CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Governor Pritzker is defending the state’s new mask mandate for schools and other places, as a reasonable response to the rise in cases driven by the COVID-19 Delta variant.
In southern Illinois for a bill signing, Governor Pritzker told reporters his goal in imposing the mandate for schools is not only to keep students, faculty, and staff safe from the coronavirus, but also the families of the schoolchildren.
"Remember children going to school, if they are not wearing masks or if they are not vaccinated, can carry COVID-19 home with them to potentially vulnerable family members, multigenererationally," Pritzker said.
The Governor said this is a reasonable measure and not as restrictive as capacity limits or keeping people from living their normal lives. Wearing masks is something they’ve done for the last year and a half.
And, he added, it’s important in the face of the highly contagious Delta variant.
"Turn on the TV and look what is happening in Florida and in Texas and a couple other states, even Missouri, and you can see if you don't take action, if you are not acting swiftly to keep people protected in ways that you know are effective, then you are going to fill up the hospital beds," Pritzker said.
Pritzker said hospital capacity isn’t just important for people suffering from COVID-19, but car accidents, heart attacks, or some other illness. It’s for everyone.
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