Pritzker plans to lift mask mandate in most indoor public settings, per reports

Gov. JB Pritzker is expected to announce Wednesday a plan to begin lifting the indoor mask mandate in most public places, according to multiple reports.

However, Pritzker is not expected to lift the mask mandate at schools, which has come under scrutiny after a Sangamon County judge issued a temporary restraining order last week against masking and COVID-19 vaccination requirements in schools. Pritzker’s administration has since filed for an appeal.

Pritzker is scheduled to give a COVID-19 update at 2 p.m. in Chicago.

He told reporters during an unrelated press conference Tuesday in Springfield that mitigations could be lifted “very soon.”

“Stay tuned, we’re very close,” he said.

A spokeswoman did not return a request for confirmation.

Illinois’ indoor mask mandate has been in effect since August.

Pritzker has repeatedly said hospitalizations are the most important metric when it comes to lifting mitigations.

As of Monday, 2,634 Illinoisans were in the hospital with COVID-19, down 110 from Sunday and down 1,171 from the prior week.

Of the patients in the hospital, 464 were in intensive care units, down 47 from Sunday and down 205 from the prior week. There were 270 patients on ventilators, down 21 from Sunday and down 132 from the prior week.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 5,825 new COVID-19 cases and 87 new deaths on Tuesday.

The new cases bring the state total to 2,977,341, while the death toll increased to 31,570.

The seven-day average for new cases on Tuesday was 6,815, down 4,338 from the prior week. The seven-day average for daily deaths is 76, down 33 from the prior week.

The seven-day statewide positivity rate for cases as a percent of total tests is 5.4 percent. The seven-day statewide test positivity using the number of COVID-19 positive tests over total tests is 7 percent.

About 80.3 percent of eligible Illinoisans ages 5 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 70.7 percent are fully vaccinated. Illinois vaccinators have administered 20,747,971 COVID-19 vaccines, per state data, including 4,001,244 booster doses. The seven-day average of doses administered is 24,261.