Gov. Pritzker urges federal lawmakers to adopt nationwide face-covering requirement

JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, urged federal lawmakers on Wednesday to adopt nationwide face-covering requirements. In some states, a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases has been witnessed. He criticized the federal government for not implementing the Defense Production act early on in the coronavirus pandemic.

Gov. Pritzker shared his concerns related to the steps taken by the federal government during a virtual hearing of the US House Committee on Homeland Security on Wednesday. The states were involved in bidding against each other in terms of purchasing personal protective equipment, according to him. He said, “States were forced to play some sick hunger games game show to save the lives of people.”

He gave viable suggestions to the federal government that will help it to deal with the pandemic effectively. He said that there was a need for more testing and tracking. He demanded continued funding for the National Guard to assist in COVID-19 response. He asked the federal government to provide a federal bailout to states and local governments.

Pritzker said, “We need a national masking mandate. This might be the most important thing that we can do to save lives.” The infection rate in Illinois dropped due to the institution of a face covering mandate in Illinois. Pritzker said that Illinois was one of the first states in the nation that instituted this mandate.

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) issued an order to wear face coverings while in public in seven counties. According to the order, the residents of those seven counties must wear masks when they are in an outdoor location. Savannah and Athens, the cities of Georgia, has also mandated wearing a face mask in public. Atlanta will soon become the third city in Georgia to approve this mandate. Keisha Lance Bottoms, the mayor of Atlanta, said on Wednesday morning, “I will enact a mask mandate.”