CHICAGO (WAND) - As the Illinois Department of Public Health's newest mask enforcement rules Friday sparked controversy across Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker defended the rules Sunday.
The new rules are designed to give local health departments and law enforcement agencies more ability in enforcing the state's mask mandate ad social gathering restrictions.
Under provisions of the new rules, businesses, schools and child care facilities could face fines of up to $2,500 for refusing to comply with state mandates.
"The old rules leave no room for middle ground," said Pritzker. "The new IDPH rules give businesses a warning and the ability to rectify an infraction long before the imposition of a fine."
Although the dollar amounts may seem high, Pritzker said that the rules are far more fair than they could have been.
“The rule allows a modest level of enforcement similar to what many other states already have,” he said. “It prioritizes education and support for businesses over shaming and punishment. It stands in vast contrast to the arcane rules written long ago and without this pandemic in mind. These hard-and-fast rules can cripple businesses.”
Pritzker pointed out that 82% of Americans support a mask mandate and that businesses across the state are following it. "Many, many businesses are doing the right thing," said Pritzker. 'But it's not fair to those businesses when their competitors are not doing the right thing."
Pritzker said these businesses will get a warning and they'll have a second opportunity to "get it right". Ultimately if a businesses continues to refuse, that is when the fine comes in.
Illinois reported more than 1,400 COVID-19 cases Sunday. the 7-day rolling state positivity rate sits at 4.1%.
