An Illinois appellate court dismissed Gov. J.B. Pritzker's appeal for school mask mandates, blocking the state from enforcing face coverings in the classroom.
However, Chicago Public Schools will continue to require masks, as well as other COVID-19 protocols, despite Thursday night's ruling.
Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic across Illinois today:
CPS Will Continue to Require Masks in Schools Despite Appellate Court Ruling, District Announces
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Chicago Public Schools will continue to require face coverings in the classroom, as well as other COVID-19 protocols, despite an Illinois appellate court dismissing the governor's appeal Thursday for masks mandates in schools.
In a statement Friday, CPS officials said the district will continue to mandate masks and COVID vaccinations for staff, as well as require students who have tested positive or been exposed to the coronavirus to work from home.
"Our schools will continue to enforce these policies, including mandated universal masking. These safety measures are what have allowed us to provide our students with the in-person learning environment they need throughout this school year. We will continue to follow these protocols until such time as our public health partners advise us that restrictions can be safely lifted," CPS said in a statement.
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Illinois Appellate Court Dismisses Pritzker's Appeal, Blocking State From Enforcing Mask Mandate in Schools
An Illinois appellate court rejected Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s appeal of a lower court's ruling against a mask mandate in schools, writing the request is “moot” because the governor’s emergency COVID-19 rules already expired.
The highly-anticipated decision from the three-member panel of the Illinois Fourth District Appellate Court was published just before midnight Thursday.
In their decision, the appellate court justices wrote there is no “actual controversy” to decide.
“Because the emergency rules voided by the TRO are no longer in effect, a controversy regarding the application of those rules no longer exists. Thus, the matter is moot,” the justices wrote.
Read more here.
Chicago's Top Doctor Says It's ‘Unlikely We Would Ever Eradicate' COVID While Animals Can Contract the Virus
As long as pets and other animals can contract COVID-19, the virus will likely never be completely eradicated, Chicago's top doctor said Tuesday.
"For me, the concern about seeing COVID not just in dogs and cats but in animals in general, it tells us that there's what we call an 'animal reservoir for COVID-19' and that means that it's one of the most important things that makes it very unlikely that we would ever eradicate completely -- get rid of COVID. Because as long as there are animals that are able to have it, there are, you know, that remains a risk," Chicago Department of Public Health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said during a Facebook live event.
Read more here.
Could There One Day Be a COVID Vaccine for Animals? Chicago's Top Doc Says It's Possible
Could there be a coronavirus vaccine created for animals one day?
"Yeah, there could be," Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said during a Facebook live event Tuesday.
However, Arwady explained that health officials would want to see that COVID-19 infections were "serious" in animals or that pets were playing a large role in making humans seriously ill.
"One of the reasons we have rabies vaccines is that rabies is a really deadly human disease and can be a problem there," Arwady said.
Some animals have already been vaccinated against COVID, Arwady noted, although most of those cases were in zoo settings.
Read more here.
Bipartisan Panel Rejects Pritzker's Attempt to Reintroduce Emergency Mask Mandate for Schools
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mask mandate for schools hit another roadblock on Tuesday when a bipartisan legislative committee rejected the Illinois Department of Public Health’s attempt to reintroduce the governor’s emergency COVID-19 protocols for classrooms across the state.
The department’s emergency rules — which served as the state’s official guidance on masks, testing and exclusion for those exposed to the coronavirus in schools — expired on Sunday. The emergency rules re-filed on Monday became effective immediately.
Read more here.
Debates Rage Over Mask, Proof-of-Vax Mandates Amid Metric Declines and Court Challenges
Chicago is not on track to get rid of its mask and vaccine mandates when the state is expected to lift its mask mandate on Feb. 28, but the city may go ahead and do so anyway if metrics are still trending in the right direction.
According to city officials, Chicago must be within “lower transmission” rates of COVID in at least three of a group of four key metrics before it can move forward with removing its mask and proof-of-vaccination requirements. Those metrics include case numbers, positivity rates, hospital bed usage and ICU bed usage.
That discussion comes amid the ongoing dispute over mask requirements in public schools, which has been the subject of a slew of litigation and debate in recent months. On Tuesday, a bipartisan committee of state lawmakers voted not to extend Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mask requirement in schools.
Read more here.
Chicago's Top Doctor Details What City is Watching for to Lift Mask Mandate
Chicago may or may not join Illinois in lifting its mask mandate at the end of the month, the city's top doctor said Tuesday, declining to offer a specific date but instead saying she is relying on a set of metrics to determine when restrictions can be lifted.
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said the city is watching four metrics, three of which need to drop to "low transmission risk" for the city to move forward with lifting restrictions.
