Governor Pritzker began his COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday expanding on the ruling from a Southern Illinois Judge yesterday afternoon.
“This ruling only applies to one person,” said Governor Pritzker Tuesday afternoon. “Because it was only ever about one person.”
State Representative Darren Bailey’s lawsuit argued the state Emergency Management Act gives the governor just 30 days worth of emergency powers and that has been extended.
“This was a cheap, political stunt. Designed so that the Representative can see his name in headlines, and unfortunately he has briefly been successful in that most catalyst of feats,” said the Governor Tuesday afternoon.
On Tuesday, Illinois announced its greatest one-day death total from COVID-19, 144 deaths in a 24 hour span. That total brings Illinois deaths from COVID-19 to 2,125 since the pandemic began.
Governor Pritzker said today the State is taking the matter, very seriously.
“As it stands, the Judge’s ruling is limited, applying to only one person, the State Representative from the 109th District,” said the Governor today. “The Court set a dangerous precedent. Slowing the spread of this virus is critical to saving lives, by ensuring the health care system has the resources to treat patients who get sick.”
The 109th District has the lowest hospital bed availability and ventilators in the State. The District is also home to the County that experiencing the highest death rate in Illinois, per capita from COVID-19.
