(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Illinoisans bracing for a possible Philadelphia-style indoor mask mandate can rest easy, for now.
The acting head of the Illinois Department of Public Health said there are no plans to revive a mask requirement here. But Dr. Amaal Tokars didn’t shut the door completely.
“That is not something that we are talking about at this time,” she said Tuesday. “However, I would never say that nothing is possible. We are going to do what we think is wisest and best based on the current circumstances that we see.”
City health officials in Philadelphia have announced a mask mandate that takes effect April 18 for indoor public spaces, including schools and businesses, restaurants and government buildings. They cited a rise in COVID cases and the need to get ahead of any surge.
Meantime, Illinois will adopt the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new guidelines for reporting COVID data, Tokars said.
She said the state will rely on case rates and hospitalizations to better track the spread and prevalence of COVID-19 in communities, and more specifically, counties.
The state will no longer present test or case positivity rates online, she said.
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