State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford) issued the following statement today following Tuesday’s announcement by Governor JB Pritzker that the State of Illinois will be placed under Tier 3 COVID-19 mitigation status effective at 12:01am on Friday, November 20:
“There is no scientific data that supports lower occupancy limits or for keeping restaurants closed to indoor dining. The Governor’s own numbers show that there is very little danger of contraction when inside businesses or public buildings. The Governor’s mitigation policies have proven successful in one aspect, however, and that is instilling fear in Illinois residents.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the statewide COVID-19 recovery rate is 97% and 50% of the deaths have been those living in long term care facilities (75% of deaths have been those over the age of 70). All life is valuable and should be protected, but we need to have perspective that misguided rolling lockdowns and business restrictions are destroying people’s livelihoods, shuttering businesses, putting people out of work, causing stress on families unable to care for children, increasing depression and other social ills, and ruining educational attainment of our children.
Instead of imposing blanket restrictions that are not based on science, the Governor should focus his mitigation efforts to protect those most at-risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19; the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions. This would mean enhanced measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes, senior living communities, hospitals and other health care facilities. We can protect the most vulnerable without closing restaurants and imposing devastating restrictions on small businesses, their employees, and the families who depend upon them.”
Representative Sosnowski serves the 69th District which includes portions of Winnebago and Boone Counties.