Coronavirus cases in Illinois reached 83,021 after 4,014 additional COVID-19 cases were reported Tuesday. As Illinois reports its highest number of new COVID-19 cases yet, Gov. JB Pritzker continues to take heat for his plan to reopen the state’s economy.
CHICAGO (WLS) — As Illinois reported its highest number of new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, Gov. JB Pritzker continues to take heat over his plan to reopen the state’s economy. Illinois health officials announced 4,014 new cases of COVID-19, including 144 additional deaths, on Tuesday. That brings the statewide total to 83,021, including 3,601 deaths. Officials announced Illinois completed a new record amount of tests in the last 24 hours, with 29,266 tests completed, which coincided with the record single-day increase in new cases. Illinois’ previous record high for testing was 20,671 tests completed on May 8, the only other time the 20,000 threshold has been crossed. The previous record for new cases was 3,137 on May 1. With some local governments threatening to go it alone with their own reopening plans, Gov. Pritzker is playing hardball. He said he would consider using the state’s authority in distributing federal dollars to block federal assistance to those local governments.”The vast majority of those counties and individuals, those business owners, are not talking to epidemiologists. They’re not talking to scientists. In fact, they’re not relying on science in any way whatsoever,” Pritzker said. Gov. Pritzker said Tuesday that the metrics suggest that most of the state will be able to move into Phase 3 on May 29, but he is resisting calls to allow communities to reopen sooner.”The General Assembly needs to pass a comprehensive plan to support families, small businesses and small towns,” Pritzker said. The governor called on lawmakers to return to session before the end of the month, but he is not willing to call a special session to force it.”Legislators, just because you’re calling them into special session, does not mean they will show up,” Pritzker said. But with his stay-at-home order wreaking havoc on small businesses, Pritzker is now coming under increasing criticism. Former Governor Bruce Rauner said via text: “When did the policy goal shift from ‘flatten the curve’ to keep everyone safe’? The latter is not possible.”A Kankakee state representative also weighed in.”My district and my constituents are dying on the vine,” said State Rep. Lindsay Parkhurst, R-Kankakee. “We are not part of Chicago metro area, we’ve never been considered part of that.”In a letter sent to Gov. Pritzker, State Rep. Parkhurst said 92 percent of the COVID-19 cases are in the Chicago metro area, while less than one percent are in the areas she represents.”We have to look at the whole society and then do a risk-benefit analysis against the pandemic and the COVID numbers,” Parkhurst said. “And there has to be a middle ground.””Everybody would like to draw a different map, there’s no doubt about it,” Pritzker said. “You know, we wish that there was a federal plan, a national plan for reopening, but there isn’t.
