“We’re ready for this to be over, just like the rest of the world,” said Dr. Shikha Jain, CEO of a grassroots group of medical workers called Illinois Medical Professionals Action Collaborative Team, or IMPACT. “But I think there’s some concern and some nervousness.
…one reason the group Jain helps lead, IMPACT, is recommending that even vaccinated residents resume wearing masks indoors.
Current national and state guidelines recommend indoor mask-wearing only for the unvaccinated, but the group said the current guidelines are confusing, are being ignored by many unvaccinated people and are helping fuel spread.
“While the risk to vaccinated individuals remains low, those who cannot get vaccinated (children) or are unable to mount an immune response (immunocompromised, elderly) are now left at the mercy of those unvaccinated to reliably and consistently mask,” the group said in a recent statement.
The group isn’t calling for a return of the mask mandate, and public health officials aren’t suggesting it either. Illinois officials say anybody who wants to wear a mask can do so, but they have not gone so far as to recommend that everyone mask up indoors, as Los Angeles County has done.”
