Gov. Pritzker says “regional re-opening” of Illinois is finally on the table

Posted on May 1, 2020
Gov Pritzker Friday finally said some parts of Illinois could reopen for business before others. (Photo courtesy: WJBC/File)

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – The “regional re-opening” of Illinois is finally on the table for Gov. JB Pritzker.

A decline in hospitalizations, combined with adequate ICU bed space and a supply of ventilators, would lead the governor to lift the “stay home” order for a region.
“If it’s fourteen days on a downslide of those numbers,” Pritzker said at his Friday coronavirus briefing, “then absolutely. Listen, i want as much as everybody else dows for everybody to get back to work and for us to move toward normalcy but i’m not going to do it until we know it’s going to be safe and  it’s not because some protester has a sign that says, ‘Liberate Illinois.'”
Or a sign depicting Pritzker as Fred Flintstone. Or a sign with a swastika and the words, “Heil, Pritzker,” both on display at Friday’s “Reopen Illinois” rally in Springfield.
Pritzker Friday also introduced Dr. Wayne Duffus, who will serve as acting state epidemiologist for the Illinois Department of Public Health. He will oversee contact tracing.

Illinois now has 56,055 coronavirus cases and 2,457 deaths.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]. 

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