SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — In response to a less than flattering audit report about a deadly COVID-19 outbreak at a Northern Illinois long term care facility, drawing memories of a similar deadly nursing home incident from the former Republican administration, Governor J.B. Pritzker is asking everyone to cut state public health workers some slack and to direct more blame toward Republicans’ COVID-era rhetoric.
The report, released Thursday, cited a clumsy response by everyone involved at LaSalle Veterans Home in late 2020, including a rather less than helpful response from Illinois Public Health Department officials.
During a press conference, Governor Pritzker stood in defense of IDPH workers at the time, “At that time, IDPH workers were not visiting Illinois nursing homes in person because the risk of spreading COVID was so much greater.”
Pritzker also blames Republicans for spreading misinformation about the effectiveness of masking and COVID-19 vaccines at the time.
Concern is raised and the story somewhat parallels an audit from years ago which drew wide ranging criticism for Pritzker’s Republican predecessor, Bruce Rauner.
Ruaner faced a firestorm when a similar audit found public health workers under his administration hadn’t done enough to contain the spread of a Legionairres Disease outbreak at a veterans’ nursing home in Quincy, Illinois back in 2015.
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