Orland Park wants to move to Phase 4 of Pritzker's reopening plan on Friday

ORLAND PARK, Ill. - One suburban city says it has met the requirements for the next phase of Illinois' coronavirus reopening plan, and the mayor wants to move forward.

Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau wants to move to Phase 4 of Governor JB Pritzker’s reopening plan on Friday, but the governor’s office is saying not so fast.

“All of the data shows that everything’s continued to decline after we moved into Phase 3, so it’s time to move into phase 4,” Pekau said.

The mayor says moving one-step closer toward reopening will benefit businesses, including fitness centers, movie theaters and restaurants.

“Right now, outdoor only is not enough. Indoor will help them a lot to get some capacity, even if it’s 50% capacity, and still at social distancing, combine that with what they can do outdoors, that combination will give them enough to survive,” Pekau said.

Illinois could move forward to Phase 4 of Governor Pritzker’s reopening plan as soon as June 26, but Mayor Pekau says the state is meeting the governor’s metrics to reopen and should enter a new phase every 14 days instead of 28, as long as the metrics continue to be met.

“I would love for the governor to show us one expert out there that doesn’t work directly for him that says 28 days, because everything I’ve seen from everywhere is 14 days,” Pekau said.

Meanwhile, the governor’s press secretary responded to the suburban mayor, saying, “While we appreciate input from elected officials around the state, the mayor of Orland Park is not a medical expert.”

“I don’t want to do it unsafely. I think we need to do it safely and in phased approaches, that’s what the experts recommend, but let’s make the phases more realistic,” Pekau said.

The spokeswoman for the governor goes on to say that it is abundantly clear the “Restore Illinois” plan is working and we need to continue to follow it for the health and safety of Illinoisans.