Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced Wednesday that most statewide mask mandates will be lifted on February 28th, provided the continual decline of Covid cases in the state. However, Pritzker is not dropping masking rules for schools, public transportation, medical care facilities, or government buildings. When announcing his decision, Pritzker pointed to a rapid drop in the number of Covid hospitalizations around the state, after Illinois experienced a surge of cases in December and January thanks to the omicron variant.

“We’ve used masks less when spread is diminished and hospitals have enough bandwidth,” Pritzker said during his news conference. “Our approach has saved lives and kept our economy open and growing.” While speaking of mask mandates in Illinois schools, Pritzker said his administration hopes to lift those restrictions in the coming weeks, however, he was careful to not mention a specific date.

“The equation for schools just looks different right now than it does for the general population,” Pritzker said. “Schools need a little more time for community infection rates to drop, for our youngest learners to become vaccine eligible, and for more parents to get their kids vaccinated.” Pritzker went on to remind Illinois residents that school mask mandates must stay in effect because schools see hundreds, if not thousands, of students and teachers mingling indoors for multiple hours a day - which is different from a sports game or trip to the bar.

In response, the CDC urged state officials to keep mask mandates in place, saying “now is not the moment to stop”. However, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the Director of the Illinois Department of Health maintains that state officials will monitor the impact of lifting the mandates in public places, before considering allowing masks to be removed from schools. Opinions in the medical community are split, with some doctors supporting sensible lifting of the mask mandate. “I think the rollback is appropriate at this point as long as people realize it’s not a directive that you shouldn’t wear a mask - just that you don’t have to” said Dr. Richard Freeman, regional chief clinical officer for Loyola Medicine. Freeman pointed out that high risk groups, such as the immunocompromised and elderly, should continue to wear a mask in public.

To further confuse the issue, last week a Sangamon County Circuit Court judge ruled to block the state and school districts from enforcing the requirement for students and teachers. The state has asked an appellate court to reverse this ruling.