Mike Bost pushes Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker for regional approach to coronavirus
A group of southern Illinois GOP lawmakers sent a letter to Gov. J.B. Pritzker Thursday urging him to take a regional, phased approach to reopening businesses.
The governor’s extended stay-at-home order, which goes into effect Friday, drew the ire of Republicans statewide who said regions less affected by the coronavirus pandemic should be allowed to reopen sooner than the Chicago area.
U.S. Reps. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, and two other congressmen said such an approach would be “critical to the state’s economy.”
“The health system has been tempered by an increase in capacity, improved testing and increased personal protective equipment, which has mitigated the risk of its collapse. And now, the greater threat looming over Illinois is the collapse of our economy if your stay-at-home order continues in its current form,” the lawmakers wrote.
Pritzker said he talked with the lawmakers and said it was a productive conversation, but did not specify plans beyond modifications to the stay-at-home order that ends April 30.
“I don’t disagree with them that different areas of the state require different rules at this time,” Pritzker said. “We’ll be talking about that more.”
Southern Illinoisans have expressed frustration with Pritzker’s order though cases continue to increase regionally and statewide.
Since March 21, 818,917 Illinoisans filed for unemployment, and 681,041 drew unemployment benefits during the week ending April 25. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, that is about 10.7 percent of Illinois’ civilian work force.
“Illinois is a diverse state and the coronavirus has impacted communities in different ways,” Davis said in a prepared statement. “As we work to start the phased reopening here at home, we cannot do so with a blanket, one-size-fits-all plan.”
“Now is the time for Governor Pritzker to step up with a plan to reopen Illinois that prioritizes the health of our people and our economy. We stand ready to work with the Governor on this effort,” Davis added.
Public health officials announced Thursday 2,563 new cases of coronavirus statewide, including 141 additional deaths, for a total of 52,918 cases and 2,355 deaths.
Southwestern Illinois coronavirus cases
Here’s a breakdown of the 1,066 COVID-19 cases in southwestern Illinois as of Wednesday afternoon. These numbers are updated by 4 p.m. daily at BND.com.
- St. Clair: 454 positives, 30 deaths, 1,988 tests administered, 58 tests pending
- Madison: 330 positives, 19 deaths, 74 hospitalizations, 96 recoveries
- Monroe: 68 positives, 10 deaths
- Clinton: 98 positives, four deaths, 426 tests administered, 19 recoveries
- Bond: Five positives, one death, 109 tests administered, nine tests pending, three recoveries
- Washington: 10 positives, seven recoveries
- Randolph: 106 positives, one death, five hospitalizations, 53 recoveries
- Jersey: 12 positives, one death, five recoveries
- Macoupin: 30 positive, 495 tests administered, 22 tests pending, 18 recoveries
- Calhoun: One positive, one recovery
- Perry: Nine positive
Capitol News Illinois contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 30, 2020 at 3:26 PM.
