CAPITOL RECAP: Governor has plan to ‘restore’ Illinois, but warns it will take some time

Hundreds of people rally Friday, May 1, in front of the state Capitol in Springfield demanding Gov. JB Pritzker end his stay-at-home order and "reopen" Illinois for business amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Peter Hancock)

Thursday, May 7, 2020

UPDATED Thursday, May 7

By Capitol News Illinois

SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker unveiled a plan Tuesday, May 5, for the gradual reopening of the state’s economy on a region-by-region basis, but he suggested it could take several months or even a year before the state fully reopens.

“Until we have a vaccine or an effective treatment or enough widespread immunity that new cases fail to materialize, the option of returning to normalcy doesn’t exist,” Pritzker said during his daily briefing in Chicago. “That means we have to learn how to live with COVID-19 until it can be vanquished.”

Pritzker outlined the “Restore Illinois” plan that divides the state into four regions and lays out the criteria for each one to move through five stages of reopening.

The four regions are drawn around the Illinois Department of Public Health’s emergency medical service regions. They include a northeast region, primarily Chicago and its surrounding suburbs; a north-central region; a central region; and a southern region.

The first phase, known as the “Rapid Spread”, is what all of Illinois was in from mid-March through the end of April. During that phase, a strict stay-at-home order and social distancing guidelines are put in place and only essential businesses remain open.

Beginning May 1, all of Illinois moved into the second phase, “Flattening,” in which the rate of infection among those tested and the number of patients admitted to hospital and ICU beds increases at a slower rate. Illinoisans are directed to wear face coverings when outside the home, and limited outdoor activities like golf, boating and fishing are allowed while observing social distancing guidelines.

Once a region’s infection rates and hospitalization usage begin to stabilize or decline, it can enter the third phase, “Recovery,” in which face coverings and social distancing will still be the norm. But manufacturing, offices, retail, barbershops and salons may reopen to the public, provided they comply with capacity limits and other safety precautions mandated by IDPH. People will also be allowed to gather in public in groups of 10 or fewer.

Once a region reaches the point when 20 percent or fewer of people tested are positive for the disease and the hospitalization rate remains stable or declines over a period of 28 days, it can enter the fourth phase, “Revitalization,” in which public gatherings of up to 50 people are allowed, bars and restaurants reopen, travel resumes and child care and schools can reopen under guidance from IDPH. But face coverings and social distancing will remain the norm during that phase.

The earliest that could happen for any region would be May 29, Pritzker said.

The final phase, “Illinois Restored,” will occur only when a vaccine or highly effective treatment is widely available, or there are no new cases reported over a sustained period. Only at that point will a region’s economy fully reopen, including public festivals and large gatherings, businesses and schools, although safety precautions will continue.

* * *

REPUBLICANS’ RESPONSE: Republican members of the Illinois House of Representatives on Wednesday, May 5, criticized Gov. JB Pritzker’s multi-phase plan to reopen Illinois by region, saying it does not act quickly enough to respond to the economic hardship caused by his stay-at-home order.

“We all know that the stay-at-home order was the right thing to do to stop the spread of the virus and protect our health care,” said Deputy House Minority Leader Rep. Dan Brady, of Normal.

“Unfortunately, the governor’s plan fails to recognize that local officials throughout the state want the same thing he does: a safe return from the pandemic,” Brady said. “Instead of offering any semblance of local authority to the people who are on the ground in the community, it continues to be a decree by one person.”

“The science can’t precisely tell us which region should be grouped with another region or how small or how large those regions should be,” argued Deputy Minority Leader Rep. Tom Demmer, of Dixon. “The science can’t definitively tell us when it’s safe to move from one step to another step.”

“And when we have that level of complexity, we need to have input from a wide variety of stakeholders to try to make the best decisions possible,” Demmer added. “We also have to consider the very real impact this is having on economies, on livelihoods and on people’s lives all across the state of Illinois.”

“Quite frankly this will force bankruptcy and the permanent closure of large and small restaurants throughout the state of Illinois,” said House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, of Western Springs. “This plan does not work.”

Durkin said business owners have been contacting him at a “rapid pace” since the reopening announcement, “all with the same feeling of despair and devastation.”

