ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill.— The mayor of Elk Grove Village is defying the governor’s mask mandate and said wearing a mask is optional in his village for municipal buildings and businesses.

Mayor Craig Johnson said he fully embraces the science and the science tells him it’s past due to lift that indoor mask policy.

“We have Amita Alexian Brothers right here in Elk Grove … hundreds of thousands of people a year go to that hospital and we watch the daily numbers,” he said. “And the daily numbers I’ve been tracking in the single digits for months.”

Johnson said he is fully vaccinated and most of the people in village government are too. 

He said he embraces the science of fighting and tracking Covid completely and that’s why he says it’s time to allow local governments to repeal the indoor mask mandate if the numbers are right.

“We are following the science. That’s our key,” he said. “And the science has said, according to the governor last spring. once you drop below 5%, he’d open up. Well today we are at 1.6-1.7%. Why aren’t we opening?”

Johnson also points to a series of concerts throughout the summer when the Delta variant was a factor.

“It was a Beach Boys concert with 20,000 people there. No spike! No surge. No problem,” he said.

Johnson’s hope is that Pritzker will lift the mandate soon.