Southwest Illinois Democrats say Pritzker is too slow on removing COVID-19 limits
Democrats in southwestern Illinois broke ranks Tuesday with Gov. J.B. Pritzker and urged him to allow more businesses to reopen, a day after he doubled down on his gradual approach.
They asked the governor to allow retail shops, manufacturing, barbershops and salons to reopen with capacity limits and other precautions on Friday. Under the governor’s plan, the earliest they can return is May 29.
But the governor shifted the onus back onto the legislature during his daily news briefing, asking them to reconvene so they can develop a plan to address economic challenges within the restrictions.
The governor has the power to order the legislature to convene for a special session, but so far he has declined to do so. Lawmakers can return to the Capitol whenever they decide to because they are considered essential workers, and Pritzker said they should return by the end of May.
The General Assembly has been meeting in virtual “working groups” to prepare for a return to Springfield. Working groups are not allowed to write legislation, however.
Data showing decreases in hospital admissions and infection rates in southern Illinois convinced metro-east lawmakers it would be safe to move from phase two to three in the governor’s plan this week.
The five-phase plan requires at least 28 days of data before transitioning between phases based on recommendations from public health officials. The lawmakers say two weeks is enough.
“Many of our hardworking residents are struggling financially, from the small business owners to people like hair stylists and barbers. Under the next phase, many of those people would be able to go safely back to work while adhering to social distancing guidelines,” two state senators and five state representatives wrote in a letter to the governor.
Pritzker announced Monday the southern region is on track to meet all requirements by the end of the month. He faced questions at his daily news briefing about why the region cannot move forward, but insisted he would not change his mind.
“Lifting all of our mitigation at the end of May would likely lead to a second outbreak in each and every one of our four regions,” Pritzker said Monday.
Meantime, Madison County officials planned to vote Tuesday on their own plan to reopen businesses in defiance of Pritzker’s orders.
Illinois has 4,014 new COVID-19 cases and 142 more deaths, health officials announced Tuesday. The number of increased cases marks a record number for a single day, but Illinois also saw a record number of testing with 29,266 tests completed.
The announcement by the Illinois Department of Public Health brings the statewide total of coronavirus cases to 83,021 and the total number of deaths to 3,601.
Lawmakers who signed the letter include state Sens. Rachelle Crowe, D-Glen Carbon, and Christopher Belt, D-Centreville, and state Reps. Monica Bristow, D-Alton, Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis, and Nathan Reitz, D-Steeleville.
This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 1:44 PM.
