CHICAGO — Gov. J.B. Pritzker said new federal COVID-19 guidance unveiled Friday will allow the state of Illinois to remove its school mask mandate on Monday, coinciding with the halting of the hotly debated virus mitigation strategy for the general public.
Pritzker also applauded the Illinois Supreme Court, which earlier in the day sent a case challenging the mandate back to a downstate court. The high court had refused to take up the appeal after finding that an order by a Springfield judge that caused chaos and confusion in Illinois schools over masking was no longer in effect.
“I’m gratified that the Supreme Court vacated the lower court’s restraining order, meaning that if a school mask mandate needs to go into effect in the future, we continue to have that authority,” Pritzker said.
