IL To 'Adjust' Mask Mandate After CDC Issues New Outdoor Guidance

ILLINOIS — Gov. J.B. Pritzker will adjust the state's mask mandate to follow new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, officials said.

On Tuesday, federal health officials said fully vaccinated Americans no longer need to wear masks outdoors, except in sports stadium, concert venues or other big crowds.

"If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing many things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic," the CDC writes on its website. "If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, find a vaccine."

Speaking from the Rose Garden without a mask Tuesday afternoon, President Joe Biden said the country had made "stunning progress" toward vaccinating all Americans, despite still having a "long way to go."

"Cases and deaths are down — down dramatically — from where they were when I took office on Jan. 20 and continuing to fall," he said, touting more than 215 million shots administered in the first 100 days of his presidency.

"Starting today, if you're fully vaccinated, and you're outdoors and not in a big crowd, you no longer need to wear a mask," Biden said, adding, "The CDC is able to make this announcement because our scientists are convinced by the data that the odds of getting or giving the virus to others is very, very low if you're both fully vaccinated and out in the open air."

RELATED: Vaccinations May Be Required To Attend Summer Events In Chicago

A CDC graphic explains the risks of various activities for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Both the vaccinated and unvaccinated can safely walk, run or bike outdoors, either alone or with members of their own household, as well as attend small, outdoor gatherings with fully vaccinated family and friends without wearing masks.

Unvaccinated people should put on a mask at outdoor gatherings if other unvaccinated people are present, while vaccinated people should mask up to attend crowded outdoor events like concerts, parades or sports events.

Everyone should continue to wear masks indoors while in public. Read the full guidance here.

"We will adjust the mask mandate to follow the guidance from the CDC," said Jordan Abudayyeh, Gov. Pritzker's press secretary in an emailed statement.

Neither Abudayyeh nor the Illinois Department of Public Health commented on any specific changes to the governor's emergency mask mandate, which requires:

"Any individual who is over age two and able to medically tolerate a face covering (a mask or cloth face covering) shall be required to cover their nose and mouth with a face covering when in a public place and unable to maintain at least a six-foot social distance. This requirement applies whether in an indoor space, such as a store, or in an outdoor space."

The mandate has been in effect since last April, and, last month, state health officials said masks would be a "mainstay" in Illinois for some time.

New cases of COVID-19 have been on the rise in Illinois for several weeks, with state health officials warning that another surge could delay full reopening.

On Tuesday, state health officials reported 2,556 new cases and 23 additional deaths for a total of 1.325 million infections and 21,858 deaths since the pandemic began.

As of Monday night, 2,180 people were still hospitalized for COVID-19 across the state, including 502 in intensive care and 251 on ventilators.

State health officials blame vaccine hesitancy among the state's rural residents and risky behavior among young people for many of the new cases, and warn that infections are highest among young people now than at any time during the pandemic.

Public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Tuesday that vaccinations may be required to attend summer events in Chicago and added that she expects to announce next month the launch of a "vax pass" smartphone application that could be used by event organizers to screen attendees.