Illinois Valley Times

Veteran republican state Sen. Sue Rezin is imploring Gov. J.B. Pritzker to act now if countless state residents are to have their best chance of surviving COVID-19.

“The governor took a more aggressive approach than most of our surrounding states in his attempt to combat the spread of COVID-19,” Rezin told Illinois Valley Times. “Unfortunately, this meant that small business, including restaurants, would have to take on most of the financial burden that those measures brought. If we want Illinois to ever recover from the devastating consequences of this virus, we must provide our business community with the necessary tools and support they need.”

Rezin argues the state’s small business owners top the list of those having been inflicted the most, pointing to a new survey by small business referral network Alignable that details how the last month saw 56% of all the state’s bar and restaurant owners unable to pay their full rent as the sting of the governor’s ongoing ban on indoor dining took greater effect.

Nationally, that figure stands at 61%, up 19% from just a month earlier with the harshest part of the winter season still yet to come. In Illinois, the number of restaurants now unable to make full rent payments has already more than doubled since September.

When it comes to his handling of the pandemic, Rezin has long been one of the governor’s most vocal critics, recently blasting him for not fully considering the impact all his unilaterally imposed restrictions have had on small businesses across the state.

“For months, we have watched as widespread economic damage has been inflicted on local and state economies,” she said. “Employers throughout my district have reached out to my office, sharing their stories and voicing their concerns about the consequences this pandemic has had for their places of business."