‘I Can’t Imagine That:’ Pritzker Not Sold on Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccine for School Attendance – NBC Chicago

While Illinois will require a widely-available vaccine or
coronavirus treatment to move into Phase Five of the “Restore Illinois” plan,
Gov. J.B. Pritzker doesn’t believe that the theoretical vaccine would be
mandatory for children to get in order to return to the classroom after it
becomes available.

During comments made Wednesday during a coronavirus press
briefing, Pritzker said that he believes many residents will want to get the
vaccine when it comes out, but he doesn’t believe that children will be
required to receive the treatment to enter state classrooms.

“I can’t imagine that,” he said. “What I do think is that
once a vaccine is available, I think many, many people will want to get
vaccinated. We obviously want to get to herd immunity.”

While Pritzker doesn’t envision a mandate for the coronavirus
vaccine, he does insist that the only way the state can realistically get to
herd immunity is to use a vaccine.

“Herd immunity is something you only really can get with
vaccines, and so we want people to get vaccinated if it’s an effective vaccine
and if they will make it available to everyone, especially to those who are
vulnerable,” he said.

Many vaccines are already required for students entering
Illinois public schools, including mumps and rubella vaccines. Varicella
vaccines are required for students entering kindergarten, sixth and ninth
grades.