Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Pritzker on living with the virus and the potential for a return to normalcy: “We’re not going to be there until 2021″

Posted in:

Illinois

* Gov. JB Pritzker was in Quincy earlier today and was asked about past opposition to his stay at home order and how he thinks things will be different with his latest mask-wearing pitch…

As you know, the positivity rates in this area have risen, and risen and risen. And I think as there is a greater threat to people who live in this area, as they know more people who’ve gotten sick or had to go to the hospital, or even have died, I think it becomes more real for many people. There have been people who have, you know, been adamantly opposed to any rules at all about this. And then some of those people have gotten sick.

And so obviously, our message to those folks is this is not a political virus. It’s not a Red State virus or a Blue State virus. It’s not something made up by somebody for political purposes. This virus attacks anybody.

And we just have to figure out how to live with it, to make sure the fewest number of people get sick, go to the hospital, maybe die. And that’s what we’re trying to do and we need everybody’s help. You don’t have to be an activist on behalf of fighting for something that will help us, or work against us, just follow the mitigation suggestions of science, of the doctors, of really everybody standing here, you know, keep social distance.

We don’t have to do this forever. You’ve seen there’s progress on vaccines and treatments. And you know, we’re not there yet. We’re not there yet. And frankly, we’re not going to be there until 2021, in my humble opinion. I’m not a doctor, but that’s what my observation is, that we’re not going to be able to take off the mask and go about everything we were doing seven, eight months ago for a few more months, maybe six plus months.

So let’s all work together on this. That’s my message to all those folks. I’m sorry that they have decided to personalize it.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 12:20 pm

Comments

Any evidence Friday’s “Working the Refs” had any effect? /s

Comment by Anyone Remember Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 12:24 pm
Good choice of words and tone.

Comment by mrp Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 12:32 pm
I didn’t see any $’s for states in the latest stimulus package. Is that down the road?

Comment by Blue Dog Dem Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 12:39 pm
BDD: From what I’ve seen the Senate package has money for K12 and higher ed. House package has more money for states. Guess the final will be a compromise between the two, hopefully.

Comment by Just A Dude Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 12:48 pm
That is what I like a leader to do, deliver an honest assessment. Not fun to deliver bad news, but he was honest with his assessment.

Comment by No One Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 12:54 pm
If Democrats have their way we will be under a lockdown forever. Except if you protesting for BLM with no masks that is okay. Wonder why positive rates are going up hmmm.

Comment by The Dust Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 1:09 pm
=== their way we will be under a lockdown forever. Except if you protesting for BLM with no masks that is okay.===

Facebook… down the dial a bit, hang a Right

===Wonder why positive rates are going up hmmm.===

Explain Florida, Arizona, Texas… hot beds of BLM?

C’mon, don’t cut and paste silly theories.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 1:12 pm
thanks Dude.

Comment by Blue Dog Dem Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 1:17 pm
The Dust…That’s funny. All the BLM protests seem to have more masks than not. All of the government tyranny protests have no masks and militia types openly carrying weapons with next to no interference from police. Also lots and lots of pictures of young white folks on beaches and crowding restaurants and bars with no masks. And then there are those Trump rallies, in stadiums, gloating about not being forced to wear masks but waiving any liability for people who catch the virus there. Hmmmm….nice try.

Comment by Sideline Watcher Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 1:19 pm
==If Democrats have their way we will be under a lockdown forever==

Oh please. Grow the heck up and stop your heavy mouth breathing (I would say through your mask but there’s no way in heck a mental giant like yourself wears a mask).

Comment by Demoralized Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 1:25 pm
=== Except if you protesting for BLM with no masks that is okay. Wonder why positive rates are going up ===

Yeah, lots of BLM protests in Quincy.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 1:28 pm
We’re not even in lockdown. And places with very large protests of BLM like MN and NY have not had big bumps. An awful lot of the protestors had masks and many others probably had already had it and recently recovered so not a threat for either giving or catching there.

At this point in time, I can go out and do anything I did prior to the shutdown in March. Of course, I’m not reckless and thus don’t want to do some of that stuff, but I can. We’ll only get locked down again if we are reckless and do not act in each other’s best interests.

Comment by cermak_rd Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 1:28 pm
Good message and tone. Ill put a mask on and stay away from crowds. You do same. Band together and lets try and pull through all of this.

