Illinois governor is set to announce all eligible students and school staff must be vaccinated and wear masks as part of new state-wide mandate: Children over two will also be forced to wear masks indoors

August 26, 2021 in News by RBN Staff

 

Source: Daily Mail

 

  • Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker set to order masks for teachers and college staff 
  • He plans to force all children over the age of two to wear masks in classrooms 
  • Democrat’s announcement comes after FDA granted approval to Pfizer vaccine 
  • It prompted mandates in Washington and from private firms for their employees  

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is set to order all teachers from kindergarten to college to take vaccines as schools reopen amid surging cases of the Delta variant.

Pritzker also plans to force all children over the age of two to wear masks in class, as well as mandate face coverings for university students and teachers.

The Democrat’s announcement is expected later on Thursday and comes after the FDA on Monday approved the Pfizer vaccine for over-16s – taking it beyond its emergency phase.

The ruling prompted the Pentagon to order all 800,000 active service members to get the shot, while private firms including Delta Airlines and Goldman Sachs also told their staff to get the vaccine.

Joe Biden has already signed an executive order requiring millions of federal staff to either get vaccinated or abide by a regular Covid testing scheme.

Pritzker has faced backlash over vaccine mandates for other state employees, however the largest teachers’ unions – the Illinois Education Association and the Illinois Federation of Teachers – are expected to embrace his order in a statement later today, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is set to order all teachers from kindergarten to college to take vaccines as schools reopen amid surging cases of the Delta variant (file photo)

A teacher in a mask in California - where Pritzker's fellow Democrat, Gavin Newsom, has ordered teachers to get vaccines

A teacher in a mask in California – where Pritzker’s fellow Democrat, Gavin Newsom, has ordered teachers to get vaccines


On Tuesday, the Governor said he would sanction any schools which defied his mask mandate.

‘I realize that there are people who like to show up and shout at local school boards, at the local school board members. But the reality is that the vast majority of people in Illinois want to make sure that the children of Illinois, their parents, their communities are safe. And having a mask mandate operative in schools will help to do that,’ he said.

The following day he accused a conservative radio commentator of spreading misinformation after she questioned the efficacy of masks.

 ‘We now need to protect our children, we need to protect the people in our communities, parents, grandparents, teachers,’ Pritzker said.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot earlier this week announced that all 33,000 city employees ‘are absolutely going to be required’ to take the vaccine.

She is at loggerheads with at least one police union which has said ‘hell no’ to the mandate.

At a press conference on Monday, Lightfoot said: ‘We’re working through those discussions which have been ongoing now for a couple weeks with our colleagues in organized labor that represent city employees.’

‘But we absolutely have to have a vaccine mandate,’ she added.

‘It’s for the safety of all involved, particularly members of the public who are interacting with city employees on a daily basis. It’s important for colleagues to also feel like they have a workplace that’s safe.

It comes as the highly-infectious Delta variant continues to sweep across the United States, with more than 170,000 new cases and 1,470 new deaths recorded across the country on August 25.

The Pfizer vaccine was granted final approval by the FDA on Monday after receiving Emergency Use Authorization in December.

Moderna has also applied for full approval of its vaccine, and Johnson & Johnson has said it hopes to do so later this year.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday Americans can expect many more vaccine mandates now that a jab is fully authorized.

‘You’re gonna see a lot more [vaccine] mandates because there will be institutions and organizations which previously were reluctant to require vaccinations, which will now feel much more empowered to do that,’ Fauci said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

‘That could be organizations, businesses, colleges, universities. We’re even seeing it with the military already.’

President Biden, in a speech on Monday, urged companies to now start requiring vaccines.

‘As I mentioned before, I’ve imposed vaccination requirements that will reach millions of Americans,’ he said.

Biden signed an executive order requiring federal employees and contractors to either get vaccinated or adhere to a regular Covid testing scheme.

‘Today I’m calling on more companies … in the private sector to step up with vaccine requirements that will reach millions more people.

‘If you’re a business leader, a nonprofit leader, state or local leader, who has been waiting for FDA approval to require vaccinations, I call on you now to do that, require it.’

