CHICAGO, IL — Three days after expressing frustration at long lines outside bars and revelers continuing to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in public, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he is "looking hard" at closing all bars and restaurants statewide amid the continued spread of coronavirus.
Pritzker appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday morning, telling host Chuck Todd he is "looking hard" at making the decision to shut down bars and restaurants, similar to what France has recently done.
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"We've been on the trajectory now and planning for each of these steps because it's not easy," he said. "(These decisions) are also about people's livelihoods. So we're actually looking hard at that decision making today.
"We obviously saw what happened in Europe. Nowhere in the United States really has there been a lockdown on bars and restaurants, but it's something what we're seriously looking at."
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine also appeared on "Meet the Press" saying he's considering similar steps, adding, "Everything we're doing is to save lives."
Meanwhile, Chicago city officials announced new restrictions for businesses that sell liquor, requiring them to limit their capacity to less than half. Any establishments that sell liquor will also have a max capacity of 100 people.
Pritzker, who has repeatedly criticized the federal government's response to the coronavirus pandemic, also said a White House staffer "yelled at me about (my) tweet" after he lashed out angrily about the long lines at customs at O'Hare. Passengers are now expected to voluntarily self-quarantine at home for 14 days.
Late Saturday, thousands of international travelers were forced into close quarters for as long as six hours to wait for health checks at U.S. Customs. Pritzker responded angrily, saying, "The federal government needs to get its s@#t together. NOW."
He also tweeted at President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, saying, "The crowds & lines O'Hare are unacceptable & need to be addressed immediately," adding, "since (Twitter) is the only communication medium you pay attention to—you need to do something NOW. These crowds are waiting to get through customs which is under federal jurisdiction."
Prtizker also said the federal government has "fallen down," leaving governors "on our own" to deal with the coronavirus epidemic. "They didn't advise us to shut down major events," he said. "We made those decisions on our own."
Pritzker stressed that even the young and healthy — who are likely to have only mild symptoms if they do catch coronavirus — need to stay home, as refusing to do so puts others at risk, especially the elderly and those with health conditions like heart disease, lung disease, diabetes and immune diseases.
As #COVID19 continues to spread, all Illinoisans should take commonsense social distancing measures to keep themselves and their neighbors safe. Please read these guidelines and take them seriously. Staying home will save lives. pic.twitter.com/9JlEQUiuS9
— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) March 14, 2020
"Staying home will save lives," he tweeted.
Meanwhile, Illinois' number of coronavirus patients jumped by 20 between Friday and Saturday, with a total of 66 patients statewide who have tested positive. But since only a small number of suspected patients are being tested, the actual numbers may be much higher.
The governor is expected to issue another coronavirus update at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
More from Patch:
Coronavirus Crisis: Chicago O'Hare Airport Customs Overwhelmed
Coronavirus Spreads To IL Long-Term Care Facility; Now 66 Cases
All Illinois Schools Closed Due To Coronavirus Outbreak
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