The state’s Covid-19 public health emergency is officially over.
The initial designation, which helped the state access federal assistance and mobilize state resources, was issued in March of 2020 and ended on Thursday. Gov. Pritzker says while most aspects like the mask requirement ended some time ago, the emergency declaration kept things like increased SNAP benefits and expanded Medicaid coverage in place.
“The end of the federal emergency today means the end of those enhanced benefits. But my administration is doing everything in our power working with the General Assembly to ease the transition for our most vulnerable families.”
State Public Health Director Dr. Sameer Vohra says the virus continues to circulate and poses a severe risk to those most vulnerable.
“We in public health and health care will continue to take it seriously and work to prevent it’s spread. We move to Covid-19 being part of a new normal. An ever present illness, but one no longer viewed as a public health emergency.”
Vorha stresses that the department will continue to focus on the prevention and treatment of Covid-19 and use lessons learned during the pandemic to address other public health challenges.
Marion County Health Department Administrator Melissa Mallow says the health department will continue to provide the COVID-19 booster shots free of charge as long as the federal government continues to provide the vaccine free of charge.
Since the pandemic began, Illinois has seen more than 4-million Covid cases and nearly 37,000 people have died.
