City and county leaders in Springfield have ticked off the governor

Posted on November 3, 2020

*Gov. Pritzker reacted to Springfield and Sangamon county officials defying his orders of no indoor dining due to the the uptick in COVID-19 cases. (Photo courtesy: WJBC/File)*

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Reacting to Springfield and Sangamon County’s announcement that restaurant dining rooms may indeed remain open, the state’s chief executive was unambiguous.

“The places that are remaining open and are defying these rules are in fact spreading locations,” said Gov. JB Pritzker. “When you have double digit positivity rates in your area, as is the case in Springfield, then the local officials need to take the laws that are on the books and the regulations that we have put forward and the orders we have asked people to follow and enforce them locally.”

The city and county are allowing indoor dining to 25 percent capacity, outdoor dining to fifty percent capacity. The rationale, say leaders here, is to help preserve business and curb depression, unemployment, homelessness, and hunger.

Illinois recorded 6,516 new coronavirus cases and 68 additional deaths, according to Tuesday’s daily report. The state totals are 430,018 cases and 9,878 deaths.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected].

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