Peoria Standard

East Peoria Mayor John Kahl says the city will not be enforcing Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s business closures, joining several other cities statewide.

Kahl said the city’s businesses were doing their part to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

“East Peoria will not be enforcing the restrictions that will be imposed by the Governor on our business community in the coming days,” Kahl said in a statement. 

Kahl said in the statement that they would continue to support the rights of all community-owned businesses in allowing them to remain open.

“The businesses of East Peoria have done their part throughout these challenging times and not a single one of them has been found by the Health Department to pose a risk to public health,” Kahl said. “I ask for your continued support of all members of our business community!”

Last week, the mayors of Quincy, Springfield and Libertyville all came out saying they also would not be enforcing Pritzker’s lockdown orders.

Quincy Mayor Kyle Moore said while the city would make sure businesses followed the proper safety procedures and guidelines, they wouldn’t be enforcing shuttering restaurants.

Libertyville Mayor Terry Weppler said that while he was aware of the dangers of the coronavirus and he was concerned with public health, he didn’t see an issue with restaurants, the Lake County Gazette reported.

“The governor’s order is self-serving since he allows customers to go into restaurants with gambling machines and gamble since the state gets 30% of the gambling money,” Weppler said, Lake County Gazette reported. 

Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder also said he wouldn't be enforcing the lockdown closures.

Prairie State Wire reported that Illinois is one of the top five states for permanent business closure due to the pandemic, with a total of 3,800 small businesses permanently closing since the pandemic began. The state has also seen 2,100 temporary closures.