Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich). | Facebook
Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich). | Facebook
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has reversed the mask mandate for outdoor student athletic competitions after more than 700 people signed a petition asking the governor to do so.
Outdoor, low-risk student-athlete competitions include track and field, cross-country, softball, tennis, baseball and bass fishing, a release from Illinois state Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) said.
"Thank you to everyone who signed the petition (over 700) and helping to get this change to support our students! Keep up the good work," Niemerg wrote in an April 13 Facebook post.
As part of this move for Illinois to get back to normal, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) board of directors held a meeting this past Monday to also update the mask requirements for students competing in outdoor, low-risk activities.
Under the new regulations, student athletes will still be required to wear masks while "not actively competing, such as athletes sitting on the bench," Niemerg's release said. This is not the case if student athletes can maintain social distancing, and athletes may then take off their masks while they are actively competing though.
The IHSA still lists sports like football, boys lacross and wrestling as "high-risk" and the mask mandate will remain in place for those activities.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has a list of various activities and the risk level on its website.
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