North Egypt News

Franklin County activist Karen Tucker is electing to remain focused on the big picture when it comes to Democrats now joining Republicans in pushing Gov. J.B. Pritzker to justify some of his latest COVID-19 restrictions.

“No one can say it’s not a good idea, even though I imagine Democrats are being motivated to act now by the pressure they’re feeling from voters in their districts to make it look like they’re doing something,” Tucker told the North Egypt News. “At the end of the day, if you’re a small business owner, these restrictions are bad no matter what.”

Citing rising infection rates, Pritzker recently moved to unilaterally reenact COVID-19 restrictions that include banning indoor bar and restaurant service in at least 24 counties spread across the state. Almost from the moment it was announced, the move has raised the ire of many small business owners still reeling from the impact of the governor’s initial shutdown.

As stakes have clearly grown higher, Democrats are now among those demanding that the governor hold public hearings to justify his actions. While she welcomes the assistance, Tucker admits she doesn’t know how much impact it will have.

“As wealthy as he is, sometimes I wonder if he even knows how much he’s hurting some of the little people with some of the things he does," she said. "I know it seems like he doesn’t care.”

Through it all, Tucker said she’s happy to see more small business owners finally take a stand for themselves.

“For so many of them, this is absolutely about survival,” she added. “Having to close down again could easily mean having to close their doors for good.”