Illinois Fire and Police Commissioners Association - Tier 3 Mitigations Continue for ‘Next Few Weeks

Tier 3 Mitigations Continue for ‘Next Few Weeks

1 Dec 2020 12:03 AM | Anonymous

Statewide restrictions on businesses, gatherings, and other services in the state will continue in the coming weeks, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Monday. Given the restrictions were only implemented on Nov. 20 and the Thanksgiving Holiday has just passed, the governor said the mitigations will need to stay in place until consistent improvements in COVID-19 positivity are seen.

The governor said he spoke by phone with Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, earlier Monday.

“I spoke with Dr. Fauci this morning to get his input about the Illinois situation. He said that the massive number of indoor gatherings by people visiting family and friends across the nation will likely bring a post-Thanksgiving surge and he believes this is no time to pull back on mitigations,” the governor said.

Pritzker said in response to questions that all restrictions that could be used to combat the pandemic remain on the table, but said that any hypothetical stay-at-home order that could be put in place after a surge would not be the exact same as that put in place in March.

Commenting on vaccinations, Pritzker said that the number of Pfizer-manufactured COVID-19 vaccinations that the state expects to receive continues to fluctuate from anywhere from 80,000 to 400,000.

Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike also noted that it’s possible that the state could have multiple FDA-approved vaccines available in the coming months, meaning that some that require less cold storage could be prioritized for certain areas of the state that have more logistical challenges. However, she said that the rollout of any vaccines will come in stages, potentially lasting over several months.

Pritzker also commented on the State Inspector General’s investigation into any potential misconduct at the LaSalle state-run veterans’ home, which has seen a COVID-19 outbreak that has killed 27 veterans and infected over 200 individuals.

“If there's any failure of procedure or wrongdoing, then that should be brought to the forefront and people should be held accountable,” he said.

House Republicans including Rep. Randy Frese (R-Quincy) again Monday called on Rep. Stephanie Kifowit (D-Aurora), chair of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, to hold investigative hearings on the situation at LaSalle. In media reports, Kifowit has cited the House’s restrictions on holding virtual committee meetings as a reason why such panels have not been held and said that the Senate has denied requests for joint hearings on the matter.

-Allison Richard

Illinois Fire and Police Association

799 Roosevelt Rd. Bldg 6

Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software