Will County Gazette

Republican Congressional candidate Rick Laib thinks the people of Illinois deserve to see what Gov. J.B. Pritzker insists he’s looking at in coming to the conclusion the state could be headed for even more COVID-19 restrictions.

“What metrics is the governor using?” Laib asked the Will County Gazette. “When he says we are at a ‘danger point,’ what specifically does that mean? The lockdowns that continued past the Illinois CDC guidelines only furthered economic ruin for businesses. We cannot tolerate shutdowns due to vague standards.”

Citing rising COVD-19 infection rates that have recently soared to the point at least 11 counties are now at “warning levels” for the spread of the virus, Pritzker recently pronounced another shutdown could be looming. 

Running against U.S. Rep. Bill Foster (D-Aurora) in the 11th District, Laib said he hopes the governor will look at the big picture before again taking such drastic actions.

“I applaud the governor's desire to keep everyone safe, but he is doing so at the emotional and financial expense of so many Illinoisans,” he said. “The governor should be encouraged to restrain himself to promoting healthy public guidelines.”

Laib argues it is also critical that the governor remember that the state is nowhere near being in the same position as it was when he flexed his executive powers to enact his first shutdown order.

“Discussion of a shutdown would be for our state to head in the wrong direction,” he said. “We are still talking about a virus that has a 99% survival rate, and while the governor is correct in saying that vaccine testing is still being conducted, he is wrong to say that there are no treatments. There are treatments, such as hydroxychloroquine, that have shown to be an effective cure for those who have contracted the virus.”