Chambana Sun

Illinois state Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) fears that Gov. J.B. Pritzker is responding to the COVID-19 crisis based on what he sees through the lens of what’s happening in Cook County.

“We can’t hold all of Illinois hostage because Cook County and some of the collar counties have issues,” Caulkins told the Macon Reporter. “My concern is that if at least part of the state isn’t back up and running by May 1, people down here aren’t going to stand for it. They’ve been out of work for two months now and some of them still haven’t been able to receive unemployment benefits. The longer the governor keeps us locked down, the more confidence they lose in government and the more people are turning against him.”

May 1 is the date that President Donald Trump has established for states to restart their economies. While the governor’s stay-at-home order is set to expire on April 30, Pritzker hasn’t publicly indicated what his plans are for beyond that point, though he recently announced that the state has joined in partnership with six other neighboring states to restart the region’s economy in a phased alliance.

Caulkins said there really can be only one answer.

“We need to get Illinois back up and running,” he said. “I understand the reluctance of Chicago politicians because there are still a lot of cases being reported there and people are still going to the hospital. But only 8 percent of all the cases are downstate. The governor’s response needs to be a regional approach that allows for places like our district to open back up for business.”

Caulkins concedes that convincing Pritzker of that may be easier said than done. 

“I don’t think he’s convinced,” Caulkins said. “I think he’s too tied to Cook County and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and he’s allowing that experience to dictate how he treats the rest of the state. I’m concerned that he’s too influenced by what’s going on there and it’s clouding his judgment.”

Meanwhile, Caulkins said other parts of the state are left to suffer.

“Down here, we’re laying off doctors, nurses and policemen because the counties don’t have any income,” he said. “The whole idea behind the lockdown was to keep our hospitals from being overwhelmed and now that circumstances have changed I think the governor’s thinking needs to also.”