SPRINGFIELD  – Gov. JB Pritzker said Wednesday, June 10, that Illinois is on pace to enter the next phase of reopening after COVID-19-related shutdowns later this month, and added he doesn’t expect a second surge of the virus in the fall as long as safety guidelines are followed.

“If you go to the (Illinois Department of Public Health) website you’ll see that every one of the metrics, every one of the metrics by which the epidemiologists say we should be measuring our progress is going in the right direction,” the governor said. “Every one of them, and it’s because of what everybody has done across the state.”

Speaking at an appearance in Moline, he said that while his was “not an epidemiological opinion,” he said “we shouldn’t have a second spike” as long as face covering, social distancing and other rules are followed. 

“Now we know what the mitigations are that we can put in place,” he said. “We know how to manage through, making sure that our health care system doesn’t get overwhelmed. But I pray, and I think we should all pray, that the fall doesn’t bring the kind of spike that some people expect. But we are much better prepared for that now than we were a few months ago when this first hit.”

Under the current schedule, the state could enter Phase 4 as early as June 26. During that phase, gatherings of 50 or fewer people would be allowed; all health care providers would open; public schools, higher education, summer programs and child care would be allowed to resume under safety guidelines; all outdoor recreation would be allowed; and all barbershops, salons, spas and health and fitness clubs would be allowed to open with capacity limits and IDPH-approved safety guidance.

Bars and restaurants, which are currently restricted to outdoor seating, carryout or delivery service, would be allowed to reopen with capacity limits and other safety guidelines.

COVID-19 HEALTH STATISTICS: The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 766 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease Thursday, June 11, along with 91 additional deaths.

The new cases were a slight uptick from the number announced Wednesday, but the number was still far off the highs of April and May and represented the sixth straight day of fewer than 1,000 new cases. The low count comes despite a continued high volume of completed tests, with 22,325 test results reported Thursday.

That made for a one-day positivity rate of 3.4 percent, while the preliminary seven-day statewide positivity rate from June 4-10 is 4 percent.

IDPH has reported a total of 130,603 cases in Illinois in 101 counties, including 6,185 deaths since the pandemic began. There have been more than 1.1 million tests completed.

The numbers for persons hospitalized due to COVID-19 as of midnight Thursday were all at their lowest amounts since the state began reporting them daily on April 12. There were 2,365 hospital beds in use by COVID-19 patients. Of those, 638 were intensive care unit beds and there were 379 ventilators in use.

There have been fewer than 1,000 ICU beds in use each day since May 28, fewer than 3,000 total beds in use each day since June 3, and fewer than 500 ventilators in use each day since June 4.

REPUBLICANS’ REQUEST: On Wednesday, June 10, Illinois Senate Republicans sent a letter to Pritzker raising concerns about the continued delay for some sectors of the economy as neighboring states reopen more quickly. They requested the governor employ a 14-day timeline in measuring reopening metrics as opposed to the current 28-day timeline, and they said current hospitalization and positivity rate trends demonstrate Illinois can move forward quicker.

“Illinois remains one of the most restrictive states in the nation,” the Republican senators wrote. “Illinois restaurants, unlike those in neighboring and Midwestern states, will still need to wait weeks before in-person dining could even be considered. Gyms in Illinois remain shuttered and pools are only open for limited activities.”

They asked the governor to accept their suggested changes that would move Illinois into Phase 4 on June 12.

BUDGET SIGNED: Gov. JB Pritzker signed a state budget for fiscal year 2021 on Wednesday, June 10, but there is no more financial clarity now than there was when lawmakers passed the measure last month.

The $42.9 billion operating budget relies upon borrowing up to $5 billion from the federal government, which would be necessary if Congress does not pass any laws providing extra funding for states amid revenue shortfalls stemming from the novel coronavirus pandemic. The budget includes repayment of $1.6 billion in borrowing to cover shortfalls in the current fiscal year budget due to the pandemic.

According to the May report of the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, or CoGFA, the revenue estimates for the upcoming fiscal year beginning July 1 are $37.6 billion if a graduated income tax constitutional amendment passes. That figure drops to $36.4 billion if voters do not approve the change to Illinois’ tax structure.

If voters approve the graduated income tax amendment in November, the rates — which would shift to charge those earning more than $250,000 annually a higher income tax rate — are estimated to generate about $1.2 billion, according to CoGFA. If the public health crisis had not hit, that number would be $286 million higher.

Sales tax estimates were revised downward from March to May by nearly $1.5 billion, to $7.5 billion total for fiscal year 2021.

In a press release, the governor’s office emphasized that the spending plan “maintains funding for critical programs, such as education, health care and human services.”

Funding will remain level from the current year for K-12 education, community colleges and public universities.

ABORTION LAW CHALLENGED: Insurance provisions of Illinois’ reproductive health care law violates residents’ religious freedoms, a coalition of Baptist churches and two state businesses allege in a circuit court lawsuit filed Wednesday, June 10.

The Reproductive Health Act, signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker almost one year ago, overhauled Illinois’ health care law. It enshrines access to pregnancy care, contraception, birth control, abortion procedures and other related benefits as a fundamental right, meaning no level of government in the state can infringe upon a person’s access to those services.