Companies across the country impose vaccine mandates for workers – and even visitors

AT&T – Only managers must be vaccinated

Amtrak – All employees must be vaccinated by Nov. 1 and new employees must show proof of vaccination starting Oct. 4. Employees could be granted medical or religious exemptions and will instead undergo weekly Covid-19 testing

Ascension Health – All employees must be vaccinated by Nov. 12, including those working remotely

Centene Corporation – All employees must provide proof of vaccination or undergo regular Covid-19 testing and wear masks at all times in the office

Chevron – Expatriate employees, workers traveling internationally, and employees on U.S.-flagged ships must be vaccinated. Offshore workers in the Gulf of Mexico must be vaccinated by Nov. 1

Cisco – All office workers must be vaccinated

Citigroup – All employees working in major cities must be vaccinated

CNN – All employees must be vaccinated and three have already been fired for violating the policy

CVS – Pharmacists must be vaccinated by Nov. 30 and corporate workers must be vaccinated by Oct. 31, with exemptions for medical and religious reasons

Deloitte – All employees must be vaccinated by Oct. 11

Delta Air Lines – All employees must be vaccinated or pay an additional $200 per month for their company-sponsored healthcare plan

DoorDash – All corporate employees working in person must be vaccinated

Envision Healthcare – All employees must be vaccinated by Nov. 1 with medical and religious exemptions

Equinox – New York City employees and members must be vaccinated beginning in September

Facebook – All US office workers must be vaccinated

Ford – All employees who travel for international business must be vaccinated

Frontier Airlines – All employees must be vaccinated by Oct. 1 or undergo weekly Covid-19 testing

Gilead Sciences – All U.S. employees and contractors must be vaccine by Oct. 1 with exemptions for medical and religious reasons

Goldman Sachs – All office staff and visitors must be vaccinated and will be subjected to regular Covid-19 testing starting September 7, with no exemptions

Google – All office workers must be vaccinated

Hawaii Airlines – All employees must be vaccinated by Nov. 1, but could apply for medical or religious exemptions and instead undergo regular Covid-19 testing

Hess – Employees who work in the Gulf of Mexico must be vaccinated by Nov. 1

Johnson and Johnson – All U.S. employees must be vaccinated by Oct. 4 with exemptions for medical or religious reason

Lyft – All office workers must be vaccinated

McDonald’s – All U.S. employees, excluding those at corporate or franchise restaurants, must be vaccinated by Oct. 11

MGM Resorts – Salaried office employees must be vaccinated by Oct. 15 and new office employees must be vaccinated starting Aug. 30. Las Vegas employees must undergo regular Covid-19 testing

Microsoft – All office workers and guests must be vaccinated by Oct. 4

Moderna – All US employees must be vaccinated by October

Morgan Stanley – All employees must be vaccinated by Oct. 1

Netflix – Anyone working in or visiting the company’s offices must be vaccinated

Northwestern Mutual – All office workers must be vaccinated with exemptions for medical or religious reason

Norwegian Cruise Line – All crew and passengers must be vaccinated at least two weeks before boarding

Pfizer – All U.S. employees and contractors must be vaccinated or undergo weekly Covid-19 testing

Politico – All employees must be vaccinated

Saks Fifth Avenue – All office employees must be vaccinated

Salesforce – All office workers must be vaccinated

The New York Times – All office workers must be vaccinated

The Washington Post – All employees must be vaccinated by Sept. 13

TJX – Only Home and Regional Office Associates must be vaccinated by Nov. 1 with medical and religious exemptions

Twitter – All office workers in San Francisco and New York must be vaccinated

Tyson Foods – All U.S. employees must be vaccinated by Oct. 1 and other staffers by Nov. 1 with medical and religious exemptions

Uber – All office workers must be vaccinated

United Airlines – All U.S. employees must be vaccinated by Oct. 25 with medical and religious exemptions

UPS – All headquarters and office building employees must be vaccinated by Oct. 1

Walgreens – All workers in support offices must be vaccinated by Sept. 30 or undergo weekly Covid-19 testing

Walmart – All staff at its headquarters and managers traveling within the U.S. must be vaccinated by Oct. 4, with medical and religious exemptions

Walt Disney parks – All on-site salaried and non-union employees must be vaccinated. Union employees have until Oct. 22 with medical and religious exemptions