* * *

CORONAVIRUS CASES & DEATHS: The Illinois Department of Public Health on Wednesday, May 5, reported the virus has now sickened 68,232 residents and is linked to 2,974 deaths. In the past 24 hours, 136 COVID-19-related deaths and 2,270 more confirmed cases were reported.

Hospitalization figures, which are reported daily by the various regions, have remained in a relative plateau for about a month. As of midnight, there were 4,832 COVID-19-positive individuals hospitalized, 1,231 in intensive care units and 780 on ventilators statewide.

There were 14,974 people tested in the past 24 hours, making for a 15.2 positivity rate.

A positivity rate below 20 percent for 14 straight days is a precondition in Pritzker’s plan before any region can move from phase two, or the “flattening” phase the state is currently in, to phase three, in which barbershops, salons and other select businesses can reopen and gatherings of up to 10 people can resume.  

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ECONOMIC INSECURITY: Small business owners and employees face an uncertain near future, Republicans said, especially as many are still not able to access unemployment benefits through the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

“These people are facing a tremendous stress and (are) really unsure about how they’re going to make necessary payments for their rent, their food, their mortgage, their medicine,” said Rep. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria.

Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville, said one constituent told her she called IDES 157 times before finally getting through.

“This is really a broken, broken system,” Bourne said.

Despite frustrations, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, stressed that “The executive order right now is the law of Illinois. And I would not encourage anybody to break the law” by reopening their business.

Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday acknowledged the difficulty that some have had applying for unemployment. He added that he will have a “complete presentation” on the state of unemployment later this week “so people can see what’s being done.”

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REPUBLICANS READY TO RETURN: House Republicans on Wednesday, May 6, challenged Gov. JB Pritzker’s executive authority during the COVID-19 crisis, saying that executive action during the state of emergency should be temporary and that long-term plans like one to reopen the state should be decided by the Legislature.

“This plan presumes that the governor shall rule the state for the upcoming months, and possibly much longer, if the vaccination is not available,” House Minority Leader Jim Durkin said, stressing the Legislature is a “coequal” branch of government.

“I did not abdicate nor relinquish my elected responsibilities to the executive branch,” he said.

Durkin called on House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat who sets the chamber’s calendar, to bring lawmakers back into session.

“We must return to Springfield immediately and not for just a few days at the end of the month,” Durkin said.

He added that lawmakers do not have to convene at the Capitol, and instead can hold session in Springfield’s downtown convention center or a large auditorium in the city where they can be socially distanced.

In a statement Wednesday, Madigan did not offer any specifics on a potential return.

“While I am eager to see a return to normalcy, we are talking about people’s lives, and any plan for a return to Springfield must have the health and safety of all those involved as a top priority, including the communities the members represent,” he said in part.

Durkin also said he wants the Legislature to work on non-coronavirus issues like ethics reform and property taxes, which “we cannot just do in 48 hours at the end of May that many people have speculated about.”

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LAWMAKERS RETURNING?: Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday, May 5, said the General Assembly might begin meeting before the end of May to address a handful of critical issues, including the state budget.

According to the latest revenue reports, lawmakers might have a bigger budget hole to fill when they return than was initially feared.

The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, or CoGFA, reported that base revenues in April came in $2.6 billion lower than the same month last year, largely because the state pushed the income tax filing deadline from April 15 to July 15. CoGFA also reported that total revenues so far this year are now $1 billion below last year’s level, with two months remaining in the fiscal year.

In mid-April, Pritzker said Illinois would likely come up $2.7 billion short in the current fiscal year, and $6.2 billion short in the fiscal year that begins July 1. Those were based on estimates from the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, which works closely with CoGFA. But CoGFA said it will be “recalibrating” its estimates over the coming days.

Asked when he plans to release concrete details of the budget adjustments he will recommend, Pritzker said he is working with members of the General Assembly.

“I know they have plans, thinking about getting together in May, and so my hope is that we’ll be able to work together on a budget for the year,” he said. “This is clearly the most unusual budget that anybody will have ever seen, because who has ever seen — at least in our lifetimes — the drop-off of revenue because of a pandemic? And so there’s no doubt there’s going to have to be a lot of collaboration, even across the aisle, to get things done.”

