From The Center Square:

Calls continue for Pritzker to lift more COVID-19 restrictions

(The Center Square) – Illinois state lawmakers from both sides of the aisle continue to push Gov. J.B. Pritzker to relax his COVID-19 restrictions.

State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, wrote in Crain’s Chicago Business the governor gets high marks for managing the pandemic, but one year in, she said it’s critical there’s more clarity on how the state will reopen.

“Comparable states like Michigan, Colorado, Nevada and Ohio have unveiled forward-thinking plans allowing convention centers to increase their numbers of visitors, albeit incrementally,” Feigenholtz wrote. “These mitigation plans act like a thermostat dial, rather than an on/off switch. Illinois must hastily adopt a similar strategy or more events will be in peril and perhaps even lost forever to other states.”

State Sen. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, said the governor’s lack of clarity is hurting the state’s businesses.

“It’s been made very clear that some of the convention venues, many of the restaurants, the hotel industry of course, they’re on their last breath and it seems to be falling on deaf ears,” Bryant said.

Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder said restrictions should be lifted to help towns like Springfield, which relies on tourism and conventions.

“We’re seeing cancelations already, and we’re in competition with other states but the impact here I think so far has been maybe $11 million through the economy,” Langfelder said.

Langfelder said he’d like to see a gradual reopening plan. As it is right now, Phase 4 of the governor’s plan caps gathering at 50 people. Phase 5 lifts that entirely.

The governor has said Phase 5 would come around with “herd immunity,” but hasn’t clarified.

“He talks in circles,” Bryant said. “When he says that he’s looking for herd immunity, what does that mean?”

Bryant said the governor’s lack of clarity has people moving on without him.

“We have reasonable people who live in Illinois,” Bryant said. “If the governor of our state were reasonable, if he were transparent, if he could show people a true plan, you might not have people going off on their own.”

She also urged clarity for long-term care facilities on when to allow for indoor visitors again.

Pritzker on Wednesday said “there are adjustments made all the time” to the state’s reopening plan and touted the allowance of outdoor sporting events to have 20% capacity for spectators. But, the governor said his administration continues to evaluate COVID-19 metrics and warned about COVID-19 variants. 

“It sounds a little scary,” Pritzker said. “But there is some danger.” 

The latest report from the Illinois Department of Public Health showed 88 total cases of COVID-19 variants have been reported in the state.

The state’s economy has been held back by the governor’s consecutive orders over the past 12 months. Other states are opening their economies back up while public health officials urge caution.