May 8, 2020: Gov. Pritzker gave an update on coronavirus testing in Illinois, announcing new drive-thru sites coming soon and a milestone for daily testing.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his employees are self-isolating after a member of his senior staff tested positive for coronavirus late last week, his office said Monday.
The staff member was asymptomatic, the governor's office said in a statement, and was in close contact with Pritzker as well as other employees.
Approximately 20 people on the governor's staff have been reporting to work in person at the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago during the coronavirus pandemic, officials said, while the rest have been working from home.
Pritzker and all other staff still reporting to work in person tested negative, officials said. Pritzker was tested again early Sunday, his office said, testing negative.
As a result of the positive test, both Pritzker and the staffers will work from home "an appropriate isolation period" in accordance with guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Pritzker's office said.
The office will undergo a deep cleaning, the statement says, and staff will monitor themselves for symptoms. Pritzker and his staff will return to the office when IDPH "deems appropriate," his office said.
Pritzker will continue to give his weekday afternoon briefings while self-isolating, his office said, but will conduct them from home until he is cleared to return.
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Illinois health officials on Sunday reported 1,656 new coronavirus cases and 57 additional deaths, bringing the total to 77,741 cases and 3,406 deaths statewide.
