East Central Reporter

Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey assures Illinois voters that he sees Gov. J.B. Pritzker for who he truly is — and that it's not a pretty sight.

Bailey, who recently launched his campaign for the GOP nomination for governor, at least partly harbors his harsh view of the governor on Pritzker's steady stream of mandates aimed at controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, among the latest an indoor masking mandate for all residents over the age of 2 and another for all public and private school students.

“The ‘mandate candidate’ has proven he’s unwilling to listen and lead,” Bailey posted on Twitter. “Unwilling to engage the people and legislature to take targeted approaches, support local control, and find solutions that do not decimate our economy, hurt our children, or diminish freedoms.

“We are a diverse state and one-size-fits-all approaches and tyrannical, unilateral mandates from a liberal governor do not work,” Bailey added. “We must take a targeted approach where we engage local leaders, empower individuals and provide support for local entities to make the best decisions for their community and families.”

Under the guidelines of the governor’s plan, workers in mandated groups, such as healthcare workers, teachers and higher education students, are required to receive at least the first dose of a two-dose vaccination series or a single-dose vaccination by Sept. 5, according to NBC5 Chicago. Second doses of the vaccine must be received by 30 days after the first dose, according to the state requirement.

Those who do not receive the vaccine or opt out for medical reasons or a religious exemption must follow a testing schedule that requires testing once a week in schools and healthcare facilities.

"Healthcare, school workers, and higher education personnel and students attending in-person classes who do not provide proof of vaccination will be prevented from entering healthcare and educational facilities unless they follow the required testing protocol," the state's latest guidance says.

Pritzker told NBC5 Chicago that the delta variant "is increasingly causing concern for our hospital capacity in communities across Illinois."

All Illinois counties were labeled "high transmission" as of Saturday, as tracked by the Illinois Department of Public Health. That's defined as a county seeing 100 or more new cases per 100,000 residents over a 7-day period, and/or that the positivity rate for tests conducted in the county is 10% or greater.