Comment by 44th Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 1:52 pm
Ever since the Governor realigned the regions and established the Tier 1/2/3 metrics system on July 14, I’ve been confused about how the new Tier system aligns with the earlier Phase metrics (which we have been on an IMO misguided Phase 4 since June 26). Maybe Rich and/or any of you could help clarify.

Tier metrics from IDPH’s page: https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/restore-illinois-mitigation-plan

IMO Tier 1 resembles like a “Phase 3.5″ in the pre-July 14 system; Tier 2 like PHase 2 in May; and Tier 3 like Phase 1 until Apr. 30.

Is IDPH using both the Phase and Tier metrics? Or has Tier 1, 2, and 3 replaced only PHases 1-4? Since Phase 5 requires a vaccine–which even then might not help stop the virus.

Comment by Chatham Resident Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 3:26 pm
Just over this past weekend at least 8 different restaurants in Bloomington-Normal announced they are temporarily closing due to COVID.

This is on top of the restaurants already permanently closed and this is after a few restaurants that previously announced they had COVID scares among employees said they were able to re-open.

Is this same thing happening pretty much everywhere in the state or unique to B-N?

Comment by hisgirlfriday Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 3:38 pm
==This is on top of the restaurants already permanently closed==

Speaking of restaurant permanent closures, has Boone’s Saloon in the Capitol Complex in Springfield been totally closed, or just remodeling? It doesn’t even look like (from what I’ve seen to/from work) they’re even open for any sort of dining (in person or takeout). But it also looks like some renovations are occurring. In recent weeks the place has looked totally empty, even in the afternoons.

Comment by Chatham Resident Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 3:43 pm
Fascinating to watch the state GOP permanently destroy any chance they had of getting suburban moms back as voters. The lack of support for schools and working parents, combined with the idiot insistence that we all put our children at risk by repealing mask mandates and making kids go to school — like, where is the coalition for this? Who supports it other than the Eastern Bloc types? What is the plan for statewide relevance?

I’m already getting targeted ads telling me to vote GOP instead of “for Madigan” but given a choice between corruption and people who literally want to put my children at risk of death, I’m obviously going to choose corruption. Why are they even spending the money when they have no Covid plan other than “pretend it doesn’t exist, and hope parents don’t notice when teachers and students start dying”?

Comment by Suburban Mom Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 4:07 pm
Pritzker is an optimist; I don’t expect normalcy to return until 2025.

Comment by Angry Republican Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 4:12 pm
I appreciate the candor the Gov said in openly stating normal won’t happen until 2021. Shouldn’t be a surprise especially at this point.
Large Tech and some large non-Tech companies are saying employees won’t return to the office until 2H 2021. Telling but not surprising.

Comment by 1st Ward Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 4:16 pm
=== If Democrats have their way we will be under a lockdown forever ===

Everyone knows Democrats hate drinking beer in bars, going to Starbucks and sushi restaurants, and hanging out at the beach.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 4:26 pm
=== If Democrats have their way we will be under a lockdown forever ===

If that was the case maybe SOS might have re-thought their big reopening plan earlier this summer with all employees returning to work (with no more remote options) while other constitutionals wouldn’t have gone that far. (Or perhaps a phased-in return of only a few days a week in office, or alternating day work schedules)

And the ALPLM and State Museum would have waited a little longer–perhaps into 2021–to reopen to the public.

Comment by Just Wondering Monday, Jul 27, 20 @ 6:03 pm
==is this same thing happening pretty much everywhere==

I think so. Jacksonville had 2 bars and a WalMart with employees testing positive just this weekend. Winchester (Scott County, the last holdout) went from 1 to 6 with cases pending in 3 days. Supposedly tracing back to one girl in her 20’s that went to the Ozarks. Not surprising as not even WalMart is enforcing their own mask mandate. The real irony on that is, the WM employees were from the online department. So, the people trying to avoid the risk are the ones at risk.

Comment by Nope18 Tuesday, Jul 28, 20 @ 3:10 am
==maybe the SOS would have rethought thrid big opening==

I dont think the SOS had much of a choice since everything they handle is on a timeline and can be chargeable offenses to let expire. Besides vehicles and licenses, theh also have to do the voter registration and of the vote by mail order is stuff the SOS has to do, not the SBE. They are definitely the martyr agency for Illinois.

Comment by Nope18 Tuesday, Jul 28, 20 @ 3:15 am