Just more than three years after the first COVID-19 case was reported in Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker announced on Tuesday a date for the end of the public health emergency.
The emergency was first declared on March 9, 2020, and will officially come to an end on May 11, 2023 – the same day set by President Joe Biden’s Monday announcement for ending the national and public health emergencies.
According to the governor’s office, the proclamation has allowed the state to receive increased federal funding and expanded healthcare access.
“Our state’s disaster proclamation and executive orders enabled us to use every resource at our disposal from building up testing capacity and expanding our healthcare workforce to supporting our vaccine rollout and mutual aid efforts,” said Pritzker in a statement.
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The announcement comes as cases are trending downward since mid-December according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Data from Jan. 22 shows there have been 4.02 million cases and 36,091 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
Of the state’s age 5 and older population, more than 75% of Illinois is considered fully vaccinated. More than 83% have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
“Let me be clear: COVID-19 has not disappeared,’ the governor added. “It is still a real and present danger to people with compromised immune systems — and I urge all Illinoisans to get vaccinated or get their booster shots if they have not done so already.”
Republicans had long challenged the COVID-19 health orders initiated by Pritzker, including several legal actions led by failed Attorney General candidate Thomas DeVore.
Contact Patrick Keck: 312-549-9340, pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter.