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BAILEY LAWSUIT: At state Rep. Darren Bailey’s request, an appeals court has undone a judge’s order releasing him from Illinois’ stay-at-home restriction.

Bailey’s attorney, Thomas DeVore, said in an interview Friday, May 1, that with newly-uncovered information strengthening their allegation that Gov. JB Pritzker overstepped his authority, there are “bigger fish to fry right now than my client being the only one in the state not under this order.”

The document he is referring to is guidance from the governor’s office and Illinois Department of Public Health detailing how stay-at-home restrictions are to be enforced.

“If you do not adhere to these Executive Orders, the Illinois Department of Public Health and Certified Local Health Departments have the authority” to require residents and businesses to comply, and it cites the statute creating the department.

According to law, if public health officials believe a person is a “danger to the public health,” they may quarantine or isolate that person “to prevent the probable spread of a dangerously contagious or infectious disease.”

That cannot be implemented, though, without the resident’s consent or a court order issued within 48 hours. The burden of proof to get a judge to sign off is significant — among other things, the department would need to prove that the community’s health is “significantly endangered” by the person it seeks to quarantine.

Those rules also apply to businesses the IDPH might seek to close due to health concerns.

“Local health departments got that letter,” DeVore said. “Why did our citizens not get this letter advising them of their rights to due process?”

DeVore is alleging Pritzker does not have the authority to enforce his stay-at-home restrictions because that power rests with the state and local health departments. He is also alleging that if the state is using the law dictating how the Illinois Department of Public Health enforces the restrictions, it should follow the procedure outlined.

Bailey’s case was sent back to Clay County Circuit Court on Friday.

* * *

SECOND LAWMAKER SUES: A second Republican state representative on Wednesday, April 29, filed a lawsuit against Gov. JB Pritzker alleging he overstepped his authority in ordering Illinoisans to stay at home to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The outcome of Machesney Park Rep. John Cabello’s case could affect all state residents, as Cabello filed the suit in Winnebago County on behalf of himself and “all citizens of the state of Illinois similarly situated.”

Illinoisans’ right to “free movement” — to leave their homes and shop at a local business, for example — were “arbitrarily stripped away from them” by Pritzker’s implementation of the stay-at-home restriction, Cabello alleges.

That order, initially instituted on March 20 and extended through the end of May, “could continue into perpetuity as (Pritzker) solely determines, all without due process of law,” according to the court filing.

“No one has that authority — nobody, not the governor, not the president,” Cabello’s attorney, Thomas DeVore, said Wednesday in a phone interview. “That is the stuff of kings centuries ago. It is unconstitutional.”

DeVore is also representing Rep. Darren Bailey, a Republican from Xenia, in a similar case.

* * *

STAY-AT-HOME ORDER: Beginning Friday, May 1, the governor’s new executive order eased a number of restrictions put in place over the past two months.

Retail stores can begin taking online orders and offering pick-up services, state parks and golf courses can reopen and elective surgeries can be scheduled. All reintroduced actions are subject to social distancing and other guidance issued by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Also, adults, children over the age of 2 and all other residents medically able to wear a face covering must do so in places social distancing is not possible starting Friday.

“All these changes present a shift in our approach to COVID-19, a shift made possible by the millions of Illinoisans who have stepped up by staying home and keeping each other safe,” Pritzker said Thursday at his daily coronavirus briefing in Chicago.

His new order, he added, takes into account “that different areas of the state require different rules during this time.” Elective surgeries, for example, are “much more available” in areas of Illinois outside the Chicago metropolitan area.

The state is “staying the course of making sure that we’re keeping an eye on the health and safety of every Illinoisan, wherever they live,” the governor said.

* * *

CONGREGATE SETTINGS: At A briefing Wednesday, state officials faced questions as to how congregate settings would play into the reopening phases, as some communities with nursing homes or prisons are seeing elevated deaths and cases focused mainly in those facilities.

“Even if you were to keep everybody in a nursing facility that’s a resident … you have staff coming in and out literally every day, multiple shifts,” Gov. JB Pritzker said. “Many of those people live in the areas that those nursing homes and prisons exist and so I don’t think people should ignore the idea that there’s an infection in one of these congregate settings, thinking that it doesn’t have any effect on the community, so no, we’re not ignoring those.”

