want this sort of stuff to last?==
I guess it’s not really a duration. It’s more of a lament. What’s done is done and there’s no reversing it. But so many turns, those in charge have done more to accommodate the disingenuous cranks and selfish business interests while telling us all to “follow the science” and take personal responsibility. We could, and should, have stronger mandates for and increased access to vaccinations and testing. We should have simple preventative measures like masking accepted and in wide use. But the time for any of that to happen here has passed, and the opportunity will not come back. Just so much unnecessary risk.
It’s like we’ve voluntarily stripped naked in advance of a stroll through the rose bushes because we’re being encouraged to focus on how nice the flowers look.
Comment by Roadrager Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 3:43 pm
==do you even understand how the budget works==
No, they don’t. They apparently haven’t been paying the slightest bit of attention. They are nothing but a complainer who likes to throw stones about things they are ignorant about.
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 3:46 pm
Thank you Mr. Pritzker got your leadership during this crisis.
Comment by Huh? Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 3:53 pm
==like masking accepted and in wide use==
People are free to mask. But if you thought that masking was going to be some sort of permanent societal thing then you weren’t being realistic.
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 4:00 pm
Just a reminder to anti-vaxxers and covid-deniers: You’re still not welcome here. Maybe try Elon’s site.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 4:01 pm
==People are free to mask.==
As you may figure, count me among the people still planning to mask after May 11.
Plus I also strongly feel that masking will be here to stay permanently in medical facilities, or at the very least be “strongly encouraged.” Not just for COVID but also to protect against the flu and other diseases.
Comment by Stuck in Celliniland Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 4:06 pm
Hopefully when the state employee flu shots roll around in the fall, that there will be a combined COVID/flu vaccine all in 1 dose. And the COVID vaccine portion will be strong enough to last a year. Maybe even some ingredients in this vax to protect against RSV.
Comment by Stuck in Celliniland Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 4:08 pm
You’d think the “Pro-Life!” folks would wear a mask.
Comment by Jerry Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 4:13 pm
What do you mean by state employee flu shots? They aren’t required are they? Thanks for clarifying.
Comment by Dupage mom Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 4:14 pm
===Here come the tax hikes.===
Revenues are being projected greater than expected so far, your gloom is unsubstantiated
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 4:24 pm
I’m guessing the state employee flu shots are an offer, not a demand. My employer also offers. I usually just hit my local Walgreens so the partner and I can get ours together.
What I would have liked to see is a greater emphasis on indoor ventilation and almost a moonshot effort of making sure all the air we breathe inside is clean. It turns out clean air is as important as clean water.
COVID certainly showed some of our pro-life team as anything but (unless it’s still in a womb).
Comment by cermak_rd Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 4:31 pm
==Hopefully when the state employee flu shots roll around in the fall, that there will be a combined COVID/flu vaccine all in 1 dose. And the COVID vaccine portion will be strong enough to last a year.==
I did hear last week that there’s consideration of making the COVID boosters a yearly scheduled thing adapted to the expected dominant strain, much like the flu shot.
The problem is that the hucksters, deniers, and opportunists have pushed so many loud falsehoods that it’s convinced a good number of people not to get those shots for themselves or their kids, either.
Comment by Roadrager Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 4:32 pm
==What do you mean by state employee flu shots==
I meant to say the “state employee flu shot Clinics.” Those are free if you have State employee health insurance. I’ve always taken advantage of them since I’ve been with the State. They are in the Complex and various other places in Springfield and statewide particularly during October and November.
Comment by Stuck in Celliniland Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 4:33 pm
Since I am in the high risk group I will plan to mask into the future, especially when I know ERs are filled to capacity and patients are being held there as there are no beds available in the hospitals. In Asia since SARS hit in 2002 the population has made it a habit to wear a mask when they are sick or in crowds. Seems sensible to minimize risk.
Comment by illinifan Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 4:49 pm
If you renewed your CCW during the emergency and didn’t do the 3 hour class, time to get it done. You are supposed to have a year after the end of the declaration do the course. I would do it now
Comment by FormerParatrooper Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 4:58 pm
= count me among the people still planning to mask after May 11 =
As will I. I’ll be particularly careful on public transportation and anywhere else there are crowds.
Comment by JoanP Tuesday, Jan 31, 23 @ 6:29 pm