By Illinois Radio Network
SPRINGFIELD – House Minority Leader Jim Durkin said Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s failure to focus on issues outside of the public health arena during the COVID-19 crisis was a significant shortcoming.
However, from the general health and wellbeing of families to job loss, income reduction, food insecurity, bouts with depression, possible self-harm, increased domestic abuse, lost educational opportunities for children, medical procedures put off and other issues, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has acknowledged the toll.
“The area all some of the damages that are being caused by coronavirus, there’s no doubt about it,” Pritzker said Saturday.
On Sunday, the governor said he had not asked for an analysis of the overall impacts of the stay-at-home order he issued in March.
“It will be interesting to see what the damage that was done by the virus is in retrospect, at this point, it’s almost impossible to measure,” Pritzker said.
Durkin, R-Western Springs, said that was a problem.
“The administration and Democratic leadership of this state have completely forgotten about the human toll that has occurred because of unemployment,” Durkin said. “People who have had for the first time they have lost their jobs.”
He said Illinoisans have watched the state’s economy collapse, “we are seeing in front of our eyes.”
On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that nearly 75,000 Illinois filed for unemployment. State officials said since March 1, Illinois has processed over 1 million unemployment claims for a total of $2 billion in claims.
Some businesses shut down operations on March 21 when the governor implemented his first stay-at-home order. Some had voluntarily closed before the order was put in place.
National Federation of Independent Business Illinois State Director Mark Grant said the toll on businesses isn’t just economic, it’s also their overall wellbeing.
“This is so unprecedented that it’s really going to be hard to determine what the final outcomes I think for years, much less what the immediate outcomes are,” Grant said. “And sadly, I’m talking to a lot of business owners that are fraught.”
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