Pritzker said his plan does not consider when nursing homes can reopen to allow regular visits with family members.

“Nothing in this situation has changed to decrease the risk for that most vulnerable population,” Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said. “When there is a game changer, when there is a treatment that would be able to counter the devastation that we have seen thus far in our long-term care facilities, we can think about loosening (restrictions).”

Ezike said that “almost 90 percent” of fatalities counted in Illinois have had “an associated comorbidity” or other risk factor such as advanced age, mirroring worldwide data. 

* * *

COVID-19 RACIAL DISPARITIES: The novel coronavirus has proved more prevalent and deadlier in communities of color, Gov. JB Pritzker said Wednesday, May 5.

“Because of decades of disparities in health care access and delivery, we’ve seen the worst effects of this pandemic fall disproportionately upon the backs of communities of color in our state,” he said. “That’s especially true in our black communities, our Native American communities and our Latinx communities.”

Pritzker said those who identified as Latinx on a state survey of people tested had a COVID-19 positivity rate five times higher than the state’s average. Of the residents who have been tested, about half completed their demographic information. Of those, 7.6 percent – or 26,000 – identified as Hispanic, and 60 percent of them – nearly 16,000 – tested positive for the virus.

The Pritzker administration “has made it a priority” to partner with testing facilities across the state in areas where the population is most at risk, he said.

“Decades of institutional inequities and obstacles for members of our Latinx communities are now amplified in this pandemic, and while we can’

Each of the seven state-run drive-thru facilities offers language services, and other testing sites located in Latinx communities were chosen based on their emphasis on accessibility.

* * *

HEALTH  CARE ASSOCIATIONS: The novel coronavirus pandemic’s historic impact on Illinois warrants Gov. JB Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, four state health care advocacy organizations argue in a court filing.

That restriction, in place with modifications since March 21, prevented the accelerated spreading of COVID-19, health care facilities from using up stores of personal protective gear, hospitals from running out of beds and the short-staffing of personnel, attorneys for the organizations wrote.

At each step of the lawsuit filed by Xenia Republican Rep. Darren Bailey challenging Pritzker’s authority to issue successive 30-day disaster proclamations, the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, Illinois State Medical Society, Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing and the state’s chapter of the American Nurses Association have submitted their argument in support of the governor.

The novel coronavirus is not restricted to any one region of the state nor does it adhere to the 30-day timeline the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act references, the groups wrote.

Dr. Michael Wahl, medical director of the Health and Hospital Association, testified that without the stay-at-home order, the financial cost and public burden of COVID-19 would have been “catastrophic.”

And the impact of lifting the stay-at-home order, according to the filing, “cannot be overstated: There will be a resurgence of the virus that will have devastating, widespread, and long-lasting effects” once Illinois’ hospitals are overrun with cases.

Hospitals, assisted living facilities and other health care centers would be unable to restock gowns, gloves, masks and other personal protective gear “at a time when the ability to rapidly replenish such supplies is unavailable,” according to the court filing.

* * *

COVID-19 HOSPITALIZATIONS: Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday, May 4, noted that health department data shows the state is making progress on hospitalizations and ventilator use. The number of people hospitalized in Illinois with COVID-19 peaked at 5,036 on April 28, according to IDPH data, and dipped to 4,493 on Monday – the lowest total since April 18.

Additionally, the percentage of intensive care unit beds occupied by COVID-19 patients has decreased from 40 percent on April 19 to 33 percent on Monday. That is due in large part to an increase of more than 500 available beds during that span, as the COVID-19 ICU patients on April 19 numbered 1,239 as opposed to 1,232 Monday. The highest ICU hospitalization number thus far was 1,290 on April 28.

On April 6, 29 percent of ventilators were in use by COVID-19 patients as opposed to 22 percent Monday, although capacity grew by more than 500 ventilators over that span. There were 763 ventilators in use by COVID-19 patients Monday, which remained well within the daily average of the past month.

* * *

REGIONAL CAPACITY & TESTING: Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday, May 4, laid out hospital capacity in the state’s various medical regions – an indicator he said he uses to inform his decisions as to when to reopen certain sectors of the economy.

