SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Following guidance from the CDC, Illinois has adopted new recommendations on when to wear a face mask, but many people are still confused, and some remain skeptical.
Governor Pritzker said people who are fully vaccinated can now safely go maskless in most indoor and outdoor settings, except in healthcare settings, in congregate settings, like homeless shelters, and on transit - planes, buses, and trains.
In addition, in line with CDC guidance, the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Department of Public Health require masks in schools. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services requires masks in daycare.
“Getting vaccinated is the ultimate protection from COVID-19 and the quickest ticket back to normal life,” said Governor JB Pritzker, in a statement. “With public health experts now saying fully vaccinated people can safely remove their masks in most settings, I’m pleased to follow the science and align Illinois’ policies with the CDC’s guidance. I also support the choice of individuals and businesses to continue to mask out of an abundance of caution as this pandemic isn’t over yet.”
Governor Pritzker said he walked out of his home Monday for the first time in memory without wearing a mask, but he was wearing one at a news conference later, except when he was speaking. And even though he now embraces the CDC’s recommendations, Pritzker said he’ll probably still wear a mask in a crowd.
"I’m going to take it gently and carefully going forward, but I do think the CDC’s guidelines are good ones and that we will follow them here in the State of Illinois," he said.
Mayor Lightfoot also said she plans to continue wearing a mask.
"I don’t want to have people lulled into a false sense of security that simply because some folks are vaccinated that it’s all good," she said.
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Governor Pritzker is issuing an updated executive order to remove the mask requirement for fully vaccinated people in most settings, and the Illinois Department of Public Health is rescinding emergency rules in the Control of Communicable Disease Code that enforce masking and distancing for vaccinated people in business settings.
"There should be real motivation by those who are unvaccinated to wear a mask and to get vaccinated. We’re not going to stop people, and you know, start checking vaccine passport as part of some state mandate," Pritzker said.
Meanwhile, there are people that find the CDC guidance confusing.
"Probably my biggest concern is that people are going to take advantage of the system, and if they haven’t been vaccinated, then they’re still not going to wear a mask," said one woman.
Currently, more than 4.6 million Illinoisans are fully vaccinated — 58 percent of residents 16+, 64 percent of residents 18+ and 86 percent of residents 65+.
“While the updated guidance from the CDC is welcome news, let me remind everyone that this guidance is only for those people who are fully vaccinated,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “Individuals who do not have the protection afforded by one of the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines should still wear a mask. While more than 64 percent of adults in Illinois have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, we need to increase that number. To slow down disease spread and the development of even more deadly variants, we need as many people as possible to be vaccinated.”
The CDC still recommends that unvaccinated people continue to take preventive measures, such as wearing a mask and practicing social distancing. In their latest guidance, the CDC now reports that indoor and outdoor activities pose minimal risk to fully vaccinated people and that fully vaccinated people have a reduced risk of transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to unvaccinated people.
Fully vaccinated people can:
• Resume activities without wearing masks or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance
• Resume domestic travel and refrain from testing before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel
• Refrain from testing before leaving the United States for international travel (unless required by the destination) and refrain from self-quarantine after arriving back in the United States
• Refrain from testing following a known exposure, if asymptomatic, with some exceptions for specific settings
•Refrain from quarantine following a known exposure if asymptomatic
• Refrain from routine screening testing if feasible
For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to:
• Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
• Follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations
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