The four metrics include test positivity, hospital beds occupied by COVID patients, ICU beds occupied by COVID patients and daily COVID cases. The seven-day rolling averages for each category need to be at a "low transmission" level, which is set by the CDC.
Read more here.
COVID Metrics Rivaling Those of Thanksgiving Show Illinois ‘Exiting the Omicron Surge'
Illinoisans are being infected, hospitalized and dying from COVID-19 at levels not seen since last autumn.
Just eight deaths were reported by the Illinois Department of Public Health on Monday, the state’s lowest daily death toll since late November. Cases, too, were at their lowest point in nearly three months, with 2,734 reported.
Read more here.
Here's Where Chicago Stands in 4 Key COVID Statistics Amid Mask, Vaccine Mandate Debate
While the state of Illinois says it plans to drop its mask mandate if COVID metrics continue to improve, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says the city is “not there yet,” and is closely monitoring statistics to determine when to remove its mitigations.
According to the Chicago Department of Public Health, the decision on whether to terminate those mitigations will come down to four key risk metrics: new COVID cases per day, COVID test positivity rates, hospital bed occupancy and ICU bed occupancy.
If three of those four metrics are at a “lower transmission” level or below, and then remain there for at least two weeks, then the city would move to remove COVID-19 mitigation rules that are in place.
As of Monday, here's where the metrics stand.
‘Not There Yet:' Lightfoot Refuses to Specify Date for Lifting Chicago's Mask Mandate
Even as Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker remains hopeful to lift the state's mask mandate by the end of February, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has refused to name a date for rescinding mask and vaccine restrictions, saying the latest COVID-19 data still shows some "danger signs."
Speaking to reporters Monday, Lightfoot said the city has made "tremendous progress" in its fight against COVID-19 and continues to climb down the back slope of a surge in cases brought on by the omicron variant.
During the last few weeks, cases have declined by at least 50% week-over-week, she stated. However, with an average number of 500 new COVID cases reported daily, Lightfoot said "it's not where we want to be."
"...I don't want to put an artificial date on when this is going to happen when we still see some danger signs in the data," the mayor said.
Cook County Poised to Lift Mask Mandate as COVID Cases Decline
Suburban Cook County plans on rescinding its indoor mask requirements if key COVID-19 metrics continue to improve throughout the month of February, according to health officials.
In a statement issued Feb. 9, the Cook County Department of Public Health announced its vaccination and masking orders can be lifted in consistent with Illinois' Gov. J.B. Pritzker's timeframe for ending mask requirements as long as improvements occur.
Read more here.
Heading to the United Center? Here Are the COVID Policies You Need to Know
Whether you're planning to attend a Blackhawks game, cheer on the Bulls or see a concert at the United Center, several COVID-related procedures and precautions have been put in place.
In an effort to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, providing proof of vaccination and wearing face coverings are both required for those who wish to enter the venue.
Here's what else you need to know about the COVID policies and procedures.
Here's Why Mask Mandates Are Falling Across the US
As the omicron wave of the coronavirus subsides, several U.S. states including Nevada, New York and Illinois ended mask mandates this week for indoor settings, while others lifted requirements at schools.
Here’s a look at what happened with mask rules this week.
Where Will You Still Need a Face Covering After Illinois' Mask Mandate Ends Later This Month?
Though Gov. J.B. Pritzker plans to lift Illinois' indoor mask mandate by the end of the month, some places will still require face coverings until further notice.
Where will the exceptions to the rule be?
Archdiocese of Chicago Switches to Make Masks Optional Inside Some Schools
The Archdiocese of Chicago announced late Tuesday night that masks will be optional in some school settings, citing low coronavirus cases over the past few weeks.
In a letter to families late Tuesday, archdiocese Supt. Greg Richmond wrote that students will no longer be required to wear a face covering in schools located in areas where the local health department does not have a mask mandate.
In Lake County and most of suburban Cook County, the diocese wrote that masks will be optional beginning Thursday. However, masks will still be required in classrooms in the city of Chicago, Oak Park and Evanston to align with local health departments.
Read more here.
What If You Test Positive for COVID After Quarantining? Here's What Health Officials Say
If you test positive for COVID-19 after quarantining and no longer showing symptoms, do you still have to remain in isolation?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a person is encouraged, but not required to take a coronavirus test after quarantining for five days post-diagnosis.
After five full days, a person can end the isolation period should they be fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication and other symptoms have improved, the CDC wrote online.
However, the CDC said the best approach would be to find an antigen test towards the end of the five-day isolation period.
Read more here.
