Pritzker: Illinois' indoor mask mandate will end by Feb. 28

As coronavirus case rates and hospitalizations continue to drop, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker will waive the state’s indoor mask mandate by Feb. 28.

Pritzker made the announcement during a Wednesday morning visit to the UI campus in Champaign. 

"My intention is as we've seen these numbers peak at about 7,400 hospitalizations, and heading downward significantly - we're now I think under 2,500 hospitalizations, so that's almost a third of where we were at the peak and heading even further downward - to lift the mask mandate in the indoor locations by Feb. 28," the governor said.

Pritzker is expected to make a formal announcement during a 2 p.m. news conference in Chicago.

The governor touted the actions of Illinoians for getting case numbers and hospitalizations down. “We’ve done better than states around us,” Pritzker said. 

Illinois reported 5,825 new cases Wednesday compared to last month's single-day high of 44,089.

Statewide, 2,634 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 Wednesday, down from 7,380 in mid-January.