CHICAGO — Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday a partnership with other Midwest governors as they plan to reopen economies.
It was announced that Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, and Kentucky were all part of the partnership.
The governors said they realize that their economies are all reliant upon each other, so they must work together to get businesses back on their feet.
“Today, we are announcing that [the states] will work in close coordination to reopen our economies in a way that prioritizes our workers’ health,” said the governors. “We look forward to working with experts and taking a fact-based, data-driven approach to reopening our economy in a way that protect families from the spread of COVID-19.”
The governors also said that decisions will be made based on facts, science, and recommendations from experts in health care, business, labor, and education.
The following four factors will be considered when determining the best time to reopen, according to the governors: sustained control of the rate of new infections and hospitalizations, enhanced ability to test and trace, sufficient health care capacity to handle resurgence, and best practices for social distancing in the workplace.
“Phasing in sectors of our economy will be most effective when we work together as a region. This doesn’t mean our economy will reopen all at once, or that every state will take the same steps at the same time,” said the governors. “But close coordination will ensure we get this right. Over time, people will go back to work, restaurants will reopen, and things will go back to normal.”
Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said that they are working on tests to determine immunity after having the virus.
In order to collect more specimens to meet our new capacity, the governor announced that the state will be expanding testing through its statewide network of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FHQCs).
Among the new locations will be Heartland Health Services in Peoria.
IDPH Thursday announced 1,140 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 125 additional deaths.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 25,733 cases, including 1,072 deaths, in 90 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years.
