The instructions from Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to combat the spread of the coronavirus sound simple enough. Stay home.
Yet again on Wednesday, Lightfoot and interim police Superintendent Charlie Beck during an afternoon news conference reprimanded violators. A lot of them. From the Far North Side’s 50th Ward, where Lightfoot said she drove around Tuesday dispersing groups gathering in parks, to patrons congregating late night at liquor stores, thousands of Chicagoans are ignoring the message.
“I told people I saw gathering in clusters not abiding by social distancing rules to break it up. Yes, I’ll continue to do that,” Lightfoot said.
Because so many people are snubbing their noses at the health risks of COVID-19, Lightfoot on Wednesday announced a 9 p.m. curfew on liquor sales throughout Chicago, effective Thursday. Good.
The numbers back her up.
Since March 25, a few days after the start of Pritzker’s stay-at-home directive, the Chicago Police Department has broken up more than 2,000 groups violating the order, including 345 gatherings on Tuesday alone, the Police Department said.
That’s an astonishing drain on precious Police Department resources — and yet necessary. Those who violate social distancing protocols put everyone else at risk. The rebels should be cited.
In addition to growing numbers of COVID-19 cases and fatalities in Illinois, Chicago police and area hospitals are dealing with the city’s other epidemic — gun violence. Police handled 17 shooting incidents on Tuesday that killed seven people and injured a 5-year-old girl in the foot, a department spokesman said.
These are police officers still reporting for work, remember, trying to protect themselves and their families during a highly contagious global pandemic. While it’s foolhardy to expect criminals who shoot into crowds to care about police officer safety or overrun intensive care units, it seems especially galling for violence to pick up during an international health emergency. Yet here we are.
Cracking down on gatherings and closing public spaces have earned Lightfoot and Pritzker their fair shares of pushback, particularly from critics who question restrictions on civil liberties. We get it. We fully expect extra enforcement regulations during the COVID-19 crisis to be rescinded when public health concerns abate. And if those restrictions don’t roll back, we’ll be among the voices calling for restored liberties.
But look at these numbers. The violators are the problem, not an overzealous government intent on restricting the rights of its citizens. Announcements like Wednesday’s curfew on liquor sales are likely to continue as a measure to protect the health of the rule-abiding. We’re just fine with that.
Editorials reflect the opinion of the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board, as determined by the members of the board, the editorial page editor and the publisher.
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