Medical experts and Illinois residents remain divided on the best timeline to end COVID-19 protocols and return to pre-pandemic normalcy.
As of Feb. 28, masks will no longer be mandatory in most Illinois public indoor spaces, though some exceptions remain including schools, health care settings and public transportation. Cities and businesses can still maintain more stringent mask requirements. Chicago officials said they’re waiting to see if key statistics improve before changing the city’s mask rules.
The World Health Organization earlier this month said some nations can begin easing their pandemic protocols, based on immunity rates, the state of their health care systems and epidemiological trends. Many European nations have already ended various pandemic restrictions as well. Students arrive wearing masks to Kozminski Community Academy in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood on Feb. 7, 2022. Schools are not included in the statewide lifting of the mask mandate effective at the end of February.
Last summer, when lifting the first mask mandate, Pritzker initially ended it for the vaccinated in May but insisted the unvaccinated had to keep wearing masks indoors, making the order even harder to enforce. After infections continued dropping, the governor lifted the mandate for everyone in June.