GENEVA—With COVID positivity rates and hospitalizations down, State Representative Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) is urging Governor Pritzker to move Illinois forward to the next phase of reopening.
Rep. Ugaste and members of the House Republican caucus wrote a letter to Governor Pritzker today urging him to reconsider the timeline he alone established in his Restore Illinois plan, something Ugaste noted was developed before much of the information we have now was unknown. For Ugaste, pushing ahead to the next phase not only makes sense based on the science, but would be a significant help to local businesses who have continued to struggle under the pandemic’s constraints.
“Governor Pritzker has utilized science to develop his recovery plan, but his reasoning is just not adding up right now,” said Rep. Ugaste. “It makes no sense to allow people in retail stores, but ban them from a restaurant. Every day that we delay moving forward, another business closes. This has a domino affect further impacting the jobs climate, unemployment, and the mental health and overall well-being of Illinois residents. We cannot afford to rely on one person’s flawed reasoning any longer.”
Rep. Ugaste has advocated for a holistic approach to restoring Illinois—taking into account the government’s response to the crisis, while considering the human toll this pandemic has taken on Illinois residents and families.
Most, if not every, other state is using a 14-day guideline to move forward, not 28 like Illinois’ plan stipulates. According to Pritzker’s Restore Illinois, the state would not move forward to Phase 4 until June 26th.
Twenty-two members of the House Republican caucus signed onto the letter that was sent to the Governor this afternoon. The full letter is here.
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