CHICAGO (WGN) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Illinois’ ‘stay at home’ order is set to begin this weekend and go until April as the number of COVID-19 cases in the state continue to rise.
The order is set to start at 5 p.m. Saturday and go until April 7. Like other states, the order will mean residents can still go to the grocery stores, put gas in their cars, take walks outside and make pharmacy runs. All local roads, including the interstate highways and tollways, will remain open to traffic, as well.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 163 new cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, including the death of a Cook County woman in her 70s — bringing the state’s total number of cases to 585 and the total number of fatalities to 5.
Three additional counties have now reported cases: Adams, Christian and McLean counties.
Illinois health officials estimate as many as 3,400 people may test positive for the COVID-19 virus within a week if current trajectories continue. That would be a more than 700% increase over the current number of cases in the state.
Illinois follows New York whose Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday issued an executive order mandating that all workers in non-essential businesses across the state are required to stay home. On Thursday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday ordered the state’s 40 million residents to stay at home, restricting non-essential movements.
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