Pritzker’s Enforcement Predicament
Ki’s Steak & Seafood in Glendale Heights plans to stay open despite Governor Pritzker’s order closing restaurants and bars to indoor service. (SOURCE: Facebook)
In his now-daily COVID-19 news conference Wednesday, Governor JB Pritzker said Illinois State Police had been “alerted” to be on patrol for bars and restaurants open to indoor service in defiance of Pritzker’s executive orders.
It’s not clear, though, how rigorously troopers have been enforcing Pritzker’s executive orders, especially since increased mitigations have picked up this fall. Currently northwest Illinois, including Rockford, Galena, and DeKalb is under an indoor dining and bar service ban, while much of southern Illinois along with suburban DuPage, Kane, Will, and Kankakee counties will follow suit this weekend.
We asked State Police what Pritzker’s orders to troopers are and how many citations have been given thus far. Neither State Police or the Governor’s office have responded to our questions.
UPDATED (4:33 P.M.):
Illinois State Police spokesperson Beth Hundsdorfer issued the following statement:
“In desiring to protect the public and prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the Illinois Department of Public Health requested assistance from the Illinois State Police in our role of helping to enforce IDPH emergency rules. As outlined in the administrative rule, enforcement is an incremental process starting with a notice of non-compliance. If businesses continue to not comply, state or local law enforcement can issue the business a misdemeanor citation, similar to enforcing indoor smoking laws. Local state’s attorneys determine how to proceed as they would in any other misdemeanor case.”
Hundsdorfer says just 4 citations have been issued statewide, all in the Metro East region around St. Louis.
Speaking Thursday, Pritzker acknowledged he still needs the State’s Attorney from each county to enforce any citations.
“We are asking state’s attorneys to simply follow through on those citations,” Pritzker said. “Those are monetary citations.”
But Pritzker is threatening more punitive actions if bars and restaurants continue to defy his orders, as many in southern Illinois have pledged to do.
“We also are looking to remove people’s liquor license and their gaming license if they will not follow the resurgence mitigations that get put into place,” Pritzker said. “This is not something I have wanted to do before, I think you know I’ve been reluctant to do this before. Because it has a very serious implication for the future of a business. I want businesses to stay in business. I want them to survive.”
Some legislators continue to criticize Pritzker’s actions. Three House Republicans in southern Illinois claimed using an 8% positivity rate was not an accurate representation of the situation in the area. Thursday, Senator Craig Wilcox (R-St. Charles) sent the Governor a letter asking Pritzker to reconsider mitigations in the suburbs.
“It’s hard to deny that congregating at a bar, often shoulder to shoulder with people you don’t know, is a big contributor to the spread of the virus. I’m not refuting that, as it is very difficult to control your social environment in that sort of setting,” wrote DeWitte. “But what does come into question is why the Governor is lumping food table service with those kinds of activities.”
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot took a similar move beginning this weekend, limiting indoor service at bars only.
Even though, some suburban restaurants have claimed they’ll start to defy the Governor’s order.
NBC Chicago reported Thursday night a Glendale Heights restaurant would continue to operate.
“We’re here to say we’re open and we believe we live in a free country,” owner Spiro Roumpas said.
Only time will tell if the long arm of the law reaches owners like Roumpas.
