By Illinois Radio Network
SPRINGFIELD – Some regions of the state in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s plan to reopen Illinois’ in phases could advance to the third phase of the plan by the end of this month, but one region may not.
One state lawmaker said he is hearing more concerns about his rural county is lumped in with the wrong region and a group representing municipalities urging for data used in the plan to be retroactive.
The Illinois Department of Public Health is publishing updated graphics of the key metrics as part of Pritzker’s Restore Illinois dashboard. The metrics are separated into four regions: Northeast, North-Central, Central and Southern. Each region has gauges for the positivity rate of COVID-19 cases, the rate of hospital admissions since May 1, and the number of various hospital bed availability.
Pritzker on Monday said the data so far, with nearly two weeks into the month, looked good.
“Thus far, all of our regions are on pace to hit all of the metrics to move forward after the 28-day period with possibly one exception,” Pritzker said.
The only region that didn’t have all green gauges, indicating moving toward the next phase, was the Northeast region, which includes Chicago, Cook County and some collar counties.
State Rep. David Welter, R-Morris, said Grundy County, with around 50,000 residents, was improperly lumped in with the Northeast region. He wants the governor to change that.
“All politics are local,” Welter said. “And if he’s unwilling to listen to us and partner with us, yeah it’s a mutiny. They’ve already announced in certain areas they’re not going to be enforcing his orders. But on top of that, you’re going to have businesses reopening and not following much of any guidelines, and that’s very worrisome.”
Welter is promoting petitions to move Grundy County and Kendall County out of the Northeast region.
Illinois Municipal League Executive Director Brad Cole told WMAY on Tuesday it wants to see the regions separated by the eleven Emergency Medical Service Regions, not the quadrants in the governor’s reopening plan.
Cole also said municipal leaders want to shorten the 28-day timeline to fully get to the next phase to 14 days. And, in parts of the state that haven’t been hit hard by COVID-19, Cole said there were concerns about the data starting with May 1.
“We think that there could be a backdate to that,” Cole said. “We can look back further than May 1, especially in an area that hasn’t had any hospitalizations or positive tests.”
But, after releasing his reopening plan last week, Pritzker was asked if historical data back to March 20 was being used at all.
“Not for the purposes of the ‘Restore Illinois’ plan,” the governor said.
Pritzker said this week said if he needs to alter the playbook, he can.
The state’s leading Republican legislators sent the governor a letter, urging for a special session to deal with the issue. Pritzker wouldn’t say if he’d call one, but said he hopes lawmakers meet “soon.”
Lawmakers are in regular session through May 31, but have canceled session days scheduled since they were last in Springfield during the second week of March because of ongoing concerns about COVID-19. It’s unclear when they will return, but some sources said it could be May 28.
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