Lake County Gazette

Illinois Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie wonders if the state will ever get on track in its battle against COVID-19 given what he considers longtime faulty decision-making by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. 

The governor’s new order imposes a statewide mask mandate on all public and private school students along with requiring that all teachers and staff members from preschool through 12th grade wear masks regardless of vaccination status, according to ABC7. It further mandates that all state employees working at congregate settings, such as long-term care facilities or veterans' homes, be vaccinated by no later than Oct. 4.

“Regarding Gov. Pritzker’s latest unilateral COVID orders, his continued go-it-alone approach is actively undermining the state’s ability to have broadly accepted mitigation strategies,” McConchie posted on Twitter. “So much for being ‘all in’ for Illinois.”

McConchie is far from being the only GOP lawmaker expressing outrage.  

State Rep. Tom Morrison (R-Palatine) goes as far as to question the governor's legal authority to impose the mandate.

In a statement, he charges the new policy “violates constitutional checks and balances, public input, and local control."

Still, Pritzker is unmoved, defending his actions by stressing that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy for Pediatrics also stand in favor of universal masking, The Daily Herald reported. Beyond that, he added, he felt he had little choice but to impose the mandate given the growing number of school districts now essentially ignoring the CDC’s recommendations.

"My goal has always been to safely bring all kids back into the classroom and, crucially, keep them there,” he said. “Without these measures, we will likely see many more outbreaks."