Lawmakers, Gov. J.B. Pritzker returning to Capitol in Illinois for in-person sessions

SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois lawmakers will return to the Statehouse next week for their first in-person sessions since Jan. 4.

House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, said Thursday the recent decline in COVID-19 cases makes returning to the Capitol possible.

“Our goal is to be productive while also keeping everyone safe, so masking and social distancing policies will still be in place,” Welch said in a news release. “I want to encourage everyone to get their vaccine and booster, and take advantage of the SHIELD testing opportunity on the Capitol complex.”

A spokesman for Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, confirmed the Senate will meet in-person next week as well.

Cases began surging in December with the spread of the omicron variant, reaching a one-day high of 44,089 cases Jan. 6. But there has been a steady decline in new cases in the past two weeks, falling to fewer than 10,000 new cases Jan. 25.

Read more at: https://www.bnd.com/news/politics-government/article257794293.html
(Belleville News-Democrat)