Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the city will end its mask mandate at the end of February, in line with the statewide date. The mandate requiring proof-of-vaccination will also end Feb. 28.

A judge’s ruling threw Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s school mask mandate into chaos. Now that an appellate court has ruled against Pritzker, too, he’s taking his fight to keep masks on students to the Illinois Supreme Court.

The appellate court ruling marks Pritzker’s second loss in cases challenging his mask mandate in schools.

Judge Grischow’s Feb. 4 temporary restraining order isn’t the final result in the multiple cases challenging Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s emergency powers. The ultimate solution is providing permanent certainty by limiting those emergency powers through legislation.

Shortly after a downstate judge threw Pritzker’s mask mandates into question, a bipartisan committee voted against reimposing another K-12 school mask mandate.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot remained non-committal about lifting Chicago’s mask mandate Feb. 28 in line with the statewide mask requirement for all Illinoisans. Lightfoot said the city is "making tremendous progress" bringing down COVID-19 cases but may keep the mandate in place.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker will end the statewide indoor mask mandate for most Illinoisans Feb. 28, joining the 39 other states who have already lifted COVID-19 restrictions on residents. Illinois will be the only state in the Midwest still mandating masks in schools at the state level.

Chicago and Cook County health officials announced plans to revoke pandemic masking and vaccination entry requirements by Feb. 28, the day Illinois’ statewide mask mandate will be lifted. Pritzker has warned Illinoisans to keep masks handy.