August 27, 2021 – Illinois healthcare workers and educators from kindergarten through college will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Thursday.
Gov. Pritzker also announced new safety protocols that include a fresh statewide mandate for masks to be worn indoors.
Key points of the announcement:
- The mask order begins Monday
- It applies to everyone age 2 and older, regardless of vaccination status
- Healthcare workers, including nursing home employees, K-12 educators and support staff and higher education teachers, staff and students must get their first doses of the vaccine by Sept. 5
- Those who forego the vaccine must undergo weekly COVID-19 testing
The mandates, which overlap in several places with existing rules, come as a response to a rise in COVID-19 infections fueled by the highly contagious delta variant. Illinois reported more than 4,400 cases on Wednesday, according to NPR.
The recent surge has started overwhelming hospitals in areas in the state where vaccination rates are low and healthcare facilities are sparse, according to state health officials.