In its lawsuit, the Thomas More Society, a Chicago law firm that focuses on defending religious rights, took issue with the statute’s insurance mandate — that private insurance companies regulated by Illinois must cover abortions if they also cover pregnancy-related benefits.

By enforcing that provision, the state Department of Insurance has “refused to protect (Illinoisans’) sincerely held religious beliefs,” according to a news release.

The Illinois Baptist State Association, dental office Southland Smiles Ltd. In Cook County, and trucking company Rock River Cartage Inc., in Whiteside County, are asking a judge to rule the Reproductive Health Act “unlawful, invalid, unenforceable, null and void,” according to the filing. They also want to be reimbursed for the cost of filing the case and attorney fees.

Those groups adhered with the law since Pritzker signed it and it became immediately effective on June 12, 2019. But, their attorney wrote, they did so “against their will” given the Reproductive Health Act “creates government-imposed coercive pressure on (the parties) to change or violate their religious beliefs.”

INSURANCE CLAIMS: Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Insurance are calling on insurers to expedite claims and payments to businesses hit by looters in recent days.

“It is my expectation and the expectation of the Illinois Department of Insurance that insurance companies will do everything in their power to give their customers the resources they need to rebuild and get back on their feet as soon as possible,” Pritzker said. “To that end, my administration has been in consultation with major insurance companies on the quick and robust support they should provide Illinois business owners who have experienced property damage, including but not limited to riots, vandalism and looting.”

Pritzker made the announcement at a Chicago news conference Monday, June 8, where he was joined by Robert Muriel, director of the Department of Insurance.

IDOI released the Company Bulletin — a tool aimed at providing “timely, relevant, and helpful guidance” to insurance companies — requesting that insurers take specific measures to help businesses rebuild.

Per a news release from the governor’s office, insurers should “apply claims best practices consistent with the categorization of this event as a catastrophic event.” They should also expedite claims handling, and advance claim payments. Another expectation is “fair treatment of all policyholders, regardless of size.”

Insurers should also implement a moratorium on cancellations or non-renewal of impacted policyholders for 60 days and should “err on the side of the policyholder” when paying claims as a result of “riots, civil commotion, or vandalism” even if the policyholder was unable to make full premium payments during the period following the governor’s stay-at-home order.

STATE SURPASSES 1 MILLION TESTS: Gov. JB Pritzker announced Friday, June 5, that more than a million people in Illinois have now been tested for COVID-19, or nearly 8 percent of the state’s population.

“This milestone is the result of the incredible work of so many people behind the scenes in state government, in our National Guard, in our public and private hospital and health care systems all around the state – people who were willing to battle it out to build out a testing infrastructure that is accurate, efficient, and accessible,” Pritzker said in a statement. “And we’re still building – but I’m very proud to be one of the earliest states to hit this landmark.”

PRITZKER IN DECATUR: Gov. JB Pritzker highlighted the importance of child care and early childhood education on Tuesday, June 9, as he traveled to Decatur to celebrate the reopening of the local Boys and Girls Club there, which was closed for several weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The governor was joined by two of the area’s lawmakers — Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, and Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur — at a news conference in the facility’s gym. Pritzker said much of the reason why community centers such as the one in Decatur are able to reopen is because of the funding they’ve received in recent state budgets.

“I think average folks think that budget is a pretty boring thing to talk about, but a budget is a moral document,” he said. “It’s an expression of who we are as a people here in the state. It’s an expression of what we believe in; the investments that we make are a reflection of who we are. … It sounds like a boring topic, but when you go without one for a couple years as we did a few years ago, you find out just how important it is to pass it.”

Shamika Bond, executive director of the center, said the facility just reopened Monday, June 8, after being closed for most on-site activities since the stay-at-home order went into effect in March.

“During these devastating times, we stayed true to our mission by continuing to serve the youth in our community by providing after-hour meals, mentorship, and we continued with recognition,” she said. “We were afraid of the unknown. We were afraid of each other. But most importantly, we were afraid for those children that needed us most. Our children more than ever need leadership, guidance and support.”

PRITZKER PROTESTS: Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday, June 9, responded to criticism he has received, particularly from Republicans, for taking part in large demonstrations in Chicago where thousands of people at a time have gathered to protest racism and police brutality in the wake of the death last week of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died at the hands of a white police officer.

Illinois Republican Party spokesman Joe Hackler issued a statement Tuesday saying Pritzker was clearly violating his own orders and calling his action, “a slap in the face to every Illinoisan who has been diligently following them.”

Pritzker, however, was unapologetic.

“Sometimes I go places, and it’s very difficult to get socially distanced when an awful lot of people show up,” he said during a press event in Decatur. “And I’m not going to run away. And especially at this moment, it’s important to express ourselves. It’s important to stand up for people’s first amendment rights. And I’m talking about the peaceful protesters across the state. It’s important to have the governor stand with them on issues that are important to the state and progress that we need to make.”

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit news service operated by the Illinois Press Foundation that provides coverage of state government to newspapers throughout Illinois. The mission of Capitol News Illinois is to provide credible and unbiased coverage of state government to the more than 400 daily and weekly newspapers that are members of the Illinois Press Association.