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

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.

Today marks day 700 of life in Illinois under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s emergency executive orders. Other governors, including neighboring Iowa, are rolling back executive control, and the majority of Midwest states are no longer under emergency authority.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said after two years of COVID-19 mitigations and a sharp decline in rates, she believes Iowans will make the safe choices without laws forcing them. Pritzker does not share that confidence in Illinoisans.