39 more die in Illinois of COVID-19 as all regions set to move to Phase 3
Another 39 people have died of COVID-19 in Illinois — as the four regions in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan are set to see some restrictions loosened come Friday.
Officials, however, said the 39 deaths reported Tuesday could be lower due to a lack of reporting on Memorial Day. And employees at the state’s laboratories were given a rare day off, the first one since the pandemic began.
There were also 1,178 new cases reported from 17,230 tests received. The virus remains in 100 of 102 Illinois counties. In total, 4,923 people have died of the coronavirus in Illinois. With the new cases reported on Tuesday, there have been 113,195 positive cases and nearly 787,000 total tests performed.
Tuesday marked the fourth consecutive day with fewer than 100 deaths reported. But more than half of the total COVID-19 deaths have been in May.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, head of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said the state lost 780 people for the week ending on May 16, marking the first week the state has seen fewer deaths than the previous week.
“I am hopeful that this fact is the beginning of a downward trend,” Ezike said. “But of course that also depends on all of us and making sure that we’re doing all that we can to decrease the transmission of this virus.”
Pritzker on Tuesday also shared good news: all four regions in his reopening plan are set to see further restrictions lifted come Friday. The metrics needed to move to the next phase of his five-part plan include a positivity rate under 20% and stable or declining hospital metrics.
“All regions continue on track to move into Phase 3 by the end of this week,” Pritzker said.
The Democratic governor was asked about large groups over the holiday weekend.
“People who choose not to [be safe] either haven’t been reading the newspaper, aren’t following the rules or don’t seem to understand how dangerous this pandemic is,” Pritzker said. “The pandemic is still here.”
Lightfoot issues new guidance
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Tuesday said she’ll take her time in lifting restrictions in Chicago, which remains a virus hot spot, based partly on what she has seen in other cities.
“We are not going to let this happen in Chicago. We are not going to undo all the hard work and sacrifice,” the mayor said.
On Tuesday, she announced guidance for the reopening of child care facilities, retail stores, offices and other industries.
The city has not yet set a date for when it will enter Phase 3 of its reopening, though Lightfoot said she expects that to happen in early June.
The newly issued guidance calls for students to undergo health screenings before entering a classroom. Outside of class, children would be required to wear facial coverings, while parents and school employees would need coverings at all times.
In office settings, high-traffic common areas would be closed to discourage employee gatherings, and workspaces would be reconfigured in an effort to maintain six feet between workers.
While the city’s playgrounds will remain closed in Phase 3, non-contact sports among “small groups” are allowed, though facial coverings will still be required.
The new guidance, however, did not touch on policies that would be required of sporting venues, houses of worship, bars or Chicago’s lakefront parks, beaches and trail.
While legislators left Springfield on Sunday having passed a budget to get the state through this year, and the next, the governor has not yet been sent the measures to sign, the governor’s offices said.
The Illinois secretary of state’s office will be opening Driver Services centers in a limited capacity starting the first week of June.
Driver Services centers will open June 1-2 for new drivers, people with expired licenses and IDs and people making vehicle transactions, Secretary of State Jesse White’s office said. These facilities will be open with expanded hours until July 31.
Facilities in Chicago will open June 1, with centers in the rest of the state following on June 2, White’s office said. However, locations at the James R. Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph, and Chicago Loop Express, 69 W. Washington, will not reopen until July 1, as those offices are in buildings that are still shut down.
“Throughout this pandemic, my commitment has been to do everything we can to help protect the health and safety of our residents and my employees, while providing services to the people of Illinois,” said White. “This reopening plan adheres to this commitment.”
Expiration dates for driver’s licenses, IDs and vehicle registrations have been extended to at least 90 days after the statewide disaster proclamation ends, White’s office said. The federal deadline to get a REAL ID was also pushed back to Oct. 1, 2021.
Driver Services centers were closed March 16 to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Illinoisans can find information on the centers using the Secretary of State’s Facility Finder and use cyberdriveillinois.com to replace and renew registrations, driver’s licenses and IDs.