(WSIL) -- Congressman Mike Bost is ready to get "back to normal," but he says more people need to get a COVID-19 vaccine to do it.
He's encouraging more people to get those shots after Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced new mandates to enter a new before returning to pre-pandemic normalcy.
70 percent of Illinoisans older than 65 must have at least one vaccine dose to get there.
The new phase would allow for higher capacity limits at places like museums, zoos, and spectator events. It also allows for increased business operations.
Representative Bost said Illinois needs to get schools reopened and get back to pre-pandemic normalcy, but he says the state isn't moving fast enough.
"I think Illinois should have freed up a little faster than they did. I've watched other states that have been very successful and have less spread of the virus than the state of Illinois did with all the lockdowns. I'm glad to hear that it's freeing up and getting not a new normal, but back to normal," said Bost.
Phase 5 is after the Bridge Phase. To get there will require more than half of Illinoisans older than 16 to be vaccinated.
