Not So Fast: These 6 Illinois Counties Still Recommend Masks

Many of us here in Northern Illinois may be giving our (at this point) substantial mask collections the old heave-ho, but not everyone in the state of Illinois is doing the mask-toss just yet.

I think it's safe to say that going forward, we'll definitely have some people who will mask up for the rest of their lives, but that will be a personal choice, not a governmental one.

Out Of Illinois' 102 Counties, There Are 6 That Would Prefer Their Residents Keep On Masking

To be fair, recommending is different than mandating, but after two years of this, you may have noticed a little mask-fatigue here in Illinois. When Governor Pritzker set February 28th as his mask mandate deadline, I got several notes from listeners who pointed out that they'd ended their own personal mask mandate several weeks, if not months, earlier.

A Little More Than A Week Ago, There Were 21 Illinois Counties Being Asked To Continue Masking

Last Thursday, The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC), fresh from updating their county-by-county community levels map, said the COVID-19 metrics had greatly improved in over a dozen Illinois counties enough to lower mask recommendations to six counties.

In the following Illinois counties (deemed "high-risk" counties), people are advised to wear masks in public indoor spaces, including schools, and take additional precautions if at risk for severe illness.

• Effingham County
• Fayette County
• Gallatin County
• Johnson County
• Perry County
• Saline County