There were 86 ICU beds, or 51.5 percent, available in the Rockford region as of midnight; 40.2 percent or 101 beds in the Peoria region; 54.3 percent or 82 beds in the Springfield region; 27.5 percent or 25 beds in the Edwardsville region; 27.5 percent or 41 beds in the Marion region; and 44.9 percent or 62 beds in the Champaign region.

In Cook and the collar counties, available beds ranged from 11 to 18 percent, except in the northwest suburbs, where 38.3 percent of beds were available.

Pritzker said areas that don’t have many beds are of particular concern when considering economic plans.

“If there’s a significant spike in that area, 25 is not a big number,” he said. “And so what we want to make sure is that we were able to handle a spike, because that’s what you know potentially could occur if we reopen things too fast.”

* * *

CHURCH LAWSUIT: Attorneys for a northwest Illinois church said Monday, May 4, that they have appealed a federal judge’s ruling that upheld Gov. JB Pritzker’s stay-at-home order as it applies to worship services.

The announcement came one day after U.S. District Judge John Z. Lee ruled against a petition by Beloved Church in Lena and its pastor, Stephen Cassell, to block the order, saying the public interest in preventing the spread of COVID-19 outweighed their First Amendment right to hold a public service with large numbers of people.

“Governor Pritzker’s arbitrary 10-person limit applies only to churches but not to the many other businesses open in Illinois today, from liquor stores to lawyers to pet groomers,” Peter Breen, vice president and senior counsel for the Thomas More Society, which represents the church, said in a statement late Monday. “Our Constitution requires that churches receive at least equal treatment as any secular enterprise.

Pritzker’s latest threat of jail for people of faith is outrageous, and we will seek immediate relief from the court of appeals to defend our clients.”

In his ruling Sunday, May 3, Lee acknowledged that freedom of religion is a fundamental right, “[b]ut even the foundational rights secured by the First Amendment are not without limits; they are subject to restriction if necessary to further compelling government interests — and, certainly, the prevention of mass infections and deaths qualifies,” Lee wrote. “After all, without life, there can be no liberty or pursuit of happiness.”

Under a revised stay-at-home order, churches may hold public services in groups of 10 or fewer as long as they follow social distancing requirements. Despite that, the church reportedly held its regular service on Sunday. WREX-TV in Rockford reported that a public relations firm representing the church said churchgoers were provided hand sanitizer and family units were spaced 6 feet apart.

* * *

ENFORCING THE ORDER: Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday, May 4, said while he is concerned that large gatherings – such as one reported at the Beloved Church in Lena over the weekend – will lead to spikes in cases of the virus, his priority is to still have local authorities enforce the stay-at-home order. A federal judge ruled this weekend that Pritzker did not overstep his authority in applying the order to churches in limiting worship to 10 or fewer people.

“We have always asked local law enforcement local officials to enforce these orders,” Pritzker said. “And the best way to do that of course is a reminder to the pastor and to the parishioners that they’re putting themselves and others in danger by holding a service like this.”

He added that the priority is to disburse the crowds.

“It’s not an intention that people will go to jail,” he said. “I will say, however, that if people are persistently defiant, they can be put in jail. And I’m not suggesting that that’s the best answer (or) the first answer, but it is something that’s an option for local law enforcement.”

Pritzker also discouraged Illinoisans from going to Indiana or elsewhere to utilize services that have opened there but not here, but he acknowledged “people are free to do what they want.”

* * *

FUTURE FEDERAL FUNDING: President Donald Trump has hinted that future coronavirus aid to states could hinge on states’ actions regarding other matters, such as cracking down on sanctuary cities.

“I don’t know whether there will be strings attached,” Gov. JB Pritzker said Sunday, May 3, in an appearance on CBS’s “Face The Nation.” “I hope there aren’t too many because the fact is every state has a problem and it’s different in every state where they need to put the dollars. So putting more strings on it makes it much more difficult for us to move forward to get our economies going.”

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, a Democrat from Oak Park, asked the state’s federal lawmakers in April to consider giving more than $41 billion in funding to the state as part of the next coronavirus relief package, including $10 billion to stabilize Illinois’ underfunded pension system.

Pritzker said in his Sunday briefing that he is leaving negotiations on future aid up to Illinois’ federal representatives, but he added that “we should try to leave politics out of this and instead look at what the damage is that’s been done to all the states –  those who are represented by Republicans, those who are represented by Democrats –  and try to help them, all of us, fill the hole that’s been made by coronavirus.”

