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During a news conference Wednesday, the governor was asked if
shutting down schools was an option if case numbers continue to
escalate.
Pritzker said possibly, but only if the delta variant became
widespread or if variants were getting past the vaccines.
“Or something was overcoming, for example, the vaccines that
people have already taken and sending people to the hospital who
are already vaccinated, then we would have to look at a whole
new set – bottom of the list of things that we left far in the
distance last year,” Pritzker said
As schools begin to open in Illinois for the fall semester, more
children are being hospitalized for COVID-19 than last year,
though it still remains rare.
This month, an average of more than 30 children a day have been
admitted to hospitals with COVID-19, according to a Chicago
Tribune report. A year ago at this time, average daily
admissions were around 20 in early August.
A mask mandate for all schools in the state remains in place.
Schools that don’t comply risk being put on probation. The
Illinois State Board of Education stated schools that fail to
address deficiencies and submit a corrective plan could face
nonrecognition, meaning a total loss of access to state funding
and loss of the school’s ability to engage in any
state-sanctioned athletic competitions. More than 50 schools
around the state have been placed on probation.
The governor also addressed the ongoing struggle to get state
workers in congregate settings such as veterans homes and
prisons vaccinated.
“We basically have been working with, for several weeks, with
the unions and talked to them about how we may be able to
implement as of Oct. 4,” Pritzker said. “Those are ongoing
conversations.”
A statement from AFSCME Council 31 said the public employee
union opposes rigid, universal vaccine mandates that effectively
threaten employees with termination if they do not get
vaccinated.
“We know there are union members who remain fearful of the COVID
vaccine, as well as others who have medical contraindications or
religious objections,” the union said in a statement.
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