District Update 8-6-21

Spotlight

Click here to watch my interview on WMAY demanding a response from the Attorney General regarding the 36 veterans who died unnecessarily in LaSalle.

You can read more about the situation here.

Pritzker’s Unscientific Mask Mandate

Governor Pritzker continues his tyranny, forcing masks on school children.

On August 4th, Governor Pritzker declared that all teachers and students will be required to wear masks this fall, regardless of vaccination status.  Masks will be required indoors at all times, including while playing sports.  Gov. Pritzker did not specify how long this mask mandate is effective.

In his press conference, Gov. Pritzker revealed the motive behind the mandate.  He said, “Adults can make the decision to go get vaccinated.  We’re trying to tell them: it’s time to do that.”  It is absolutely outrageous that Pritzker is forcing children to suffer because a fraction of the population hasn’t gotten an experimental vaccine. 

School districts across the state were in the process of engaging in productive, democratic discussions.  They were looking at local data and listening to voices on both sides to figure out a solution for their communities.  The Governor overrode democracy with this nonsense edict.

I issued the following statement in response:

Governor Pritzker is ignoring the science, which clearly shows that masks are not effective in stopping the transmission of COVID-19.  Children will be hurt more by masks . The reason for masking in the first place was out of concern for our hospital systems.  This is no longer a concern.  We are way past the point of an emergency.  There is no logical reason why a mask mandate should be forced onto schools.

This latest edict from Gov. Pritzker shows you exactly where his loyalties lie.  He is negotiating with unions regarding mandatory vaccinations, but he is ignoring the Illinois General Assembly, the school boards, or parents.  His unscientific decisions are harming students and benefitting no one.  We cannot stand for this kind of tyranny.  Illinois is a diverse state – solutions for Chicago should not be considered a solution for the rest of Illinois.  That’s why we elect representatives in the first place.  Pritzker needs to make room for legislators at the table in this discussion.  Parents should decide whether their children need to wear masks – not JB Pritzker. 

Seeking Answers

I contacted the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to ask for more transparency concerning their method to determine COVID-19 variants.

Since the first covid case was reported 18 months ago in our state, my constituents are asking me how the state healthcare agency is testing, and identifying new covid variants. The people want to know how the government decides what a new variant is and what is not. We also need to know the facts about who is getting sick, their immunization status and what variant they have. There needs to be more transparency to IDPH’s methods and tracking as this virus affects us all.

In my letter to IDPH, I am seeking answers to the following questions:

  1. How does IDPH test for COVID-19 variants?
  2. Does IDPH test for new variants for every covid test conducted in the state?
  3. What is the methodology for determining a COVID-19 variant?
  4. Is every person hospitalized with COVID-19 tested to determine what variant they carry?
  5. Are all “breakthrough” cases recorded and tracked by the vaccine previously taken?

I requested a prompt response from the Department of Public Health as I feel there needs to be more transparency in how the State of Illinois determines, manages and mitigates COVID-19 variants.

Other News

This week, Gov. Pritzker announced that his energy bill is ready to go to the General Assembly.  He has yet to release any details to the public and has not accepted any of our offers to visit Illinois’s power plants to help shape this bill.

Mark your Calendar

For more information about this town hall, click here.