Dupage Policy Journal

Illinois congressional candidate Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) is imploring Gov. J.B. Pritzker to follow the research when it comes to where the state economy should go from here.

“Illinois needs to open up based on local recommendations, and following the guidelines set up by the president and his team of economic and health care advisors,” Ives, running against U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-Downers Grove) in the 6th Congressional District, told the DuPage Policy Journal. “The economic shutdown will have a permanent negative consequence and many businesses will not survive, leaving thousands of Illinoisans out of work. We can do both – open up economic activity and protect those most at risk.”

Since Pritzker moved to impose the stay-at-home order that caused many businesses across the state to shutter in hopes of slowing the spread of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, the state has seen its unemployment rate spike to nearly 5 percent and rising. With a new Coronavirus Small Business Survey by WalletHub showing that in the neighborhood of 87 percent of all small businesses across the country say that they’ve been negatively impacted by the pandemic and more than one of every three adding that they can only survive for a few weeks more under current conditions, President Donald Trump is now pushing a May 1 relaunch for economies not as impacted by the pandemic as others.

“Nationwide, we need to continue to test and track the virus and keep our health care system well supplied with medicine and equipment necessary to combat the pandemic,” Ives said.

Up until now, Pritzker has not publicly indicated what he plans to do regarding the May 1 target date, though he recently announced that Illinois has joined in partnership with six other neighboring states to restart the region’s economy in a phased alliance.