Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday said he is considering reopening the state in phases as many residents question if Illinois' stay-at-home order will be extended yet again or end on its scheduled date April 30.
At his daily coronavirus news conference, Gov. Pritzker stated he still hasn't determined whether the state's stay-at-home order will be extended past April 30th, adding it's important to pay attention to the way the coronavirus case curve is moving before making the decision.
When asked about reopening the state's economy, Gov. Pritzker listed several questions that he and other state leaders are asking as they begin to consider which measures should be put in place, suggesting at least initially, that life won't be the same as it was before the stay-at-home order.
- "Does everybody wear a mask? Do you require that?"
- "What are all the rules for each industry?"
- "Do we have to start thinking, you know, the way that the fire marshal determines how many people can be in your store...based on the number of square feet so that if there's a fire, everybody can get out?"
- "Do we now need to have a public health administrator determining, you know, how many people at any given time can be in a certain store for us to reopen those stores?"
Gov. Pritzker said before the order is lifted people go back to work, there needs to be a basis of understanding between employers and workers. He also maintained that safety of Illinoisans is a top priority.
"You know, that if people are going to go back to work, or if we're going to open up, you know, opportunities for people, you know, back in their industries, will they feel safe, because it's very important to feel safe and to actually be safe," he said.
