John Foley submits additional Facts to a candid World.
Illinois has a December 2020 unemployment rate of 8%. For comparative purposes, Wisconsin has an unemployment rate of 4% and Indiana an unemployment rate of 4.6%.He also proposes a timeline for reopening.
Why all the data? Information makes the sale. It is time for Illinois to open up, leaving the decision to the individual/entity. The public knows who the vulnerable population is. Hospital capacity (the root of the lockdown) has not been overwhelmed. Daily death counts have dropped dramatically. We have a very impressive vaccination rate. We know what we need to do to protect our health. Too many children received a woefully inadequate education this school year. Too many high school and college students are struggling to find employment this summer. Too many people have had their emotional health compromised.
Chicago is a convention destination with 25–30,000 union hospitality jobs. We are losing convention opportunities to other destinations. In Evanston, the vaunted Orrington Hotel has declared bankruptcy due to COVID. Our higher unemployment rate compared to our neighboring states is driven by our inability to open up our entertainment/hospitality/convention industries and society as a whole.
Watch the Texas reopening. If the Texan health care system is not overwhelmed by the end of March, we should follow its lead and remove all Illinois government restrictions on private enterprise. If Texas is successful, we have the information and the vaccinations to responsibly reopen in early April. There isn't a better place in the world than Chicago in the summer. Good luck to Texas so that we can have a wonderful, thriving Chicago summer. We are the city of broad shoulders.Illinoisans will have a chance to remove the rookie governor and send him back to his real estate ventures in another year. The clock is running.
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