City of Rockford, Illinois plans to reopen June 1

ROCKFORD, Ill. - The mayor of Rockford, Illinois will not be waiting much longer to reopen.

Beginning June 1, Mayor Tom McNamara says childcare providers, churches and restaurants in his city will all be allowed to reopen their doors. This is in advance of Governor JB Pritzker’s 5-phased reopening plan.

Mayor McNamara says under the governor’s “Restore Illinois” plan, restaurants, childcare facilities and houses of worship were not expected to open until the end of June, and that the decision to reopen Rockford early is based on the public health metrics for Winnebago County.

“Reviewing our metrics and our data, with the help of our local health professionals, we believe that we are in a position that we can safely, sustainably and responsibly open up here locally,” McNamara said.

Guidance for reopening, in some capacity, will come from more than 140 people that make up the Rockford Region Rebounding Working Groups. They will develop recommendations and submit them to the Winnebago County Health Department.

“We’re not looking to get into a political battle or a battle between local and state,” McNamara said.

Under Governor Pritzker’s plan, restaurants, bars and childcare providers cannot reopen until Phase 4. The governor says the state is on track to begin Phase 3 by the end of May.

On Tuesday, he stressed the importance of letting the phases run their course.

“We really do need to stick with the timetable we have and to follow the metrics and it’s about following those metrics for a period of time,” Pritzker said.

As of Tuesday, more than 1,500 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Winnebago County, and 44 people have died, according to the city of Rockford.

The city says the reopening recommendations will be presented to the public next week.