Illinois Governor JB Pritzker agreed to a contract that would give AFSCME workers an increase in pay and a step increase. | Facebook
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker agreed to a contract that would give AFSCME workers an increase in pay and a step increase. | Facebook
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is coming under increasing criticism after he announced on Tuesday the Chicago area will be plunged back into Tier 1 lockdown.
Several businesses have said they will not comply. The Illinois Restaurant Association said on Twitter to call Pritzker’s bluff. The association also tagged Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and urged her to do the same.
Tier 1 includes measures such as curfews for bars and restaurants, no indoor dining services, limiting to 10 guests for meetings, social events and gatherings and emphasizing remote working.
“Region 11 has seen COVID-related hospital admissions and its positivity rate increase more than 7 of the last ten days,” Pritzker said on Twitter. “Chicago is now averaging more than twice as many COVID-related hospital admissions per day as it was a month ago. Tier 1 mitigations begin Friday.”
The Chicago daily COVID-19 hospitalization numbers increased from March until June, but then dropped and have evened out.
Going back to Tier 1 means indoor dining in restaurants will, once again, be banned. Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady told CBS Chicago that she would support the governor’s decision, but she had some concerns.
“I am very worried about what that is going to mean for the financial health of our restaurants, frankly, and all of the people who work at them,” she told CBS Chicago.
Arwady told the news media that finding a way to support each other and small businesses throughout winter regarding COVID-19 was key.
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