McHenry Times

State Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-St. Charles) feels the pain of small business owners now feeling squeezed by the latest COVID-19 restrictions recently reenacted by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“We are one of most restricted states and it’s hurting everyone as the state struggles to reach growth levels,” Ugaste told the McHenry Times. “I don’t know how much more the industry is expected to be able to take.”

Ugaste fears the governor’s latest actions set the table for more of the same suffering. Citing rising infection rates, Pritzker recently moved to reenact COVID restrictions in at least 24 counties while warning the ban could soon spread to other parts of the state. The governor’s actions have quickly raised the anger of many small business owners still struggling to overcome the impact of the first shutdown he imposed just months earlier.

“I agree we need to take this virus seriously to prevent the spread, but at the same time the governor has been told by the courts that he doesn’t have the authority to just do whatever he wants,” Ugaste added. “He needs to be working with the legislature. We are a co-equal branch of government and he’s sidelined us in all this and that’s not our system of government.”

Given the high stakes, Ugaste said he isn’t surprised to now see so many small business owners fighting back, including launching a Facebook page where owners planning to defy his order can go to strategize and vent their frustrations.

“These shutdowns are disastrous for many businesses, not just restaurants and bars,” Ugaste added. “We already have enough problems that have been caused by this pandemic. At this point, I think we all need to be working together for the good of the people.”