Can St. Clair County reopen Friday? Officials asked Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker
St. Clair County leaders called on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to allow southern Illinois communities to reopen as Madison County officials voted to reopen under their own plans this week.
Pritzker gave no indication Thursday that he would agree to the proposal, though Democratic County Board Chairman Mark Kern said the governor’s office told him they were “looking at” the plan.
“We’ll see how those discussions go,” Kern said.
But the governor reiterated during his daily news briefing that restrictions would not change anywhere in the state until May 29 at the earliest.
Kern and area mayors sent a letter to the governor asking him to consider allowing St. Clair County to move from phase two to phase three on Friday.
The state is in phase two of the Pritzker’s reopen plan, which keeps most nonessential businesses closed to foot traffic. In phase three, nonessential retail, salons, barbershops and manufacturing would be allowed to reopen with precautions and capacity limits.
Southern Illinois is slated to move to phase three at the end of May, but Kern asked Pritzker to allow the county to open Friday. St. Clair County meets the metrics required to move from phase two to three, such as decreasing hospitalizations and infection rates, Kern said.
“(The metrics) fit with the idea of opening up this Friday,” Kern said at a daily news briefing Tuesday. “We certainly hope that it meets with the governor’s approval.”
Fairview Heights Mayor Mark Kupsky also asked the governor to move to phase three early on behalf of the Executive Committee of the Southwestern Illinois Council of Mayors.
St. Clair County’s approach to request permission from the governor comes in sharp contrast to Madison County’s initiative, lead by Republican County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler. County board members there approved a resolution that suggested businesses could reopen without the governor’s approval.
St. Clair County would still adhere to the governor’s Restore Illinois plan.
Nonessential businesses that reopen prior to phase three could face legal trouble, Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons said Wednesday. Businesses could lose state-granted licenses, and the county could face loss of state and federal funding if they defy the order, Pritzker warned.
Illinois requires at least 28 days of data to transition between phases, and Pritzker explained why.
The state’s metrics are based on stability, not downward movement, unlike the White House and U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommendations. Those guidelines require decreasing hospitalization and infection rates for 14 days.
Because the state only requires stability, the governor’s plan extends the time frame to ensure hospitals are not overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases, hence the 28-day requirement.
To move from phase two to three, a region would need to meet the following thresholds:
- No more than 20% all COVID-19 tests come back positive, increasing no more than 10 percentage points over two weeks
- No overall increase in hospital admissions for COVID-19-like illness for 28 days
- At least 14% of intensive care unit beds, medical and surgical beds, and ventilators available
This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 11:21 AM.
