Springfield, IL…State Representative David Friess (R-Red Bud) issued the following statement on Governor Pritzker’s new mask and vaccination mandates announced yesterday:
“On August 26, 2021, the Governor issued yet another mandate that requires all Illinoisans, including children as young as two years old, to wear a face-covering or mask while indoors. The mandate applies to everyone, even those who are fully vaccinated.
First and foremost, the Governor and his staff refuse to share the “science” and data to support his executive mandate that a two-year-old needs to wear a mask when indoors or that someone who is fully vaccinated should wear a mask. The refusal to share the science and data brings skepticism to his decision. In addition, since IDPH admits that there is no threshold or metrics that would lead to the repeal of the mandate, it is evident that the Governor is issuing his executive orders without the support of any scientific data.
The Governor also mandated that all Illinois school employees must receive a COVID-19 vaccination. The decision regarding whether or not to receive a COVID vaccine is an extremely personal decision, which should be between you and your physician. Again, the Governor should publicly disclose the data he is relying on to support compulsory vaccinations.
From the beginning of this pandemic, I have advocated for local control over decisions of this nature. Our local officials, from the school board to the county commissioners to the director of the local health department are familiar with the region and the citizens they serve, they should be in charge of managing a local response and the implementation of mitigation strategies, not our out of touch governor.”