REPUBLICAN DARREN BAILEY BLASTS PRITZKER’S MANDATES
XENIA – Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) told reporters Wednesday afternoon via Zoom, “Today Governor Pritzker put his personal political agenda in front of what we know to be the best interests of our students and their education. Governor Pritzker once again wants to force mask mandates on children. This unilateral move, without engaging the legislature does not make him a leader. It makes him a failure.”
Bailey has fought Pritzker’s mandates for over a year, and said that he is not ruling out the possibility of filing a lawsuit against Wednesday’s announcement.
Bailey said he opposes any health mandates, and quoted scientific studies that say children under 12 are not seriously threatened by COVID-19, and that schools have not been sources of super-spreaders throughout the state.
The science and data has clearly shown us that school age kids are not statistically vulnerable to critical illnesses or death from COVID 19,” Bailey said. “The governor had not produced any evidence to contradict those statistics.”
Republican candidates Bailey, Gary Rabine and Paul Schimpf have all issued statements criticizing Pritzker’s announcement.
REPUBLICAN GARY RABINE: “PRITZKER’S MASK MANDATE IS ABOUT CONTROL, NOT SCIENCE”
WOODSTOCK – Gary Rabine, a candidate for Governor, says JB Pritzker’s new school mask mandate is an unnecessary abuse of power, and he is calling on the Governor to allow school boards to make these decisions at the local level.
Rabine said the efficacy of mask mandates is sketchy at best. In the spring of 2020, a Danish study of 6,000 participants found that those who wore masks were just as likely to get COVID-19 as those who didn’t. Participants in the study were told to spend at least three hours outside their home and to practice social distancing and were then tested for COVID-19. The comprehensive study found no statistical advantage to those who wore masks.
“This is about control – not about science,” Rabine said. “We know that kids are at a low risk for the virus. Our kids had a rough year last year thanks to Governor Pritzker’s policies. We should allow local school boards to work with parents and students to set mask policies at the local level, instead of Pritzker’s one-size-fits-all solution. We need bold leadership, and we need to protect the rights of parents to make decisions for themselves and their children. I stand opposed to Governor Pritzker’s decision to infringe on parental rights.”
GOP PRIMARY CANDIDATE PAUL SCHIMPF: PRITZKER’S MANDATES UNDERMINE CIVIL LIBERTIES
WATERLOO – Paul Schimpf, Republican candidate for Governor of Illinois, issued the following statement in response to Pritzker’s mask mandate for P-12 children and mandatory vaccination order for state workers announced today:
“JB Pritzker’s mandatory vaccination order for state workers is inconsistent with the civil liberties that I spent 24 years on active duty defending. Furthermore, his P-12 education mask mandate usurps the authority of parents, school board members, and superintendents, further undermining confidence in the rule of law. I vehemently disagree with Governor Pritzker’s action today.”
About Paul Schimpf: Paul Schimpf served as a State Senator for the 58th Senate District, was the Minority Spokesperson for the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and, during his time as an active-duty Marine Corps officer, was the chief American attorney advisor to Iraqi prosecutors in the trial of Saddam Hussein. For more information on Senator Schimpf, please visit Schimpf4Illinois.com.
Illinois Review.
