As covid-19 numbers decline overall statewide, some parts of the state are seeing numbers spike up again and some are in the high risk transmission area that could see local officials tell those Illinois residents to mask up again. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has ruled out returning to a statewide mask mandate as long as covid numbers remain at low levels. However, he has said it’s at the discretion of area officials if they want to implement a mandate in their counties. More than 90 percent of the U.S. is now at medium or low risk for covid, and in those areas, the Centers for Disease Control... Read More

With covid numbers dropping a whopping 94 percent since the peak of the omicron variant surge, hospitalizations down 84 percent, and death rates down 50 percent, Illinois dropped its statewide mask mandate today for indoor spaces as well as schools. However, there are still some areas where masks are required; where are they? The Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday reported 13,028 new cases for the week, an average of about 1,861 per day — numbers down considerably from the omicron peaks of over 40,000 per day in January. In addition, the IDPH reported that hospitalizations have plunged... Read More

Illinois will no longer have a statewide mask mandate starting Monday — including in schools. Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced on Friday that students and staff in schools statewide will no longer be required to wear masks in Illinois schools as of Monday, and he will withdraw the executive order for that mandate, in alignment with new Centers for Disease Control recommendations. The new CDC rules are more targeting, saying people should only wear masks indoors in communities where hospitals are at risk of being overwhelmed by patients diagnosed with covid. The new rules no longer call for all... Read More

Starting, Monday, Feb. 21, RIMSD#41 will transition to “mask recommended” in all of our school buildings. February 18, 2022 Dear Rock Island-Milan School District Families, Late last night, an Illinois appellate court dismissed the school mask mandate appeal which now will allow for flexibility for masking in schools. Therefore, after further review of this development, the Rock Island-Milan School District has made the decision to move forward by transitioning from being “mask required” to “mask recommended” in all of our school buildings beginning Monday, February... Read More

In the wake of dwindling covid numbers, and growing unrest from parents and students, Quad-Cities area school districts and others around Illinois are going to “mask optional” policies starting next week. The Moline-Coal Valley, East Moline and Rock Island-Milan school districts all announced today they will be transitioning to a “mask recommended” policy. Due to the federal transportation mandate masks will still be required on school buses and other transportation for all three school districts. Moline-Coal Valley School District said its’ policy will go into effect on Tuesday... Read More

The masks could soon be coming off in Illinois schools, finally, officially. While many schools have already begun removing mask regulations, and many students and staff have been refusing to wear them since covid numbers have plummeted in recent weeks, technically the mask mandate put in place by Gov. JB Pritzker has remained the rule statewide. However, that mandate took a huge hit yesterday when a bipartisan legislative committee rejected Illinois Department of Public Health’s attempt to reintroduce the governor’s emergency COVID-19 protocols for classrooms across the state. The department’s... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced today that he will be ending the state’s indoor mask mandate — but Illinois schools may still have a mask restriction in place. During a press conference, Gov. Pritzker said he will lift the mandate for the state, with certain exceptions, by Feb. 28. “My intention is as we’ve seen these numbers peak at about 7,400 hospitalizations, and heading downward significantly – we’re now I think under 2,500 hospitalizations, so that’s almost a third of where we were at the peak and heading even further downward –... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Thousands of students and parents statewide in Illinois are defying Gov. JB Pritzker’s order for mask mandates in schools upon the announcement of Sangamon County Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow granting a request from downstate attorney Tom DeVore to temporarily halt the governor’s executive orders on masking and quarantining for schools. Across social media, parents from schools throughout the state posted pictures and messages about their children not wearing masks anymore, and the parents posted celebratory messages calling for a permanent end to masks in schools and during... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: An Illinois judge’s ruling prohibiting mask mandates has got schools statewide in a tizzy over whether or not to continue to enforce Gov. JB Pritzker’s mask rules and other covid restrictions. On Friday, Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow granted a temporary restraining order effectively prohibiting mask requirements for students in numerous school districts across the state. A group of parents had filed lawsuits downstate against more than 140 school districts statewide, as well as Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois State Board of Education last year,... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois covid numbers continued their rapid zoom downwards, as officials said the statewide mask mandate and other restrictions could be gone “quite soon” — perhaps even within the next week or two — if cases and hospitalizations continue to plummet, Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in a press conference Tuesday. “We’re not going to keep the vaccination requirement just because we like it. We’re keeping it because the risk remains higher at this point,” Arwady said. “And yeah, I am feeling confident that it will be able... Read More