Illinois Dental Organization to Pritzker: Change Your EO to Align with CDC
ISDS letter sent in advance of Governor's changes to requirements for healthcare facilities
Here’s the Illinois State Dental Society letter I mentioned earlier this week in my post about J.B. Pritzker’s change of heart on his pointless vaccination, testing, & mask orders for most healthcare facilities. The 6,000-member organization sent Pritzker the request on October 7th, asking for an end to asymptomatic testing and mandatory masking. Ten days later, he announced that masks are now recommended (not required) in healthcare and long-term care facilities when community transmission is high, and unvaccinated employees are no longer subjected to weekly testing.1
Pritzker’s press release suggests the reversal was prompted by his own desire to “cautiously roll back” mitigations that most states abandoned months ago and follow the CDC.
But ISDS says CDC updated its guidance for dental offices on September 23rd; ergo, it hardly seems the Governor is keeping close tabs on the agency’s latest *science”. Maybe other medical associations sent similar requests? Regardless, it appears Pritzker acted under pressure (from ISDS and the upcoming election) — not because he wants to give up power over people’s bodies and medical decisions.
Admittedly, the ISDS letter is somewhat toothless and comes too late in the game. More than anyone, dentists know masks don’t stop aerosolized respiratory viruses. (Ours hasn’t required them of patients for over a year.) They also know the vaccine doesn’t prevent transmission, and that testing in the absence of symptoms makes zero sense, irrespective of vaccination status.
Still, the fear of losing a license or being censured is real. Both the ridiculous covid-specific amendment to Illinois’ Healthcare Right of Conscience Act and California’s unconstitutional AB 2048 aren’t making it easy for even large organizations to want to speak up.
Bravo to ISDS and to any other medical professionals who -individually or as a group - urged J.B. Pritzker to take another step toward real normal before we get a chance to…
VOTE. HIM. OUT.
Vaccination & testing requirements for state-run congregant facilities remain, as do applicable federal mandates.
This is somewhat ancillary to the point of your article, but one of the earliest, and best, sources against masking was put out years before SARS-CoV-2 was discovered, by a dental organization. Frustratingly, early in the pandemic (around May 2020), they took the article down because (gasp!) people were pointing to it to show that masking for a virus was pointless. (The url now goes to a statement that says: “ The content was published in 2016 and is no longer relevant in our current climate.”) 🙄
Thankfully, the WayBack Machine still has it (https://web.archive.org/web/20200618031535/https://www.oralhealthgroup.com/features/face-masks-dont-work-revealing-review/ ), and it is absolutely still just as relevant.
Sadly, so many dental practices went along with not just their state directives, but the entire CDC agenda. Our dentist (in neighboring IN) is very levelheaded and tried to stay maskless, but could NOT find or keep hygienists unless he “required” masking in the office. He very nearly had to close when he refused to force his staff to be vaccinated because so many of his hygienists quit.
Some State employees still have to mask but not administration of course. I have been suspended a total of 50 days unpaid by DHS for not masking. I will likely be fired in Nov. Look at the schools that have to👇. Pure evil! Why hasn't anyone filed a discrimination lawsuit yet??
24/7 State operated congregate care facilities (including visitors, contractors, and others entering the facilities)
The Illinois School for the Deaf (ISD) and Illinois School for the Visually Impaired (ISVI) in Jacksonville; The Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and Education – Roosevelt (ICRE-R) and The Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and Education ICRE-Wood (including teachers, staff, students, and visitors)
FCRCs and DRS local offices: only if meeting in-person with members of the public (for employees only; customers are encouraged, but not required, to wear masks when visiting IDHS offices)