With Illinois set to lift the statewide indoor mask mandate on February 28, 2022, questions remain about what’s next in the case of schools. We were joined by two reporters following the story.

The Illinois General Assembly adopted a new set of district boundaries for seats in the Illinois Statehouse and Senate. The 21st spoke to Tim Butler, Assistant Republican Leader in the Illinois House of Representatives, about the major legislative acts that took place yesterday.

On August 26, Governor JB Pritzker announced a reinstated mask mandate for all Illinoisans aged two and over in public indoor settings, in addition to making Illinois the seventh state in the nation to require teachers get vaccinated against COVID-19.

After weeks of back-and-forth protests over whether students should be wearing masks, Governor JB Pritzker settled the question, requiring masks for a students and teachers, K-12, in schools public and private. The 21st was joined by the director of Safe and Health Climate at the Illinois State Board of Education.

The CDC last week announced fully vaccinated people can forgo their masks and social distancing in most indoor settings. We spoke with two Illinois epidemiologists and an infectious disease physician about the new guidelines. They also responded to listener calls, texts and voicemails.