The Illinois Department of Public Health is adopting new masking recommendations from the CDC.
State Public Health officials are urging Illinoisans, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask indoors in counties with high transmission rates which includes Marion County and all but Clay County in South Central Illinois. All teachers and students in kindergarten through 12th grade are encouraged to mask up as well.
Governor JB Pritzker was asked earlier about the new CDC guidelines.
“We all need to pay close attention. This pandemic isn’t over and we know if people remain unvaccinated there is a greater and greater possibility that we will have a variant that will ultimately break through the vaccines that have already been developed and will get very sick as a result,” said Pritzker.
According to the CDC, the Delta variant spreads twice as easily from one person to another as other strains of the virus.
Figures from the CDC for the seven-day period ending July 24th put Marion, Jefferson, and Wayne Counties in the high transmission category and Clinton, Washington, and Fayette Counties in the substantial category that requires indoor masking to resume. Clay County currently has a moderate transmission rate and is not included.
Marion County has had 56 new COVID-19 cases in the seven-day period for a 150 per 100,000 infection rate, well into the high-risk category that starts at 100 cases per 100,000 persons. Jefferson County is at 151 per 100,000 and Wayne County at 167 per 100,000. Clinton County falls in the substantial category with 72 cases per 100,000 and Fayette County 84 cases per 100,000. Washington County’s new cases were under 10 so no cases per 100,000 was assigned.
