Remove Joliet From Pritzker's Restore Illinois Plan: O'Dekirk

JOLIET, IL — Joliet Mayor Bob O'Dekirk has added his name to a list of Will County mayors who are urging Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to remove their communities from the governor's Restore Illinois Plan that includes Cook County, one of the nation's hardest hit areas in terms of new coronavirus cases and deaths.

The May 15 letter was submitted to Pritzker on letterhead from the Will County Governmental League, which is located in Plainfield. The mayor of the state's third largest city and the county seat for Will County was one of 24 mayors who signed the document requesting Pritzker change his Illinois map model that governs how fast particular regions of the state can reopen during the pandemic.

Don't miss updates about precautions in the Joliet area as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

The letter explains that, "Many of the businesses in our communities see less patrons in a day than some 'essential' big box retailers see in an hour. Subsequently, these businesses can implement proper social distancing precautions and move to phase 3 or 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan sooner."

O'Dekirk and other area mayors noted in the letter that Will County Governmental League communities should be evaluated in the governor's Restore Illinois Plan "as a county, or, at a minimum, as a part of one of the other regions of the State that more closely aligns with our population and density. It’s also worth noting that the EMS zones used in the Restore Illinois Plan were established in the early 1970s, and do not reflect today’s distribution of health care resources across the region."

Related:

Illinois Coronavirus Update May 19: 4,379 Deaths

Joliet Dine-In Restaurants May Reopen Under City's Plan

Joliet's 89 Deaths Mostly At Nursing Homes: Mayor