ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Ill. — As the Delta variant continues to spread across the country, Illinois’ top doctor says she’s concerned some people in her state aren’t taking it seriously.
“I’ve been safe the whole time,” said Jesse Fortune. “I try to keep my mask on whenever I go inside somewhere. It’s concerning.”
“We have to stop running away from the facts,” said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Director of Illinois Department of Public Health.
“We’re absolutely seeing in the Metro East region an increase in the number of people going into the hospital every day,” said Dr. Ezike.
With the Delta variant running rampant across the river in parts of Missouri, Dr. Ezike says she’s concerned that people are doubting how dangerous the virus can be.
“The virus doesn’t respect the border between Missouri and Illinois,” said Dr. Ezike.
That’s why she’s doubling down on the importance of vaccines by offering incentives.
“We’ve actually tried to give $10 million reasons for people to get vaccinated,” said Ezike.
However, that’s simply not enough for some in the Land of Lincoln.
“To each their own,” said Fortune. “Everybody is grownups, but at the same time nobody wants to shut down the whole society again.”
“The decision to go backwards is in the hands of the people of Illinois,” said Dr. Ezike. “It’s absolutely dependent on how people behave.”
Chicago officials issued a travel order Tuesday, requiring unvaccinated travelers from Missouri and Arkansas have to either quarantine for 10 days or have a negative COVID-19 test.