Pritzker Expected to Announce New Re-Opening Phase Thursday, Widen Vaccine Eligibility
Governor JB Pritzker speaking at a health care center Thursday. He is expected to announce an expanded opening of businesses, conventions, and tourism facilities greater than the current “Phase 4” on Friday. (Photo: Decatur Herald & Review)
Multiple Chicago media outlets report Governor JB Pritzker will announce an expanded re-opening phase in between the current “Phase 4” restrictions and “Phase 5,” which essentially re-opens the state completely.
The Governor’s office did not respond to a message from The Illinoize Wednesday, but NBC 5 in Chicago reports while Pritzker is expected to announce the new “bridge phase,” he’ll also announce the state will open COVID-19 vaccinations to anyone over the age of 16 beginning April 12. That comes as President Joe Biden urged states to make all adults eligible for the vaccine by May 1.
Speaking in Decatur Wednesday, Pritzker said he wants to show restraint re-opening the state past current restrictions.
“We want to be careful here. These variants move faster than the original COVID-19. It could be a much shorter period of time that we have to react more quickly.”
Pritzker says some medical experts warn to be careful with re-opening while others believe the pace of vaccinations may stop large spikes due to variants.
As of Wednesday, the state reports about 12.6% of the state’s population is fully vaccinated.