North Cook News

Illinois state Rep. Tom Morrison (R-Palatine) is hoping that Gov. J.B. Pritzker has arrived at the same conclusion he has about what needs to come next in the state’s fight to corral the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think we should be looking at a partial reopening at least, especially given that more individuals are now clearly honoring all the new safety measures and precautions like wearing masks, washing their hands more and social distancing,” Morrison told the North Cook News. “I think we should also be looking at data related to ICU hospital capacities. All these metrics now tell us restrictions on the economy can start to be relaxed.”

President Donald Trump has targeted May 1 as the date he hopes states across the country can restart their economies. While Pritzker’s stay-at-home order is set to expire on April 30, the governor hasn’t publicly indicated what his plans are for beyond that point, though he recently announced that the state has joined in partnership with six other neighboring states to restart the region’s economy in a phased alliance.

“We need this and we need it now,” said Morrison, adding that the financial strains brought on by the stay-at-home order are impacting some more than others. “I heard reports that independent contractors have been stonewalled with the Illinois Department of Employment Security, meaning that some of them have had to endure all this without receiving any benefits. While some states have been able to pivot and provide applications for these kinds of workers, Illinois is still badly lagging behind.”

Morrison said much of his time lately has been spent trying to figure out how extensive that problem is in his own district so he can more strongly advocate for them with the governor’s office.

“We’re still trying to ascertain how many workers we’re talking about here,” he said. “We want to be able to provide them with all the help we can.”