They’re taking it inside in Will Co.
Supporters defy restrictions, crowd New Lenox restaurant
Vehicles in search of open spaces on Friday morning circled a crowded Laraway Road parking lot serving a shopping center that is home to Gina’s Teardrop Café inNewLenox.
Customers stood in line under an awning as a steady rain fell, waiting for seats to become available inside, where every tablewas packed with people.
Newrestrictions from Gov. J.B. Pritzker intended to slowthe spread ofCOVID-19 took effect Friday. They prohibit indoor dining inWill County and other places where numbers of infections are rising.
The restrictions are designed to improve public health and safety by reducing crowds. But on Friday atGina’s, they appeared to have the opposite effect. A throng of customers showed up.
“We’ve got to support our local businesses,” said Don Smith of NewLenox, whowas dining at the counter. “They’re either going to open for business, or they’re going to close permanently.”
Gina’s, which serves breakfast and lunch, was among several establishments inWill County and elsewhere that used social
media to publicly announce their intent to defy Pritzker’s restrictions. Gina’s announced Wednesday itwould continue to serve customers indoors so its 30 employees could continueworking and providing for their families.
“Thiswas not an easy decision to make, but one we aremaking out of survival and to help our staff pay their bills,” the post said.
OwnerGina Buck did not immediately respond to a message Friday seeking additional comment. Pritzker on Tuesday announced the new restrictions, which also affect DuPage, Kane and Kankakee counties.
At Gina’s on Friday, servers and otherworkers wore face masks that covered their mouths and noses. Many customers wore masks as theywaited in line, talked with servers orwalked between tables and restrooms.
“We can followsafe guidelines,” Smith said.
Therewas a sense that dining indoors in defiance of the governor’s restrictionswas a showof community support rather than reckless disregard for health and safety.
“Business owners need to support each other,” said Rich Blaesing, owner of Rich’s Lawn Care.
Blaesing, whowas finishing a breakfast of biscuits and gravy, said he maintains the landscaping at the shopping center where the restaurant is located.
A sizable percentage of the population shares the view of Smith, Blaesing and other customers who will continue to patronize bars and restaurants despite the latest restrictions. A large number of people hold an entirely different view. Many residents will followstate guidance and refrain from visiting establishments were indoor eating and drinking is permitted. They will followthe advice and recommendations of scientists and health officials and try to limit risks and potential exposure to the deadly virus.
As of Friday, Illinois reported 9,418 deaths and 364,033 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the Illinois Department of PublicHealth. The disease has killed 222,447 people in theUnited States and infected more than 8.3 million people nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There have beenmore than 1.1 million deaths and more than 41 million cases ofCOVID-19worldwide, according to theWorld Health Organization.
Debate over the latest restrictions involves questions of fairness. Pritzker and others have divided the state into regions. After some initial criticism that the regionswere too broad, the areaswere redefined.
Still, many questionwhy indoor drinking and dining is banned inNewLenox, Frankfort, Homer Glen, Mokena and otherWill County communities but still permitted a few miles away in Orland Park, Tinley Park, Matteson and other communities in southern Cook County.
Another fairness question in the debate concerns howcan some businesses defy restrictions without consequences while others followthe rules and shut down?
Many also have questions about enforcement, and whether local or state health authorities or police would crack down on establishments flouting the new restrictions.
“I fully believe this virus is highly contagious and do support theCDCguidelines and safety protocols,” NewLenox Mayor Tim Baldermann wrote Friday in a social media post. “The restaurants and bars are in a difficult position.”
Hospitals have seen admissions related to COVID-19 triple in the past twoweeks, Baldermann wrote. Silver Cross Hospital inNewLenox was placed on bypass for a time in the pastweek because emergency operations reached capacity, he wrote.
“Make no mistake, I am not a COVID denier,” Baldermann wrote. “Since this is a governor’s mandate, whether constitutional or not, it isn’t a law andwe don’t have the authority to enforce it. I would be surprised if the state police enforces it, but I can’t guarantee that.”
Baldermann did not immediately respond Friday to an inquiry requesting additional comment.
“If these businesses choose to stay open, I hope they practice every safety protocol as should every customer,” he wrote in the post.
The pandemic and efforts to contain it create heartbreaking dilemmas.
Around theworld, in places where there are insufficient numbers of ventilators needed for patients with theworst cases, doctors must decide who lives and who dies.
Mostwould agree that sensible precautions to limit crowds and slowthe spread are necessary. Seven months after the governor first issued a stay-athome directive, it is still unclear howmuch people without symptoms may spread the disease.
No one, it seems, believes all commerce and activity should cease. People must eat to survive, so grocers and eateries provide essential services.
Yet an asymptomatic person could unknowingly infect— and potentially kill— untold numbers of fellowpatrons and supporters.
Congress acted to provide financial assistance to businesses and employees affected by disruptions, but more should be done. Businesses shouldn’t have to be forced to defy health guidance and place customers and employees at greater risk.
There should be away to offer funding so that if businesses must shut down for several months to save lives they could reopen in the future when it is safe to do so.
Wearing a mask shouldn’t be a political statement. People shouldn’t have to gamble with their lives to show support for businesses in their community. It’s a terrible situation.
Some see clear choices, as plain as black and white. Others feel conflicted and see many shades of gray.