Pritzker worried about second wave of COVID-19 infections that could be deadlier

Pritzker worried about second wave of COVID-19 infections that could be deadlier

Citing progress against the coronavirus, the White House is eager to end the nationwide shutdown crippling the US economy. But Illinois Governor JB Pritzker says, not so fast!

CHICAGO - Citing progress against the coronavirus, the White House is eager to end the nationwide shutdown crippling the US economy.

But Illinois Governor JB Pritzker says, not so fast!

The president sounded supportive when asked about Florida Governor Ron Desantis possibly re-opening his state's public schools.

“Ron Desantis, I’ve read where he's thinking about opening up the schools earlier than the date, the end of the month. I'd have to look at the numbers. But again, I like to allow governors to make decisions without overruling that,” Trump said.

Several other states have already canceled the rest of the semester for their public schools. The governor of Illinois said he'd allow schools here to re-open, only if widespread testing is available to determine who has COVID-19 and who does not.

Pritzker remains worried about a repeat of what happened with the 1918 pandemic, when a second wave of infection proved far deadlier than the first.

“There’s also the threat of a peak in the fall. Doctors will tell you that, if you look back at the Spanish Flu, other pandemics, and even if you look at other countries that opened up after they've peaked, that you see a resurgence of cases. Because we don't have a vaccine,” he said.

Gov. Pritzker said he's likely to make a final decision by April 30 about whether to re-open schools in Illinois.