(WSIL) -- Illinois Governor JB are not sitting well with his political rivals.
Pritzker says there is little time to take on the surge of COVID-19 in the state right now.
“To combat the Delta variant, Illinois is taking three key steps to protect our state’s 1.8 million unvaccinated children under 12 and their families, residents and staff of long-term care facilities, and those highly vulnerable people who rely upon state employees for their daily care. I also encourage every Illinoisan who is eligible to get vaccinated as soon as possible, as millions of their neighbors already have. This vaccine is safe, effective, and essentially eliminates the risk of hospitalization and death even from the Delta variant. In short, it’s the best tool we have.�
Governor JB Pritzker
"I am sick and tired of tyrancial rule..." State Senator Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) said in a zoom press conference a few hours after the governor's announcemnt.
Bailey says he's not against people wearning masks, but he says the government has no right to tell him or others to wear one.
"I am not for any sort of mandate,: Bailey said. "...one size certainly does not fit all in the state of Illinois."
Bailey says he's not opposed to filing another lawsuit against the governor but nothing has been decided.
Bailey is expected to face two other republicans in next June's primary election. Both released the following statements:
"JB Pritzker’s mandatory vaccination order for state workers is inconsistent with the civil liberties that I spent 24 years on active duty defending.  Furthermore, his P-12 education mask mandate usurps the authority of parents, school board members, and superintendents, further undermining confidence in the rule of law. I vehemently disagree with Governor Pritzker’s action today," Former Illinois Senator Paul Schimpf said.
“This is about control � not about science,� Governor Candidate Gary Rabine said. “We know that kids are at a low risk for the virus. Our kids had a rough year last year thanks to Governor Pritzker’s policies. We should allow local school boards to work with parents and students to set mask policies at the local level, instead of Pritzker’s one-size-fits-all solution. We need bold leadership, and we need to protect the rights of parents to make decisions for themselves and their children. I stand opposed to Governor Pritzker’s decision to infringe on parental rights.�
And it is not just governor candidates who are speaking out. Metropolis representative Patrick Windhorst says local control is the answer.
"I fully understand the frustration that parents and students must be feeling," Windhorst said. "This is now going to be the third school year impacted by Governor Pritzker's mandates in response to COVID19. The decision of whether to require masks in schools should be made by the local school board, as the governor himself said just last month. A top-down government response is the opposite of what is needed at this time. School boards must be allowed to make these decisions at the local level."
