CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Even though the State of Illinois is lifting its mask requirement on Feb. 28, Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson is concerned about future mandates.
“Especially when I heard the governor saying masks will be back,” said Johnson. “We're gonna have COVID forever folks, it's not going away,” Johnson said.
That’s why Johnson announced plans to establish a municipal health department during Tuesday night’s village board meeting.
“I'm asking the board to direct the village attorney and village staff to put together a recommendation for a village health department …that will enable us to deal with health issues here in the village,” he said.
Johnson claimed it would give Elk Grove Village the power to enact its own regulations and potentially elude future mandates, something he said are unconstitutional.
“This is a nation of laws, not a nation of mandates,” Johnson added.
Elk Grove Village would need some level of approval from state officials to establish its own health department.
Other municipalities in Cook County with their own health departments include Chicago, Evanston, Skokie, Oak Park and Stickney Township.
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