Illinois health officials recommend mask use amid surge in respiratory illnesses

CHICAGO - You likely haven’t worn one for quite a while. State health officials are urging medical facilities to consider bringing back mask recommendations.

This recommendation is in response to what the Illinois Department of Public Health describes as "an alarming rise" in respiratory illness across Illinois — not just COVID-19 but also RSV and the flu.

The recommendation is for hospitals, long-term healthcare facilities, and local health departments to use masks and screen visitors, remind any visitors entering patient rooms about washing hands, cough etiquette, and for anyone with respiratory symptoms like coughs, sore throats, and fever to hold off on going to the hospital unless it's urgent.

With 51 Illinois counties now at a medium or high level for COVID-19 hospitalizations, the health department really wants to get ahead of this problem, which is all the more important with holiday gatherings coming up here within the next week.

"We're most concerned with those facilities that are in elevated levels in COVID and other respiratory viruses, knowing that that elevated level could create hospital strain, and we want to mitigate and limit that spread as much as possible," said Sameer Vohra, IDPH Director.

If you are curious about the situation in your specific area, the Illinois Department of Public Health has launched a new infectious respiratory disease surveillance dashboard, updated every Friday. You can find it by going to the IDPH website.