Pritzker Announces New Mandates

By Nick Gale, 890 WLS News

(CHICAGO) — Gov. JB Pritzker Thursday announced that mask will be required indoors for anyone ages two and older. It kicks in on Monday.

Pritzker is also requiring teachers and healthcare workers to get vaccinated.

“In Illinois vaccines will be required for all P-12 teachers and staff, all higher education personnel, all higher education students and healthcare workers in a variety of settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, urgent care facilities and physicians offices,” Pritzker said.

The governor also blaming unvaccinated healthcare workers.

“Unvaccinated workers in the health care system and at nursing homes have driven the majority of the breakthrough hospitalizations that we’ve seen in Illinois, infecting elderly and immunocompromised residents who are the first to be hurt when their community isn’t safe,” Pritzker said.

State health officials say Region 5 in Downstate Illinois is getting hit the hardest by COVID. They say fewer than half of residents there have been vaccinated.

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