Illinois Masking Ends The 28th, Here’s Where You Still Need One

Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker held a news conference a couple of days back, and had this to say about Illinois' mask mandate:

"If these trends continue, and we expect them to, then on Monday, February 28th, we will lift the indoor mask requirement for the State of Illinois."

Then came the expected word "but."

Not Everyone In Illinois Gets To Ditch Their Mask At The End Of This Month

So, it appears that it's the end of the Illinois mask mandate without actually being the end of the Illinois mask mandate.

Lost in some of the excitement over Governor Pritzker's pronouncement of the end of mandatory face-coverings are some of the details. Illinoisans will be able to ditch their masks and get back to some activities without wearing a mask, but certain settings will still require them.

Also, individual businesses and buildings are left with the option to require masking if they choose to.

Here Are The Places In Illinois Where Masks Will Still Be Required

We still have some time before the end of the month, so some of these may change, but let's work off of the theory that they won't:

• Healthcare Settings: Continue mask requirement
• Long Term Care Facilities: Continue mask requirement
• Congregate Settings (prisons, shelters, etc.): Continue mask requirement
• Transportation: Follow federal guidelines
• Department of Children and Family Services guidelines state that childcare providers and staff, even if they are vaccinated, need to continue to wear masks.

Oh, and let's not forget schools.

MyStateline.com:

“Given that schools need more time for community infection rates to drop, for young children to become vaccine eligible, and for more parents to have their kids vaccinated, masks will continue to be required in P-12 school settings unless pending litigation impacts a school,” the governor’s website states.

Click here to read Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker's full statement on masking and masking requirements.