Illinois said it was “moving toward coexistence” with the coronavirus, and Governor JB Pritzkar announced a series of changes to state protocols such as universities and medical facilities.
This list of changes includes the removal of vaccination obligations, changes to the COVID testing policy for unvaccinated employees, and some other adjustments to the rules enacted during the pandemic.
Pritzker states that the changes have already begun to be phased in, but his administration announced a series of additional steps on Wednesday.
In a statement, the governor said, “As we continue to move towards coexistence with this virus, my administration will continue to protect the most vulnerable people and ensure that all federal dollars that residents are eligible to receive are in hand. It will relax some requirements while allowing it to be put into. ”
The main highlights of the list are:
Elimination of COVID vaccine requirements for college students and undergraduates
According to Pritzker, college students and faculty members will no longer be required to receive COVID vaccination due to state obligations.
Several Illinois universities, including DePaul University and the University of Chicago, say they are still evaluating their policies and will announce changes before resuming classes.
Changes in testing requirements for unvaccinated workers in long-term care facilities
The current policy is to have weekly examinations of unvaccinated medical staff in long-term care facilities.
Under the new requirements, care facilities with “most vulnerable residents” will only test staff weekly if they are in an area with a “moderate community-level infection” of the virus.
For facilities in areas where COVID’s “high community-level infection” is seen, unvaccinated staff should be tested twice a week.
The Governor said unvaccinated staff in hospitals and other healthcare facilities accredited by the Medicare and Medicaid Service Center (CMS) should only be tested if they are in a “community-level communication” area. increase.
Other changes
-The transfer of prisoners from prison to prison, which was changed during the pandemic, has been fully restored.
-Hospital surveillance to return to non-emergency status
Choose a mitigation that remains
-Teachers in kindergarten to high school, day care and state-owned medical facilities still have vaccination obligations.
-Currently, the obligation remains valid for facilities not covered by the federal CMS vaccine obligation.
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