Grundy County Health Department: Fully vaccinated individuals can forgo mask in most situations

MORRIS – Those who live or work in Grundy County and are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear a mask in most situations, the Grundy County Health Department said in a Friday news release.

Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s announcement that fully vaccinated people can forgo a mask in most situations, the health department said Friday that this guidance will be applied in Grundy County as well, effective immediately.

Gov. JB Pritzker previously has said he will follow CDC guidance on masks. Jordan Abudayyeh, press secretary for the governor, issued a statement Thursday indicating that Pritzker “intends to revise his executive orders in line with the upcoming CDC guidelines lifting additional mitigations for vaccinated people.”

“I do think the CDC’s guidelines are good ones,” Pritzker said Monday. “And we will follow them here in the state. We’ll be announcing those changes shortly; it just takes a little a bit of time to work through.”

The new guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings such as buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but it will help clear the way for reopening workplaces, schools and other venues – even removing the need for masks or social distancing for those who are fully vaccinated – The Associated Press reported.

“Per CDC and [the Illinois Department of Public Health], fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks or physically distance in any non-health care setting, except when required by federal, state, local, tribal or territorial laws, rules and regulations, including business and workplace guidance,” the Grundy County Health Department said in the release. In line with the CDC’s updated guidance, the health department said those who work or live in congregate settings should continue to wear masks.

“Similarly, schools should continue to follow the CDC’s school guidance until more people and children are vaccinated,” the health department said.

In announcing the new guidance, the CDC said fully vaccinated people can go maskless because indoor and outdoor activities pose minimal risk to them and they have a reduced risk of transmitting COVID-19 to unvaccinated people, according to the Grundy County Health Department release.

The Grundy County Health Department also outlined the following recommendations for fully vaccinated people, based on the CDC’s and IDPH’s guidance:

• Fully vaccinated people still should get tested if they experience COVID-19 symptoms.

• Fully vaccinated people should not visit private or public settings if they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 10 days or are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

• Fully vaccinated people must continue to wear masks and practice social distancing where required by federal, state, local, tribal or territorial laws, rules and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.

• Fully vaccinated people may resume domestic travel without having to get tested for COVID-19 or self-quarantine before or after travel. (For now, masking still is required on planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation.)

• Fully vaccinated people may leave the U.S. for international travel without getting a COVID-19 test (unless a test is required by the destination) and do not need to self-quarantine after returning to the U.S. unless they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 10 days.

• Fully vaccinated people do not need to get tested for COVID-19 or quarantine after a known exposure, if asymptomatic, with exceptions for settings such as homeless shelters and detention facilities.

• Fully vaccinated people may refrain from routine screening testing if feasible.