MARSHALL, Ill. (WTHI) - Illinois' current stay-at-home order extends through May 30th. Indiana, on the other hand, has eased restrictions and began to slowly reopen. Here in the Wabash Valley, some Illinois residents are upset.
Many folks in rural Illinois communities, like Marshall, are more than ready to start opening back up. They say that COVID-19 hasn't affected them hardly at all, and they shouldn't be treated the same as Chicago.
"There's more anger, frustration, and let's just call it quiet disgust," Alderman of Ward 3 for Marshall's City Council Warren LeFever says, "This is the state of Illinois, but we're being governed by the state of Chicago."
Illinois' Clark County has had only five cases of COVID-19 and zero deaths. This stat has caused many in Marshall, Illinois to begin to become restless. They want to reopen the county. LeFever says staying closed will damage their economy.
"The problem that we have is that this shut down, and the continued shut down, is just simply devastating business finance--the businessmen," LeFever said.
As a result, Executive Director of Economic Development for Marshall Jennifer Bishop says some residents will take their business across the border to Indiana. However, she says she believes the community will stick together.
"It is hard being so close to Indiana with everything opening up and people wanting to go do stuff," Bishop said, "However, I think people are going to save their money and wait until their people here can cut their hair or do their nails or anything like that. You see a big sense of community right now."
Both felt their county and city are ready to open up, and it will do the people who live there a lot of good.
"I think people are anxious to get back and get back into the swing of things even if it's not full force," Bishop concluded, "But they're definitely ready."
The Clark County board will have a special meeting Friday at 1:00 PM CST on the steps of the Clark County courthouse. It's open to the public. The only item on the agenda is discussing the reopening of Clark County and returning to work. We will report all of what they decide.
