South Central Reporter

Veteran state Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City) has long worried about the cure becoming more dangerous than the disease in Illinois' battle against COVID-19.

“That’s a factor that should have been taken into greater consideration when all these highly restrictive lockdown policies were put in place,” Wilhour told the South Central Reporter. “We’re not just talking economic calamity that results from these shutdowns. The increases in depression and anxiety are primed to take more years in life than the virus.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, more than 44% of adults in California report higher levels of anxiety and feelings of gloom as an assortment of shutdowns and restrictions have lingered deep into the summer. Such feelings of malaise have likewise stretched across the country, with about 41% of adult respondents reporting similar symptoms during the third week of July, or a 30% percent increase from the same time last year.

“We’re not designed for people to be taken and locked away from their lives and livelihoods,” Wilhour added. “That’s the part of the science that was never given any credence. We don’t have to look back far to realize economic recessions are always coupled with this kind of destructive behavior.”

In surveys conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics and the Census Bureau, respondents were quizzed on such matters as how often during the previous seven days they had been bothered by feeling hopeless or depressed; had felt little interest or pleasure in doing things; had felt nervous or anxious; or had experienced uncontrolled worry. Symptoms were found to be more pronounced among young adults, and generally decreased with age.

Wilhour laments none of it seems to matter with Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“The governor is still doubling down on some of these restrictive measures,” he said. “He just did more restrictions based on positivity rates alone where again he didn’t consider any of these factors.”