CHICAGO, Ill. — Dr. Ngozi Ezike with the Illinois Department of Public Health shared pride for local health departments and said local health officials are making decisions based on science.
Ezike said health officials are not the enemy, the enemy is the virus.
1,677 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Illinois, bringing the total to 84,698 confirmed cases. In Illinois there is a total of 3,792 deaths related to the virus and 192 were reported, largest one day increase thus far, according to Ezike.
With increases in testing, Ezike said the number of positive cases will also increase.
“This is a real disease, this is a serious disease, this is not a hoax,” Ezike said.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said with expanded testing in the state, testing in long-term care facilities is important. 30,000 tests have been sent out to facilities around the state.
“The state is doing everything in its power to protect them,” Pritzker said.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has been delivered to every county in the state.
Pritzker said staff at all veterans homes in the state have been vigilant in protecting residents.
With ideas of reopening Illinois faster than planned, Pritzker said he wants this to end just as much as everyone else does.
“But this virus is still among us,” Pritzker said. “For leaders, there are no easy decisions in a pandemic.”
Pritzker said officials were elected to do what is right, not what is easy.
Counties that will try to reopen in defiance amy not be reimbursed by FEMA, according to Pritzker.
“Or damages they cause because they ignored the law. Local law enforcement and Illinois State Police can and will take action,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker said in many zones downstate, there is a flattening of the curve but not a decline, which is why May 29 is the date to move into phase three of his Reopen Illinois plan.
