SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WREX) —�The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Friday reported 13,028 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Illinois since Feb. 18.
It's the lowest number of new cases the state has reported since the fall before the omicron surge.
More importantly, there are fewer hospitalizations. As of Thursday night, 1,143 people were in the hospital with the virus, according to IDPH. That's the lowest number of hospitalizations since Aug. 2, 2021, data shows.
The steady decrease in hospitalizations led to Governor JB Pritzker officially announcing that the state's indoor mask mandate will expire at 12:01 a.m. Monday, Feb. 28.
The governor said this would likely be the case during a news conference on Feb. 9.
Since that announcement, the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 has been cut in half and the number of ICU beds available increased by 24%. Illinois� weekly COVID-19 case rate has also decreased by 70%.
Despite the mandate ending, masks will still be required in locations where there are still federal mandates, such as public transportation, health care facilities, congregate settings, long-term care facilities and daycare settings. Private businesses and municipalities may choose to implement their own masking requirements.
As for schools, the governor is urging districts to follow both Ի guidance when it comes to wearing a mask. The Governor will review the results of lifting the indoor mask mandate before making any announcement regarding the school mask mandate.
Several school districts across the state have already chosen to make masks optional after an appellate court struck down the governor's appeal to a downstate judge's ruling against mask mandates in schools.
