Grey Spaces in C-U

besttoworstmasks

As of Feb. 28, face masks are no longer required in most indoor public spaces in Illinois.

This isn’t the first time that masks have been made optional in Illinois, though. In May 2021, Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a statement saying that fully vaccinated people were no longer required to wear masks in most indoor public spaces. In July, however, the Illinois Department of Public Health reverted this decision and followed the CDC’s guidance that recommended that both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals wear masks in public indoor settings.

Now that the mask mandate is lifted once again, it’s business owners’ decision whether to keep the mask requirement within their stores. This choice has created areas of uncertainty – or grey spaces – as to whether business owners’ should continue requiring masks. Although some businesses still see masks as being an important factor in preventing the spread of COVID-19, others say getting vaccinated makes wearing masks pointless.

In Champaign-Urbana, this trend is no different. Some businesses continue to require masks while others have made them optional, highlighting these grey spaces in a post-mask mandate community.