Will County Gazette

Former Illinois 11th Congressional District Republican candidate Rick Laib wonders when Gov. J.B. Pritzker plans to get out of his own way in the battle against COVID-19.

"Recovery struggles in Illinois can likely be attributed to being stuck in March 2020," Laib told the Will County Gazette. "In March 2020, without fully knowing what COVID was, we knew it was spreading quickly, and we had to shut down quickly. Although we now know the coronavirus is not the threat we thought in March, we have not applied this thinking and have seen fit to operate as if it were still March 2020."

Laib frets the lack of adjustment has come at a price, pointing to the latest Illinois Department of Employment Security data that shows the state has lost jobs in two of the last three months since September at when parts of the country show signs of stabilizing.

Rick Laib | File Photo

The leisure and hospitality industry has been the hardest hit, losing more than 27,000 jobs during November alone. 

Laib worries what might come next as the virus continues to rage and the state economy still sputters.

"I have yet to hear or read of any kind of plan to intentionally get the job market moving in a positive direction," he said. "If this is to happen, it will not happen accidentally. We must plan and be intentional, open quickly and fully, stop putting regulations on businesses and reverse any and all discussions about raising taxes. In other words, we must stop [an] activity that deters contributions to our economy."

Laib even has a bit of advice for Pritzker.

"I would encourage the governor to consider the states that are back on a positive track, to consider how they have gotten there and consider what we're doing differently in this state," he said.