NAPERVILLE (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The mayor of Naperville said he would like to see some businesses, such as those that are low-risk of coronavirus transmission and outdoor activities with little or no contact, be able to reopen on May 1.
Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico said he supports the COVID-19 decisions made so far by Governor JB Pritzker; and with the Governor's stay-at-home order expiring April 30, at least as of now, May 1 is a time to think about opening low-risk businesses.
"I agree with the Governor and I have supported the COVID-19 decisions that the Governor has made thus far. He took early action and I believe these actions have flattened the curve and saved lives," Chirico wrote on Facebook.
Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico made his comments on his person Facebook page, because he does not have the authority to unilaterally reopen businesses in his city; but he said he agrees with President Trump's outline for gearing up the economy and said people have learned a lot over the last couple of months and made changes to their behaviors to protect against the coronavirus.
"I think the plan presented by the President's team to reopen the economy is sound and we need to begin this process," he said. "We have learned a great deal in the past 12 weeks. We have changed our behaviors and educated ourselves. It's time to apply what we have learned and begin opening the low transmission risk businesses back up...monitor the situation and if we maintain manageable virus levels, open the next level of businesses."
Now he believes is the time to reopen the economy, starting with what he calls low-transmission businesses. Then, he said, after monitoring the situation, if virus levels remain manageable, to then open up the next level of businesses.
Chirico believes tennis courts, golf courses, and "other low-risk outdoor activities" should be among those allowed to reopen.
"We also need to open up tennis courts, golf courses and other low risk outdoor activities. High density and high transmission risk activities will likely need to wait until we have more tools to deal with the virus," he said.
He said high-risk transmission businesses will likely need to wait to reopen when there are more tools for dealing with the coronavirus.
"We need to continue to respect the social distancing order, wear personal protective equipment when in public areas, sanitize our surrounding surfaces and continue to pay attention to personal hygiene...especially frequent hand washing. That said, we need to begin opening up our economy on May 1st," he concluded.