Illinois governor to lift mask mandate except for schools

By JOHN O’CONNOR
AP Political Writer

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says that at the end of the month he will lift the requirement for face coverings to be worn in most indoor spaces to slow the spread of COVID-19, but the mandate will stay in place for K-12 schools where students, teachers and staff are clustered together. Pritzker said Wednesday that the worst of the deadly virus’ omicron variant has passed. The Democratic governor has appealed a circuit court ruling last week that he had overstepped by requiring face coverings for in-person learning. Critics lashed out at him for keeping masks on school children, saying it it hurting their chances to learn while other states have adopted safe and mask-free alternatives.