Prairie State Wire

Emily Landon, medical advisor to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has called for a nationwide stay-at-home order to curb the increase of COVID-19 infections.

In a press statement released on Monday, Landon acknowledged that some people were observing COVID-19 regulations but more needs to be done to avoid more infections and fatalities.

She noted that available data is showing that efforts being made to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 have not been effective hence the need to swiftly act by introducing more stringent measures.

“We support and advocate for more intense efforts to decrease the spread of COVID-19 in Illinois, such as a stay-at-home order,” read the statement in part. “We feel we are left with no choice. We must control the spread of COVID-19 to reduce the already increasing burden on healthcare facilities.”

Interestingly, Pritzker may have plans to travel over Thanksgiving after discouraging Illinoisans from travelling.

When asked during a press conference whether he would be following the no-travel advisory that Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot called for earlier that day, Pritzker seemed unsure. 

“I don’t know what that says exactly and I don’t know exactly what my plans will be,” Pritzker said. “But I’ll be happy to share.”

When pressed further, the governor said he did not know what the mayor’s office had advised.

“I actually have not seen what the mayor put out this morning. I’ve been very busy as you can imagine,” he said.

Pritzker went on to state that he did not believe there was a travel ban in place, just “a discouragement.”