Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) | Facebook/J.B. Pritzker
Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) | Facebook/J.B. Pritzker
It has been about three years since the start of the emergency orders declared across the nation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic; while most states have stopped using them, that is not the case for Illinois.
According to Illinois Policy, Illinois is one of only six states to continue to use emergency orders, with Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) recently declaring a public health emergency. Pritzker has a “Restore Illinois Plan,” and currently Illinois is in “Phase 5” of recovery from the pandemic. This is the 40th time Pritzker has declared a disaster proclamation, and he has had emergency powers for nearly 75% of the time he has been in office.
The plan states: “All sectors of the economy reopen with new health and hygiene practices permanently in place. Large gatherings of all sizes can resume. Public health experts focus on lessons learned, and building out the public health infrastructure (is) needed to meet and overcome future challenges.”
None of Illinois' neighboring states are ruled through emergency powers, with California being the last state to end its pandemic-related state of emergency on Feb. 28. Other states include Texas, Colorado, New York, Georgia and Delaware. Georgia reportedly has retained its emergency order due to supply chain problems.
Pritzker declared that these emergency orders will end on Thursday, May 11, coinciding with President Joe Biden’s end of the pandemic emergency on a federal level. Pritzker's proclamation is set to end Sunday, April 2, which means he has had emergency powers for 1,116 of 1,539 days in office.
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