If you're not wearing a mask, 'the enemy is you'
Pritzker warns Metro East on rising positivity rate on testing as new daily COVID cases approach 1,600 statewide
Gov. Pritzker repeatedly emphasized the importance of wearing a mask in public as new cases of COVID-19 rise in Illinois. (Illinois.gov)
By Ted Cox
Declaring that, in the COVID-19 pandemic, “if you’re not wearing a mask … the enemy is you,” the governor issued a stern warning to the Metro East area and the state in general Wednesday on rising cases and testing positivity rates.
Calling it “the unfortunate truth,” Gov. Pritzker said, “COVID-19 has not gone away, and it remains a serious threat.
“Our numbers now appear to be gradually rising,” he added, “and that is disturbing. … A rise is still a rise, and it is on all of us to bring these numbers down.”
Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike confirmed 1,598 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, the highest figure in weeks, to bring the statewide total to 165,301, while 23 new deaths took the state toll to 7,347. The 39,633 tests conducted produced a one-day positivity rate of 4 percent, although the seven-day rate registered at 3.2 percent.
“It doesn’t take long at all to reverse all of our gains,” Pritzker warned, with cases on the verge of rising exponentially. “You can go from 3 percent positivity to Arizona’s 23 percent positivity in the blink of an eye. We’ve been there before. Let’s not let that happen again.”
Earlier Wednesday, the Illinois Economic Policy Institute released a study praising the state’s handling of the pandemic, especially compared with Sun Belt states Pritzker said are in “full-blown crisis right now,” including Florida, Texas, and Arizona.
The governor focused particularly on the Metro East area across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. Considered Region 4 in the state’s current geographical breakdown, its 6.9 percent positivity rate is the highest of the state’s 11 regions by a wide margin. (No other region is even at 5 percent.) Pritzker expressed sympathy with the geographical problems, pointing out that “part of that is the positivity rates in Missouri are so much higher than they are in Illinois,” but he added that it was on the residents of that region — and residents across the state — to take measures to minimize the spread of COVID-19, and he repeatedly emphasized the importance of wearing a mask in public. He dismissed those who’ve made masks a “political” statement, saying it only reflected a “callous disregard” for anyone nearby.
“The enemy is not your mask,” he said. “If you’re not wearing a mask in public, you’re endangering everyone around you, so the enemy is you.”
Ezike drew parallels with the use of seatbelts, saying, “So what’s the controversy?” She added, “The more people who dismiss the science that face coverings and social distancing work, the more cases we’ll see. … This is not about restricting freedom, this is about decreasing the transmission of this virus, which ultimately saves lives.”
Pritzker said masks cut 80 percent of possible transmissions of the disease, and Ezike echoed that, saying, “We really need full 100 percent compliance.”
Pritzker said Metro East “is coming dangerously close” to the 8 percent positivity rate that has been set as a warning level in the Restore Illinois recovery plan, and the region risks additional mitigation efforts to halt transmission, such as bars being closed again.
“If it sounds like I’m taking this extremely seriously, it’s because I am, and you should too,” he added. “It’s imperative that we hold on to the success we’ve had against this virus.”
According to Pritzker, the state now has 1,600 contact tracers, tracking the spread of the disease in an attempt to tamp down outbreaks. He said those interested in applying for the positions should contact their local health department, and he urged anyone getting a call from a state contact tracer to answer the phone and comply with the questioning.
On the economic front, the governor said he was extending the moratorium on evictions to Aug. 22, as the state ramps up efforts to distribute $300 million in relief to renters, at a maximum of $5,000, and homeowners, at a maximum of $15,000, to make their housing payments.
Pritzker said the Illinois Department of Employment Security had noticed some people getting unemployment debit cards and notification letters under the expanded federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program for so-called gig workers and independent contractors, even if they remained employed and hadn’t enrolled for benefits. He said it was part of a nationwide fraud scheme affecting “nearly every state,” but that it was unclear at this point how scammers were expecting to profit from debit cards being sent to other people. “The national program was poorly designed and susceptible to fraud,” he said, calling it a “systemwide failure.” He advised anyone who has received a card or an IDES letter without enrolling for benefits to call the department at (800) 814-0503.
Pritzker echoed Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot in being receptive to federal offers for aid and personnel in combating the city’s ongoing spike in gun violence, saying, “I welcome legitimate resources from the federal government.” But he quickly added he would not tolerate efforts to undermine civil rights or civil liberties, and that he was “hopeful” Chicago would not see the sort of unmarked federal troops in camouflage that have drawn harsh criticism in Portland, Ore.
At one point, Pritzker again bemoaned the lack of leadership on the pandemic from President Trump. “If there had been one national strategy employed by our federal government, like a national mask mandate, perhaps things would be different,” he said. On Trump’s admission at a White House briefing Tuesday that the pandemic will get worse nationally before it gets better and that people should wear masks, Pritzker said, “It’s never too late to learn what the right thing to do is.”