Pritzker to reflect relaxed CDC guidance but continue COVID disaster proclamation

[August 13, 2022]  By Greg Bishop | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – While it’s expected the state will mirror updated COVID-19 guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Gov. J.B. Pritzker insists he’ll continue disaster proclamations to capture more federal dollars.

The CDC updated guidance Thursday in an effort the agency said is to streamline and help people understand their risk and what actions to take if they test positive. Among other things, the new guidance no longer recommends testing asymptomatic people “in most community settings.”

Also removed from the guidance was differentiating individuals who are vaccinated or not vaccinated.

“This guidance acknowledges that the pandemic is not over, but also helps us move to a point where COVID-19 no longer severely disrupts our daily lives,” Dr. Greta Massetti said in a CDC statement.

Asked if he’ll modify his executive orders requiring school staff to prove they’re vaccinated or test regularly, Pritzker wouldn’t say specifically.

“We’re going through it today. There are obviously a lot of components to that, it wasn’t just about schools,” Pritzker told The Center Square at an unrelated news conference. “So we’ll be making an announcement about that as soon as we can. But, we want to align with the CDC. I think they’re doing good work on this.”

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, Pritzker has issued monthly disaster proclamations and dozens of executive orders impacting schools, businesses and more. Pritzker insisted on maintaining the state as a disaster, though he’s ratcheted things down.

“In fact, we’re all the way down to the very bare minimum,” Pritzker said. “And, we are concurrent with the federal disaster proclamation which is still in place. And, so we’ll be leaving that in place to make sure that we get the maximum amount of federal funding.”

Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski has been a vocal critic of Pritzker’s continued proclamations while most other states have dropped theirs.
 

“We’ve already seen the disaster that’s been created by the federal spending and we’re one of the states that’s perpetuating the problem,” Dabrowski told The Center Square.

Dabrowski said the governor can’t say he’s done a good job managing COVID-19 while continuing to “have his hands out” for more federal funding.

Separately Friday, a Sangamon County judge dismissed around 110 school districts and the state defendants from a large case challenging mask and exclusion mandates. Attorney Thomas DeVore said they’ll pursue the case against mandates against the remaining 35.

Greg Bishop reports on Illinois government and other issues for The Center Square. Bishop has years of award-winning broadcast experience and hosts the WMAY Morning Newsfeed out of Springfield.