Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker extends statewide stay-at-home order through April
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday he would sign an executive order extending a statewide stay-at-home order through April 30.
Public and private schools will remain closed through the end of April as part of the extended order. The state required schools to begin offering remote learning on Tuesday.
The extension is necessary to allow hospitals to handle an influx of COVID-19 patients, the governor said. Thirty-five percent of total intensive care unit beds in Illinois are occupied by coronavirus patients, and 24% of ventilators are in use for treating them.
Forty-one percent of adult intensive care unit beds are available statewide, a 2% decrease from a week ago. Statewide, 68% of ventilators were available statewide, a 4% drop since last week.
“We’re still within our capacity,” Pritzker said. “But from all the modeling we’ve seen, our greatest risk of hitting capacity isn’t right now but weeks from now. The virus’ spread is growing. So is its risks. We must not let up now.”
Pritzker issued the original stay-at-home order on March 20, directing all Illinoisans except essential workers to shelter in place at their homes and to make only necessary trips. The first order was in effect until April 7.
“If we can end these orders earlier, I’ll be the first one to tell you,” Pritzker said, “but that time is not today, and it’s not April 7.”
Remote learning days will count toward the school year and students will not have to make them up in person. Each school district will create a plan to ensure students, including English language learners and students with disabilities, are served by remote learning materials.
Schools can use up to five planning days to prepare their remote learning plans.
The number of positive COVID-19 case in St. Clair County has increased to 43, according to the St. Clair County Health Department.
Officials previously announced the deaths of two patients who tested positive for COVID-19. One woman was in her 80s and the other was in her 30s. Both of them had underlying health conditions.
The health department reported that 321 people had been tested in the county as of Tuesday, and that there were 74 pending results.
In Madison County, the number of coronavirus cases increased to 18.
Overall, the region has 77 positive cases.
Here are the latest statistics for coronavirus cases as of Tuesday afternoon in southwestern Illinois:
- St. Clair County - 43, two deaths
- Madison County - 18
- Clinton County - 7
- Monroe County - 4
- Randolph County - 2
- Washington County - 1
- Bond County - 2
Officials reported 937 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease statewide and 26 additional deaths. There were a total of 5,994 positive cases and 99 deaths.
In St. Louis County, officials announced Tuesday a third person died from coronavirus complications. The patient, a woman in her 50s, had chronic medical conditions, the St. Louis County Department of Public Health said in a news release.
Reporter Hana Muslic contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 3:02 PM.
