CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Illinois Gov. JB Pritkzer told operators of summer camps Wednesday he doesn’t know when or if they’ll be able to reopen in 2020, amid the continuing coronavirus pandemic.
Pritzker faced a number of questions at his daily media briefing about what types of non-essential businesses and ventures would feasibly operate, under restrictions, when the Illinois stay-at-home order is lifted. Currently, the mandate runs through April 30 but is likely to be extended, but perhaps with modifications.
CBS Chicago told Pritzker through a pool reporter that camp operators want some indication about whether they’ll be able to run programming in the next couple of months. Parents, too, need to make arrangements, according to the station’s question.
The governor was steadfast that he doesn’t know. Even when the stay-at-home order is lifted, Pritzker said, there will still be need for social-distancing practices and for face coverings because there is no vaccine for the novel coronavirus.
It would really be up to parents and camp operators to determine whether they could make extended-stay or daily camps work under the "new normal," Pritzker said. He said it's not necessarily impossible.
“I’m not making decisions about summer camps. The summer camps themselves and I know parents will make those decisions. I feel terrible not having a perfect answer for them," he said.
He said his administration continues to examine data to determine when the state will “peak” with coronavirus cases and ensure that the number of new cases trends downward. Pritzker has said he would consider a county-by-county or regional approach to easing restrictions.
Illinois on Wednesday reported its largest daily jump in the number of coronavirus cases — 2,049 — but Pritzker noted the state is doing more testing, compared to previous weeks.
The statewide total of reported cases grew to 35,118. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 98 new deaths, for a statewide total of 1,565 fatalities.