Gov. Pritzker Urges COVID-19 Precautions As Cases Rise In Illinois

As Chicago endures the “second surge” of the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the entire state is experiencing its worst surge since the pandemic began.

As of Tuesday (November 10), Illinois had exceeded 500,000 cases of the novel coronavirus, CBS News reported.

"We're listening closely to them [frontline workers and hospital officials] and we will do everything to protect them," Pritzker said Tuesday, stressing the importance of wearing masks and social distancing. "The nation is in a precarious place right now in this pandemic."

Pritzker previously implemented “resurgence mitigation” efforts in response to the increasing COVID-19 hospitalizations and positivity rates in parts of the state.

That included a ban on indoor dining in the region that includes Chicago.

Although Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot worried that the elimination of indoor dining could hurt the local economy, Pritzker stood by his efforts.

He explained the mitigations would likely remain in effect for at least two to three weeks.

Pritzker aimed “to remind everybody that it takes a couple to three weeks to see a set of mitigations start to have an effect on positivity and cases and so on,” he said in a press conference earlier this month. “We’re hoping to get back to a point where we can open indoor service as soon as we can get” the numbers to decline.

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