CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Governor Pritzker said he’s not backing down from tightening COVID-19 restrictions on Chicago bars and restaurants despite Mayor Lightfoot’s vocal opposition.
Governor Pritzker said restaurants in Chicago will have to shut down indoor dining the same as business had to do across the state when coronavirus cases and hospitalizations rose sharply, and Mayor Lightfoot cannot convince him otherwise.
"I am always open to talking to the Mayor. In this regard, as you know, we have created a resurgence mitigation plan. We put it out there for everybody to see in July. We followed it when regions have risen above the metrics that we set, and those metrics that they have tripped they then have had to come below and then the resurgence mitigations come off," Pritzker said.
Mayor Lightfoot has criticized Governor Pritzker for reimposing restrictions on indoor dining in Chicago for economic reasons, saying that part of the city’s economy is hanging by a thread.
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The Mayor has also questioned the measure the Governor’s using. She said the greatest spread of coronavirus is coming from people’s homes and social settings, admittedly harder to regulate.
Governor Pritzker said he’s using the same standards about rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations that have forced so-called mitigation in other counties. And that the rules on bars and restaurants will remain in place.
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"Restaurants and bars by multiple studies have been shown to be places where the virus spreads. That shows up in all the data, and yes it is true that in homes now, in private gatherings, that is an even higher level of transmission going on across the state right now," Pritzker said.
He said the new mitigations will "work well" for the city of Chicago. And he said when the numbers come down, the restrictions will come off.
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The Governor added that he has a good relationship with the Mayor and said they both want the same things.
"Of course I will continue to talk to the mayor. She had ideas throughout this pandemic - some of them we have worked on together. We share ideas with one another. We all want to get to the same place, where everybody is healthy and safe. We are doing everything we can to fight this virus off, and that will be the conversation today no doubt. But again, I set metrics, I put them in place, they are going to remain in place," Pritzker said.