* * *

U.S. CENSUS: Gov. JB Pritzker on Sunday, May 3, reminded Illinoisans to fill out the U.S. Census forms that arrived in their mailboxes in April. According to the latest data from the Census Bureau, 61.6 percent of Illinoisans have responded to this year’s census.

“I want to encourage everyone to do their part in ensuring you and all Illinoisans get your fair share of federal funding and are fully represented,” Pritzker said, stressing that federal dollars given to states are often based on population counts.

Illinois’ response rate to the census ranks ninth in the nation and is above the national average of 56.3 percent. The state’s response rate during the previous census in 2010 was 70.5 percent.

Census forms can be filled out online at 2020census.gov.

* * *

CASHING STIMULUS CHECKS: Gov. JB Pritzker on Sunday, May 3, announced a partnership between the Illinois Department and Professional Regulation and some Illinois banks, which will allow non-customers to cash federal stimulus checks without a fee.

“One in five Illinois households are under or unbanked,” Pritzker said. “Many will receive paper stimulus checks.”

Pritzker said partner institutions include Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, US Bank, Fifth Third Bank and First Midwest Bank. Others might join them in the future, he said.

“I want everyone who’s receiving a check to get its full value, so seek out these partner institutions to cash your check because they will not charge you anything,” he said.

* * *

STATE’S R-NAUGHT: The state’s R-naught number, which characterizes a disease’s infectiousness by tracking how many people one carrier spreads it to, is roughly 1.2 at the moment, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said Saturday, May 2. That’s down from higher than three, and Pritzker has said a goal is to get the number below one.

“The point is that it definitely came down,” Ezike said. “Again, thanks to the mitigation strategies because people work so hard to stay at home and to help limit the transmission of this virus. And so we’re very proud that it came down. And, you know, we hope that it’s not going to see a significant rise as people, if people change their behavior.”

* * *

CONTRACT TRACING: The state of Illinois is about to hire hundreds of people to embark on a massive contact-tracing project to identify people who might have been exposed to COVID-19.

That effort, Gov. JB Pritzker said, will help Illinois move away from a stay-at-home order. Pritzker said during his daily news briefing Friday, May 1, in Chicago that contact tracing has been part of the public health system’s response to every major disease outbreak and pandemic, including the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, but expanding that effort will be a critical step before Illinois reopens its economy.

“The difference now is that in order to move safely back toward normalcy, Illinois, the United States and frankly the whole world must contact-trace on a never-before-seen scale,” Pritzker said. “Contact tracing has played a role in our COVID-19 response since the earliest days of this pandemic as local health departments around the state have aggressively sought out each COVID-positive person to identify all their close contacts and then encouraging those contacts to opt into monitoring programs, and to follow recommendations.”

Contact tracing is the process of identifying people who have come into contact with someone who tests positive for the disease to notify them that they could become ill so they can take necessary precautions to prevent spreading the disease further.

Pritzker said that based on the state’s population, the effort in Illinois will likely have to be about twice that of a similar program in Massachusetts, which hired about 1,000 workers and is spending about $40 million. Massachusetts has a population of roughly 6.9 million people, while Illinois has about 12.7 million residents.

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PROTESTS IN SPRINGFIELD, CHICAGO: As the new stay-at-home order took effect Friday, May 1, large protests were staged in Springfield and Chicago by people calling for an end to the restriction. In Springfield, many of the protesters carried signs supporting President Donald Trump and other signs that read “Fire Pritzker.”

Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune on Friday reported the results of a statewide survey that found 69 percent of respondents approved of Pritzker’s handling of the outbreak, while only 14 percent disapproved. The survey of 596 Illinois residents was conducted by Harvard, Rutgers and Northwestern universities had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

“So, let me begin just by saying that there are a few hundred protesters today, both here and in Springfield, and they’re exercising the right to free speech and I’ll defend to the death the right to exercise that right, even when they’re wrong,” Pritzker said when asked about the protests during his briefing in Chicago. “But I’d like to call everyone’s attention to the millions of Illinoisans who are staying at home and helping to keep people safe and healthy. They’re the ones who deserve to be commended today.”

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