Illinois has now surpassed 10,000 cases of COVID-19. Saturday, Boone County reported its first two cases.
During the Illinois Department of Public Health’s daily COVID-19 update, Director Ngozi Ezike issued what she called “a simple plea – please continue to stay at home.” She said the latest sobering numbers show its not time to ease stay-at-home restrictions: 10,357 people have now tested positive for COVID-19 and a total of 243 Illinoisans have died. Gov. J.B. Pritzker put it more bluntly, saying that people who are out unnecessarily are “either not paying attention to the news or are stupid.”
In its daily report, a coalition of nine northern Illinois health department public information officers announced two people had tested positive for COVID-19 in Boone County – that means cases have now been reported in every county served by the Northern Illinois Rockford Region Public Information Officers group. Overall, there have been three deaths and 102 positive cases in the region.
Gov. Pritzker said currently, wearing protective masks in public is not required, but he highly recommends it to protect others, since the virus can be spread before symptoms are obvious. He said he was frustrated for the residents of bordering states that have not issued stay-at-home orders, but also blamed the Trump administration for not issuing the order nationally.
Pritzker reiterated that most models point to mid-to-late April as the peak of the coronavirus spread in Illinois. He said ventilator production ordered by the White House is too late to help Illinois, so the state will continue to look for ways to secure more of them now, adding “every ventilator acquired is a life saved.”
