A day after Gov. J.B. Pritzker fell in line with a federal court decision lifting mask mandates on public transit, Illinois public health officials on Wednesday reported the state’s highest COVID-19 caseload since shortly before Valentine’s Day.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 3,931 positive tests, the most in a day since Feb. 11. The state is now averaging 2,560 cases per day over the past week, a rate that has shot up 138% in the past month.