The new legislation also gives the state's health departments and law enforcement officers 'more leeway' to enforce pandemic-related health public orders in local businesses.
Things are about to get tough for anti-maskers in Illinois. Last week, governor J.B. Pritzker passed a law that comes with even stiffer penalties for anyone who assaults a retail worker in the state—including supermarket staffers—over that store's. Under the new legislation, any person who physically attacks a worker who is "conveying public health guidance" could be charged with felony aggravated battery.
“As our state faces the challenges created by the ongoing global pandemic, we are doing all we can to support and protect our front line and essential workers,” State Representative Jay Hoffman said in a statement. “This legislation allows front line workers that have been impacted by COVID-19 to focus on recovering while sending a clear message to all our essential workers that we are behind them and will do all we can to protect their safety and well-being.
"These rules, which provide multiple opportunities for compliance before any penalty is issued, are a commonsense way to enforce public health guidelines," Pritzker said. "Illinois has made substantial progress in our fight against COVID-19 because the vast majority of communities and business owners have done the right thing. These rules will help ensure that the minority of people who refuse to act responsibly won’t take our state backward.
It's both disturbing and disappointing that so many retail and foodservice workers have faced physical violence for enforcing their employers' face-covering policies. In late July, two thirtysomething men allegedly assaulted seven crew members and three managers during a violent anti-mask rampageEarlier in July, a teenage McDonald's drive-thru worker in Oakland, California
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