South West Illinois News

State Rep. David Friess (R-Red Bud) recently criticized Gov. J.B. Pritzker's (D-IL) latest state of emergency declaration.

Pritzker declared a public health emergency on Aug. 1 in response to confirmed reports of approximately 520 cases of monkeypox in the state, according to The Chicago Sun-Times. The governor declared Illinois a disaster area as well, as the state had the fourth-highest case count in the U.S. as of Aug. 5.

"After countless emergency declarations related to COVID, the tyrant could not help himself," Friess said in a Facebook post.

Pritzker's declaration allows the Illinois Department of Public Health to better facilitate operations between state agencies and receive support for the distribution of vaccines, The Chicago Sun-Times reported. It will also help the state manage any federal assistance.

"MPV [monkeypox virus] is a rare but potentially serious disease that requires the full mobilization of all available public health resources to prevent the spread," Pritzker said.

It will be easier for officials to accelerate vaccine distribution with the declaration in place, according to a press release from Pritzker's office that was shared by NBC Chicago/WMAQ. The declaration will also allow Illinois to gain access to emergency funds and doctors to prescribe treatment more easily.

"Proclaiming a state of disaster will allow the Illinois Department of Public Health to expand vaccine and testing capacities with the help of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and via state and federal recovery and assistance funds," the press release said. "This proclamation will aid in facilitating the complicated logistics and transportation of vaccines across the state to reach the most impacted communities efficiently."

Data from the Centers for Disease Control revealed that Illinois is among the five states with the highest number of monkeypox cases; approximately 672 cases were reported as of Monday.