Jeanette Ward | Contributed photo
Jeanette Ward | Contributed photo
Republican state Senate candidate Jeanette Ward wonders how much more Gov. J.B. Pritzker thinks the state’s small business owners can take.
“I think business owners in Illinois have sacrificed enough,” Ward, who is now running against incumbent state Sen. Karina Villa (D-West Chicago) in the 25th District, told the Kane County Reporter. “Business owners have sacrificed enough. Illinois has had among the longest and most restrictive rules put on them in the nation
Pointing to rising coronavirus infection rates across the state, Pritzker recently warned that the state could be headed for yet another shutdown of some form if the numbers don’t turn around. Eleven counties – Cass, Gallatin, Jackson, Jo Daviess, Johnson, Perry, Randolph, Saline, Sangamon, St. Clair and White – have experienced recent upticks that are linked to business operations and high-risk activities.
“While positive tests are rising, as a record number of tests are conducted, fortunately death rates are still very, very low,” Ward countered. “We need our most vulnerable – the elderly and those with comorbid conditions – to take extra precautions to help themselves. We all should follow social distancing and hygiene best practices.”
Ward, a West Chicago resident, wonders if the governor has considered how much damage another shutdown could spell for the state.
“To quarantine the healthy does not make sense,” she said. “I’m very concerned about rises in suicides, depression, domestic abuse and child abuse that lockdowns bring.”
And then there’s all the collateral damage.
“Businesses are already leaving Illinois and the state already has one of the highest outmigration rates because of the taxes,” Ward added. “If we force more businesses to close with these lockdown orders it will only hurt more.”
In the end, Ward said she thinks the governor might have ulterior motives for making things look as bad as he can.
“I think he appears intent on causing Illinois to go into bankruptcy so we can receive a federal bailout,” she said.
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