COVID and Health Updates

After a great deal of litigation, resistance, and another pandemic wave, the mask mandate was lifted in Illinois again. Details about the local school districts and college masking will be covered in posts on the C-U Local Cheat Sheet here. WCIA had some local reactions, including from the local health department:

“Even though we are on a downhill with Covid, we are not completely out of it,” Awais Vaid, Champaign Urbana Public Health District, said...

“Just because the mandate has been lifted, does not mean we still don’t recommend people wearing the masks,” Vaid said.

That’s the message from Champaign-Urbana Public Health, after Governor Pritzker announced his plan to lift the indoor mask mandate for many places at the end of the month. Some bars in Champaign say this may not change business very much.

That full article here. Some businesses and services may still mandate masks, including (as of my last check) MTD buses. Also from WCIA:

The State of Illinois may be lifting its indoor mask mandate on Monday, but federal mandates still require masking on public transportation and on the property of public transportation districts.

Because the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District is administered by the Transportation Security Administration, it falls under federal jurisdiction and is subject to federal mandates.

That article here. For the latest news on MTD COVID protocols, see their webpage here. Groups like Champaign County Health Care Consumers are still encouraging masking and good hygiene habits. The latest wave of the pandemic has begun to subside, with hospitalizations, death rates lagging cases again. The latest update in the News-Gazette put the local count at 292 dead with the latest data.

Champaign and Urbana marked the first COVID-19 Victims & Survivors Memorial Day on March 7th. WAND reported that Champaign's proclamation would make it the first Monday of March. More from WCCU:

The cities of Urbana and Champaign, along with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health Department, declared March 7th as "COVID-19 Victims and Survivors Memorial Day" in both Champaign and Urbana.

Leaders from the cities of Champaign and Urbana, the Champaign-Urbana Public Health Department, and the Champaign-Urbana Public Health Department gathered today to honor the lives impacted by COVID-19.

Nearly 300 people lost their battle to COVID-19 in Champaign County, according to Awais Vaid, the deputy administrator and epidemiologist at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health Department, CUPHD.

That article here. Smile Politely had some additional coverage and links here. The WCCU article quotes health officials explaining that the unvaccinated continue to suffer the greatest odds of severe illness, hospitalization, and death as the pandemic continues.

Other Health Related News:

• The Smile Politely editorial staff put out an overview and analysis of Champaign County's opioid situation.
• Elizabeth Holder, a local attorney, laid out concerns about Carle's non-profit status and their COVID protocols during the pandemic in Smile Politely.
• Smile Politely also highlighted a Maternal and Child Health event by the C-U Public Health District. Event information on their facebook page here.