Executive Order 2022-15

WHEREAS, since early March 2020, Illinois has faced a pandemic that has caused extraordinary sickness and loss of life, infecting over 3,446,000, and taking the lives of more than 34,000 residents; and,

WHEREAS, as Illinois continues to respond to the public health disaster caused by Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel severe acute respiratory illness that spreads rapidly through respiratory transmissions, the burden on residents, healthcare providers, first responders, and governments throughout the State has been unprecedented; and,

WHEREAS, protecting the health and safety of Illinoisans is among the most important functions of State government; and,

WHEREAS, numerous variants have emerged over the course of the pandemic and continue to emerge, each with different transmissibility and degrees of severity; and,

WHEREAS, predicting what will happen in the future in this pandemic is a difficult task, and proven pandemic mitigations such as social distancing, face coverings and other public health precautions continue to work to slow and stop the spread of COVID-19; and,

WHEREAS, the CDC continues to advise that some community settings, such as schools and high-risk congregate settings may require additional layers of prevention based on the characteristics of the setting and in the event of an outbreak; and,

WHEREAS, the CDC continues to recommend that individuals who are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe disease consider wearing a well-fitting mask indoors in public when the community COVID-19 level is high; and,

WHEREAS, the CDC continues to recommend that people with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 wear a mask; and,

WHEREAS, individuals may choose to wear a mask at any time to protect themselves or those around them from spread of COVID-19; and,

WHEREAS, CDC guidance continues to recommend that individuals who are not up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations or within 90 days of COVID-19 infection stay at home and quarantine for at least 5 days after exposure to COVID-19 and wear a mask until day 10; and,

WHEREAS, CDC guidance continues to recommend that individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 stay at home and isolate for at least 5 days after testing positive and wear a mask until day 10; and,

WHEREAS, as COVID-19 has spread in Illinois over the course of the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamations, the circumstances causing a disaster throughout the State have changed and continue to change, making definitive predictions of the course the virus will take over the coming months extremely difficult; and,

WHEREAS, in addition to causing the tragic loss of more than 34,000 Illinoisans and negatively impacting the physical health of tens of thousands more, COVID-19 has caused extensive economic loss and continues to threaten the financial welfare of a significant number of individuals and businesses across the nation and the State; and,

WHEREAS, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in a nationwide shortage of healthcare professionals that is impacting the delivery of healthcare services in Illinois including the availability of staff, beds, and healthcare services in health care facilities, including State-operated facilities;

WHEREAS, many executive agencies in the State continue to focus their limited resources on the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic; and,

WHEREAS, on June 24, 2022, considering the expected continuing spread of COVID-19 and the ongoing health and economic impacts that that will be felt over the coming month by people across the State, I declared all counties in the State of Illinois as a disaster area; and,

WHEREAS, in response to the epidemic emergency and public health emergency described above, I find it necessary to re-issue  and modify Executive Order 2020-24, and hereby incorporate the WHEREAS clauses of that Executive Order;

THEREFORE, by the powers vested in me as the Governor of the State of Illinois, pursuant to the Illinois Constitution and Sections 7(1), 7(2), 7(3), 7(8), 7(9), and 7(12) of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, 20 ILCS 3305, and consistent with the powers in public health laws, I hereby order the following, effective June 24, 2022:

Part 1: Re-Issue of Executive Order 2020-24 (Illinois Department of Human Services Forensic Treatment Program).

Executive Order 2020-24 is hereby re-issued and modified as follows:

Sections 1 and 3 of Executive Order 2020-24 are re-issued and extended through July 24, 2022.

Section 1 is further modified as follows:

Section 1. During the duration of and for no more than thirty days following the termination of the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamations, the following statutory provisions of Section 104-17(b) of the Illinois Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 are suspended, in part, to the extent they require the Illinois Department of Human Services to notify county jails of the placement location of a defendant within 20 days of the dispatch of a remand order: Sections 104-17(b), 104-23(b)(3), 104-25(b), and 104-26(c)(2) of the Illinois Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963, as well as Sections 5-2-4(a) of the Illinois Unified Code of Corrections. However, admissions are to continue and to be prioritized by the Illinois Department of Human Services.  Prioritization criteria is to include, but is not limited to, the following patient criteria:  (i) dangerousness to self or others, (ii) acute mental health needs, (iii) likelihood of decompensation while in jail, and (iv) length of time waiting for an Illinois Department of Human Services admission. Accordingly, all admissions to Illinois Department of Human Services Forensic Treatment Programs from all Illinois county jails are suspended, with exceptions at the sole discretion of the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services for limited essential admissions.  The Illinois Department of Human Services Forensic Treatment Programs are Secretary is directed to work closely with county Sheriffs and other partners to ensure the safety of the persons who would be transferred to the DHS Forensic Treatment Programs, as well as the county jails and the DHS facilities.

Part 2: Savings Clause. If any provision of this Executive Order or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, this invalidity does not affect any other provision or application of this Executive Order, which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application. To achieve this purpose, the provisions of this Executive Order are declared to be severable.

                                                                                                JB Pritzker, Governor

Issued by the Governor July 6, 2022

Filed by the Secretary of State July 6, 2022