Republican state House candidate Lisa Ciampoli easily counts upwards of 20,000 reasons why Gov. J.B. Pritzker needs to be more flexible in his COVID-19 approach.
“If another shutdown order is in place, the damage will be irreparable,” Ciampoli, challenging incumbent state Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville) in the 112th District, told the SE Illinois News. “It's been estimated that in Illinois over 20,000 businesses could close if another shutdown order is imposed by our governor.”
Citing rising coronavirus infection rates, the governor recently warned the state could be headed for even more restrictions as at least 11 counties have now eclipsed “warning level.” While Cass, Gallatin, Jackson, Jo Daviess, Johnson, Perry, Randolph, Saline, Sangamon, St. Clair and White counties have been identified as potential hotspots, Ciampoli argues the impact of another statewide shutdown figures to affect the 112th District as much as any place.
“These shutdown orders affect small business owners more than anyone else and small businesses built Southern Illinois,” she said.
A nurse anesthetist by trade, Ciampoli said she struggles to understand how the governor still doesn’t seem to realize his one-size-fits-all approach is not in the best interest in the state.
“I believe that every situation needs to be looked at on an individual basis,” she said. “As a CRNA, I understand the benefits of wearing a mask and urge everyone to do so where social distancing cannot take place. I also recognize that the governor should not be making unilateral decisions from his mansion in Chicago for our small towns in Southern Illinois. The decisions made should be done on a case by case basis. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to COVID-19. The governor should not treat Southern Illinois like Chicago. The decisions should be made by the local officials that the citizens elected.”
Alerts Sign-up