Today’s update discusses:

• Governor Pritzker’s extended and revised stay-at-home order
• a new daily high COVID-19 case count
• another Chicago suburb requiring residents to wear face masks in public

EMERGENCY POWERS

• Today, Governor Pritzker extended the statewide stay-at-home order into late May. The Governor announced the order will contain some modifications, though.  Golf courses and state parks may re-open with social distancing guidelines in place.   Anyone over age 2 will be required to wear a mask in public when social distancing is not possible.  Greenhouses, garden centers, nurseries, and animal groomers will be allowed to re-open as essential businesses, with employees wearing face coverings.  Some non-essential retail stores may re-open to fill phone and online orders.  On Wednesday, health officials reported 2,049 new coronavirus cases, making yesterday the highest single-day total of new cases since the outbreak started, far surpassing the prior highest single-day count of 1,842 new cases set last Friday.
• Today Evanston announced a requirement that masks or face coverings be worn in public to prevent the spread of COVID-19, joining many other suburbs in Chicago. The order, which took effect at 8:00 this morning, requires all persons working in essential businesses to wear face coverings, taking into account certain exceptions for young children and people who have trouble breathing.