Episode 133: Reopen by summer? Pritzker says not so fast

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday clarified statements from his chief of staff, a day after she said the state was headed for a full reopening this summer.

On Tuesday, Anne Caprara told a Senate committee she and the governor hoped to have restrictions lifted soon.

“I think we both hope that we are going to be in a place to move to Phase 5 in the beginning of the summer,” Caprara said. “I always hesitate to say definitively where we are going to be because we have now ridden through several rises and falls of COVID cases.”

During a news conference Wednesday in Rockford, Pritzker said not so fast.

“I wouldn’t characterize it as saying that the reopening starts as the summer starts,” Pritzker said.

Pritzker once again said there are metrics to meet, including about 5 million Illinoisans, or 50% of the state’s population older than 16, needing to be fully vaccinated. According to the New York Times Vaccine Tracker, 19% of people in Illinois are fully vaccinated.

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