Pritzker Gets An F, IL Wants Normalcy: 1-Year Coronavirus Survey

ILLINOIS — Thursday marked one year since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic — and Saturday will mark exactly a year since Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered all schools closed.

This week, Patch polled readers on how they think Illinois has fared during the pandemic, on how they feel Pritzker has managed the crisis, and on their own comfort level when it comes to resuming "normal" activities. More than 3,400 readers responded.

Early on in the pandemic, Illinois residents expressed anxiety about resuming normal activities, but more than 365 days in — and with a vaccine rollout happening across the state — that's not the case anymore.

The majority of readers seemed eager to enjoy activities and dining at local bars and restaurants. Nearly 55 percent of readers described themselves as extremely comfortable resuming activities this spring, and 36.4 percent said they are comfortable doing so as long as people are masked up and socially distancing. Only 9 percent said they are uncomfortable doing typical spring activities.

When it comes to dining and enjoying drinks at local bars, nearly 63 percent of those who responded said they feel safe dining indoors — a stark contrast to the results of a similar Patch survey in May, in which more than 56 percent of readers said they felt it was not safe to go to restaurants and bars and nearly 66 percent said they were anxious about dining out.

And an overwhelming number of people who have worked from home since last March — more than 70 percent — said they are comfortable going back in person.

Pritkzer gets graded

Opinion also seems to have shifted on how Pritzker has handled the pandemic.

Last April — less than a month into the pandemic — most Illinois Patch readers who took our survey had a favorable impression of the way Pritzker was handling the outbreak. More than 60 percent of readers felt favorably about how the state was handling the pandemic, with about the same amount feeling likewise about Pritzker's job performance. Meanwhile, about 55 percent said they were dissatisfied with then-President Donald Trump's handling of the pandemic.

This time around, the largest segment of those who responded to the survey — more than 43 percent — gave the governor an F grade for his handling of the pandemic. But almost as many, or more than 41 percent, gave him an A (16.1 percent), B (14.2 percent) or a C (10.9 percent). Another 15.3 percent gave him a D grade.

Nearly 30 percent won't get vaccine

As for sentiment regarding vaccines, in December, most of the 3,000 readers who took another Patch survey said they intended to get vaccinated against COVID-19 at some point. More than 47 percent said they would get a vaccine at the earliest opportunity. Others were more cautious, with 31.6 percent saying they will get one, but only after it's been in use long enough to make sure it's safe and effective. Just more than 17 percent said they wouldn't get one at all, and the remaining 3.7 percent of those who responded said they weren't sure.

This time around, nearly 30 percent of those who responded said they won't get a vaccine at all.

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Another 20.2 percent of readers said they are already fully vaccinated, and 30 percent are trying to get an appointment to get the vaccine. More than 17 percent said they've received their first dose of a vaccine, and 3.8 percent said they have an appointment to get vaccinated scheduled.

According to CNN, "experts generally agree that somewhere between 70% and 85% of the population must be protected to suppress the spread, a range that Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has recently cited."

Hooray for sports

Readers were happy about the news that fans will be allowed at Chicago Cubs and Sox games, and 45.4 percent said they will attend spring high school sporting events.

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Nearly 39 percent said "maybe" when asked if they will attend games, and another 16.9 percent said they will not.

Successes and missteps

When asked about the state's biggest successes and missteps, readers vented much frustration about the closing of schools, with many blaming Pritzker despite the fact that it is now up to individual districts — not the governor — to decide whether school should be conducted remotely online or in person.

One reader had this complaint about how school has been handled during the pandemic: "Unnecessarily slow walking the return of inperson learning in the schools. Unions control the schools!"

Another added, "Misstep- need to get the union teachers back in the classroom like the non-union teachers. If they don’t want to they don’t have to-let them stay home and replace them."

