CHICAGO (WREX) � Masks will no longer be required in Illinois schools starting on Monday.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker made the announcement Friday after the Supreme Court denied the governor's appeal of a TRO. The announcement also comes after the CDC updated its guidance saying masks are only needed in areas of high transmission.
"The State of Illinois will move forward to remove our school mask mandate, effective Monday," the governor said part of a statement. "We will recommend that all school districts follow CDC guidance and will update our existing guidance in the coming days."
The governor also said he was "gratified" that despite the Supreme Court vacated the lower court's restraining order, meaning if a school mask mandate needs to go into effect in the future, the governor and the state still have that authority.
On Friday, February 4th, a judge in Sangamon County ruled against Governor Pritzker’s mask mandate in schools. The ruling allowed schools to make their own decisions on requiring masks.
The judge’s ruling was in response to lawsuits from parents and teachers from over 150 school districts.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed an emergency appeal to the 4th District Appellate Court in Springfield, but that was dismissed shortly after.
Following the Sangamon County Judge's decision at the beginning of the month, several Stateline school districts rolled back their COVID-19 metrics. More schools then made masks optional after the appellate court dismissed the appeal last week.
