McHenry Times

Republican state Sen. Craig Wilcox (R-McHenry) is urging voters across the state to join him in taking a stand against Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his recently imposed universal masking mandate.

“If you’re tired of the Governor stepping in and making decisions for our local schools, please sign my petition,” Wilcox recently posted on Facebook. “It urges local control for boards of education when it comes to safety decisions for students and staff.”

Making use of his executive powers, the governor recently announced that all students and teachers will be required to wear masks in schools as classes across the state are set to restart over the next several weeks. The governor’s order also obligates all other staffers to wear masks regardless of vaccination status and for all state employees working at congregate settings that include long-term care facilities and veterans' homes to be vaccinated no later than Oct. 4.

The governor is defending his decision by pointing out that the Illinois Department of Public Health and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are now recommending masking indoors at K-12 schools.

"As your governor, it's my duty to say that we must all take immediate and urgent action to slow the spread of the delta variant," he said. "People are dying who don't have to die."