Chambana Sun

State Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) said at a recent news conference that he does not agree with Gov. J.B. Pritzker's emergency rules, saying they were causing harm to many small businesses.

Halbrook said when the COVIS-19 pandemic first started hitting Illinois in March, everyone accepted the first two weeks of emergency rules — which then turned into 30 days of shelter-in-place.

"The problem we began to see really soon was that the peak was not mid-April, it was mid-May and now maybe it'll be later than that," Halbrook said. "There was a call for more testing, there was a call for contact tracing before we could open up. There was a discussion about antibody testing. There was a call that maybe we would not return to a pre-mid-March level until we had a vaccine or some sort of treatment."

Halbrook said there are many viruses that still don't have vaccines and many critics argue if the vaccines are effective.

"We have seen these viruses come and they’re hot for a while and then they ultimately die down and go away," Halbrook said. "We were told to flatten the curve to help hospitals not get overwhelmed but it also flattened the economy."

Halbrook said the preparations made by the hospitals to prepare for a wave that never really hit most of Illinois, then caused the hospitals to begin laying off and furloughing people.

"We see it as flatten the curve while flattening the economy," Halbrook said. "We saw that big-box stores were deemed essential, while Main Street was deemed nonessential."

Halbrook said the very people who are the backbone of communities were shuttered and not able to provide for themselves or their families.

"The emergency powers rules are very clear," Halbrook said. "It shall not exceed 30 days. Due process has been violated and many other civil liberties and constitutional rights have been stripped and trampled on in the process."

Halbrook said the governor’s reopening plan is a failure.

"The five-phase plan at 28-day intervals is two times longer than anyone else in the nation," Halbrook said. "Does the governor expect people to wait three-plus months to get a haircut or other personal services?"

Halbrook said he was concerned about overall health measures, such as elective surgeries as well as suicide and domestic abuse.