CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- With Thanksgiving next week, Governor Pritzker and his counterparts from several Midwestern states have teamed up to urge their residents to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
In a video released Tuesday, Governor Pritzker was joined by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, and others urging Midwesterners to take several precautions as we head into the holiday season and towards the winter months.
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The precautions include: keep six feet apart as much as you can, get your flu shot, and wash your hands regularly and try not to share utensils.
They were also joined by the governors in Michigan, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Ohio. Not included in the video was Missouri Gov. Mike Parson.
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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer begins the video by saying, “As we head into the holiday season and the cold winter months, we wanted to take a moment to talk to families in our region about how you can protect your loved ones and our front-line workers, as well as our small business owners, from COVID-19 and the pandemic.”
“Right now, cases and hospitalizations are skyrocketing in the Midwest and really, all across the country,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear adds. “And as the weather gets colder and more people head inside, it will get worse.”
But there is good news, Gov. Evers said, as Pfizer announced last week that its vaccine showed to be more than 90 percent effective at preventing COVID-19 in preliminary data.
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“This is great news, but it doesn’t mean that we can let our guard down and loosen the safety measures we have made in our daily lives,” Pritzker said.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine follows, saying, “It’s more important now than ever that we double down on mask wearing and physical distancing to help more people get through the winter and protect the brave men and women serving on the front lines of this crisis.”
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Holcomb adds that “it’s crucial that we keep our infection rate low so we can distribute the vaccine as quickly as possible when it’s ready.”
“We must remember that when the vaccine is ready, it will take time to distribute, and we need everyone to continue doing their part to protect each other from COVID-19,” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz added.
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All the governors also urged people not to have or attend big holiday gatherings, but get together online instead. The governors say these precautions won't just protect residents from COVID-19 and limit its spread, but they will also ease the strain on hospitals and protect medical personnel and other frontline workers.
“When it comes to fighting this virus, we are all on the same team,” Whitmer said, with each governor then telling their residents to “mask up.”