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Here's a sampling of responses on what was the biggest misstep or biggest success in the past year, with some positives mixed in with a lot of negative outcomes:

• "Closing the schools"
• "Our governor"
• "Shutting everything down"
• "I supported the Governor thru June, but then he bacame very restrictive and overly cautious. Specifically when it came to our children. In Illinois we have put an undue burden on kids and essentially stolen almost a year of their life. He has ruled without input and only allowed little wins for families. In the meantime, our numbers and metrics are not much better than any of the states around us. He is also slow playing the reopening which will cost us another summer of activity and could lead to long term losses. Failed leadership."
• "Disaster - celebrating politicians embracing fear over courage. States that remained open had the same or better Covid related statistics as they reached herd immunity faster without the devastation of businesses, rampant anxiety and depression leading to suicides. The tragic case of the GB QB who took his life is solely on Pritzker for the simple reason that if he lived in FL he would still be alive. Rich power hungry crooks should never have been allowed to violate the constitution with immunity."
• "Not allowing business owners to make their own decisions on being open to the public."
• "Opening too early last Fall"
• "Mask mandates and shut downs"
• "NO successes by the governor, not getting kids back in school was the worst. The governor not calling the legislature into session and being ruled by one person instead of my elected representatives. Closing small businesses and destroying people's lives while letting big businesses stay open. Telling us we need to flatten the curve so we can go back to normal, but when we do, not letting us get back to normal."
• "Taking things seriously and putting lives first."
• "Blaming Washington to cover up the state’s shortcomings, as well as Pritzger (sic) team arrogance that they know all. Please get out of the way and allow private industry handle vaccinations"
• "Best success is the mask policy! It has kept Illinois healthier. Biggest misstep is not monitoring private businesses like restaurants and rec centers that do not adhere to capacity restrictions and mask rules."
• "I know most have not, but so far, my first time on unemployment has been easy."
• "Small businesses should have never been shut down. There is less risk shopping in a smaller atmosphere than shopping with hundreds of people in big grocery or big box store. The government has done everything backwards for their own agenda. They say it is bad to eat indoors and then only allow bars to open if food is served. Bars that do not offer food service had to remain closed. How does that make sense at all?"
• "The extreme learning loss & mental health our children have had due to excessive regulations"
• "State, county and Feds do not seem to be coordinated"
• "Too political"
• "Getting vaccine is all about who you know. So many eligible people cannot get vaccine or even an appointment. FEMA is running United Center into uselessness. No leaders. No one willing to take charge. People dumped out of appointments. And when will DuPage County step up and get their citizens the vaccines before they die."
• "Biggest success: People have been wearing masks"
• "Fear mongering"
• "Trump not wearing a mask and underestimating severe illness and deaths from covid& the Republicans following like robots."
• "This is not a hoax. Those who are pushing back are the ones who have not lost someone to Covid. IL has been cautious and I appreciate it. I appreciate the state looking out for its people and not caving to pressure from residents who are anti Pritzer."
• "Organization of vaccine distribution in suburbs"
• "Keeping us safe with closing businesses, schools, remaining at home, and wearing masks is a big help! It happened quickly too! Biggest misstep might be not funding enough employees (state unemployment) enough so they could survive on not working."
• "The punishment of children with school and sports. It’s disgusting how children’s mental health has been ignored. This Governor has no empathy or heart for human well-being."
• "I was very impressed with the level of organization and speed in which the United Center implemented the shots"
• "I’ve been very impressed with the attention to detail and caution that Gov Pritzker and Ngozi Ezike have relayed to the people of Illinois regarding COVID-19 and the necessary steps to take in our everyday lives. He recommended to “Stay at Home” at one point for our health and for the safety of our communities,, knowing how difficult it would be. Gov Pritzker has a way of humanizing the situation, and making you feel like you’re not alone."
• "Illinois has accepted the mask mandates much better than most of the other states because of Pritzker’s leadership."
• "None really, but it’s awfully hard to get a vaccine for this 73 year old. Still no appointment!! Hoping to get one soon..."
• "Our success came from the Governor and the Mayor who took the advice from professionals and didn't open up the State just because other States were opening to soon and some Illinoians were trying to bully them into opening. They held their ground."

Some were measured in their responses, acknowledging that the pandemic was uncharted territory for leaders and the public alike:

• "It’s a pandemic and we are all learning what works."
• "In my opinion it has been handled well although I do wish the vaccine rollout was smoother/quicker and less restrictive."
• "Honestly who knows what’s been good and what really helping we can only guess and in 20 years we can look back and say what we should have done!!"

Editor's note: The survey was not meant to be a scientific poll, but only to give a broad idea of public sentiment.

Related:

COVID Deaths Fall In Illinois As Vaccine Rollout Continues

Illinois crossed the grim milestone of 10,000 deaths on Nov. 5, nearly 8 months into the pandemic. The next month, the state reported a record 238 deaths in a single day, and the next 10,000 deaths took just three months. Illinois crossed that threshold in February.