Illinois reports new single-day high for coronavirus cases

Hundreds of people gathered outside the Thompson Center in Chicago on Friday to record their protests against and in favor of the governor’s stay-at-home orders. Moreover, the Illinois administration reported a new single-day high for the coronavirus cases. The state reported 3137 Covid-19 cases on Friday.

JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, said during his daily briefing on the coronavirus, “We have bent the curve. It is not an accident.” He warned Illinoisans that the virus had not gone away yet. Pritzker said that millions of people supported the stay-at-home order, and it was working to slow down the spread of the virus. He also talked about those few hundred protestors who stood against the order.

According to the recent stats, the total number of coronavirus cases have exceeded 56,055, while the total number of deaths has reached the figure of 2,457. Pritzker said that he was open to ending the restrictions in areas where the number of new cases remained on a downside for 14 days. Pritzker said that there was no area in Illinois that could fulfill this standard. Moreover, the governor has issued a new order to open the state parks and golf courses downstate from Friday.

Pritzker said about the protestors who demonstrated against the rule in Chicago and Springfield, “They are exercising their right to free speech, and I will defend their right – even when they are wrong.” Pritzker said that he was eager to lift the restriction and allow people to get back to work but after ensuring their safety. He said that he would not lift the order due to some of the protestors on the streets.

According to the governor, contact tracing is one of the ways to move forward towards the normalcy and reopening of the economy. He said, “Contact tracing is a primary tool to identify potential asymptomatic spreaders.” Dr. Wayne Duffus of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said, “Contact tracing has historically been used to monitor outbreaks.”