No Statewide Stay-At-Home Order Planned: Pritzker

ACROSS ILLINOIS — As Illinois sees its second surge in coronavirus cases this year, a statewide stay-at-home order — like the one ordered back in March when COVID-19 first hit — is not in the state's future plans, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in Friday’s address to the media. Instead, the state will continue to put restrictions in place region by region.

As of Friday, four of Illinois’ 11 regions have added restrictions after failing to stay within the state’s public health guidelines for the virus. The guidelines look at the coronavirus positivity rate in a region and whether it's under the state's 8 percent benchmark, the number of hospitalizations for COVID-19 illnesses and intensive care unit bed availability. New restrictions went into effect on Regions 7 and 8 Friday, including an end to indoor service at bars and restaurants. But some businesses are pledging to defy the governor's orders.

For them, Pritzker said to expect the potential for citations or to have their gaming and liquor licenses pulled. Officials will be checking in on restaurants and bars in regions with additional mitigations in place to see if they are following the rules.

If businesses refuse to close, warnings and a dispersal order could be issued and then citations. From there, proceedings could follow to take away their gaming and liquor licenses, Pritzker said.

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State officials on Friday also addressed the reason restaurants and bars have been singled out for closure, since the virus can spread even when people distance themselves socially and businesses limit capacity. Pritzker pointed to the nature of dining in public, the need to remove your mask to eat for an extended period of time and the fact that droplets from those infected with COVID-19 can linger in the air.

On Wednesday, Pritzker also said he has data from 12 studies showing that “bars and restaurants are in fact a major spreading location for the virus."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dining at bars and restaurants is closely linked to the spread of the virus in many communities. Adults who tested positive for the virus were approximately twice as likely to have reported dining at a restaurant than those with negative test results, according to a CDC study published in September. Experts now believe the coronavirus is airborne, and tiny droplets containing the virus can linger indoors for hours as aerosols, making indoor dining especially risky.

“Just please wear your mask,” Pritzker said. “It’s the most respectful thing you can do to keep the businesses in your area open.”

Also on Friday, the state’s top doctor became emotional while talking the pandemic fatigue affecting not only everyone across the state but also herself. Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, took about 30 seconds to regroup after breaking down in tears while talking about the continued uptick in cases and how restrictions on how we socialize is taking a mental, social and emotional toll.

“I don’t get to live in some COVID-free bubble,” she said. “The way we work, the way we live, the way we play has all changed. The sacrifices we continue to make does not have a future expiration date.”

Typically professional, concise and polished, Ezike became noticeably frustrated when talking about people who refused to wear masks. She said those making a big deal about wearing a mask should think of the health care workers, who’ve already fought to keep COVID-19 patients alive and are dealing with real fatigue over the fact they will have to do the same during this second surge of the virus.

“It’s sad to see the numbers going up again,” said Ezike. "All of these people who work in the public on a regular basis. … you can’t work from home as a bus driver. They are the ones who have to go to work again, and they are the ones who will be dying.”

Pritzker said Ezike has worked around the clock since the beginning of the pandemic and taken on the weight and burden associated with the state’s public health crisis. She’s faced verbal attacks as well as protestors showing up at her house, he said.

“People should take into consideration that this is a very difficult job,” Pritzker said.