Kendall County Times

State Sen. Jim Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove) is pushing Gov. J.B. Pritzker to lead the charge in quickly returning the state to normalcy from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is up to state leaders to develop a safe and common-sense approach for reopening their respective states,” Oberweis told the Kendall County Times after Pritzker recently announced several tweaks to the statewide stay-at-home order he’s extended through the end of May. “We can protect our citizens while also moving towards putting America back to work.”

Oberweis said the governor moving to reopen state parks, golf courses and garden centers while also allowing hospitals to resume performing elective procedures is only the start of what needs to happen.

“We should be lifting some other restrictions next month as well,” said Oberweis, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Naperville) in the 14th Congressional District in November. “I think we could look at opening up restaurants with some strict guidelines, such as requiring a wide separation of customers, and from there we could gradually add other businesses such as barbers and hair salons, initially with reservations only so that customers are not waiting in a small space.”

Small businesses across the state have been shuttered since late March after Pritzker enacted his executive order as part of a plan aimed at slowing the spread of the deadly virus.

Over that time, the state has bled jobs, with more than 340,000 workers having filed first-time unemployment benefits over just a two-week period.

By the end of March, the state unemployment rate has ticked up to 4.6%.