Entire state poised to move on to Restore Illinois
Chicago area lowers positivity rate on testing; governor unveils jobs site while again warning scofflaws
Gov. Pritzker conducts Thursday’s coronavirus briefing by online teleconference. (Illinois.gov)
By Ted Cox
The governor and the Illinois public health director acknowledged Thursday that the entire state is on course to ease stay-at-home restrictions and move on to the third phase of the plan to Restore Illinois at the end of the month.
“Every region is so far meeting all the metrics” to move forward, said Gov. Pritzker during the daily coronavirus briefing. He cheered the way the northeast region, including the Chicago area, had lowered its positivity rate on COVID-19 testing below 20 percent, the maximum level to advance. “The trend for the state and the trend for that region is downward.
“Every region is poised,” he added, to see restrictions eased in two weeks. “Our positivity rate is going down across the state, and that’s a very good thing.”
Pritzker and Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike dismissed reports that Cook County, including Chicago, had surpassed Queens County in New York as having the most confirmed cases of COVID-19 nationwide. Ezike said that was a product of conducting more testing, adding, “We obviously want to promote testing.”
Ezike reported Thursday that 22,678 new tests had confirmed 3,239 additional cases of COVID-19 statewide, bringing the Illinois total to 87,937. Some 138 new deaths brought the state toll to 3,928. But she also reported that the number of coronavirus patients in the hospital, under intensive care, and on ventilators all declined.
Pritzker again had stern words for those seeking to open businesses in violation of the current stay-at-home order, saying they were jeopardizing the state’s progress in moving forward at the end of the month. “There will be consequences,” he said. “They’re putting people at risk. They’re making their communities unsafe. And they’ll be subject to liability as a result.
“Nobody is sending police forces in to break up activities across the state,” Pritzker added. He said state business licenses could be revoked, however, and that counties and cities could face withdrawn funding. "There are lots of ways we can enforce,” he said. Accusing Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady of Bloomington of “grandstanding” in pushing for changes to the Restore Illinois plan, Pritzker told local officials and cities to “do your job. Lead.”
Pritzker said the vast majority of local officials “have been very collaborative with us,” adding, “It’s the loudest folks that you’re hearing from … people who are being defiant and ignoring science and data.”
“Let’s not let this virus succeed in dividing our families, our communities, and our state,” Ezike said.
Pritzker turned his attention again to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program offering expanded benefits to “1099 workers, self-employed individuals, sole proprietors, independent contractors, and many others who don’t normally qualify for traditional unemployment benefits.” He repeated that the state had already enrolled 50,000 idled workers in that program this week, on top of the 1.6 million jobless workers who’ve applied for unemployment statewide since the beginning of March — a number he said was six times higher than those who filed for benefits over the equivalent time period in the Great Recession just over a decade ago.
“We can’t stop there,” he added. “It’s critical that we should do everything possible to get our residents back to work.” Pritzker unveiled a Get Hired Illinois website, which he called a “one-stop shop” for jobs, connecting employers with idled workers, while also providing access to online training.
Although the governor continues to self-isolate after one of his Thompson Center staffers tested positive for COVID-19 last week, he said he plans to return to Springfield middle to late next week as the General Assembly reconvenes to take on issues including a statewide relief package and a dramatically altered budget.