April 23, 2020 – Sanford, Florida, United States – Health workers are seen at a mobile COVID-19 testing site at the Westside Community Center in the Goldsboro neighborhood of Sanford, Florida on April 23, 2020. Local health officials are offering the free tests at six historic black communities in Seminole County to help residents who are not only especially vulnerable to coronavirus, but who cannot drive to a health clinic or may be unable to afford health insurance. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
While state officials say that the curve of new coronavirus cases in Illinois is starting to flatten, the number of cases is continuing to go up, as 2,450 new cases were reported Saturday.
In all, more than 58,000 cases have been confirmed in the state since the pandemic began.
This news comes as officials in Chicago promise to step up enforcement efforts amid the pandemic, aimed at preventing large groups from gathering in defiance of the state’s “stay-at-home” order.
Here are the latest headlines from around Illinois on the coronavirus today (May 2):
City Officials Warn of Citations, Arrests for Those Defying Stay-at-Home Order
With temperatures expected to reach the 70s Saturday and Sunday, officials are informing residents that the state’s “stay-at-home” order will continue to be enforced, and that individuals should continue to practice social distancing and avoiding gathering in large groups.
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“We will shut you down, we will cite you, and if we have to, we will arrest you,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. “Don’t make us treat you like a criminal, but if you act like a criminal and you violate the law and refuse to do what’s necessary to save lives in the middle of a pandemic, we will take you to jail. Period.”
The city issued more than 4,600 dispersal orders for large gatherings in the month of April, and reported 17 arrests.
Illinois Reports 2,450 More Cases of Virus
More than 2,500 Illinois residents have now passed away from COVID-19, and the state reported 2,450 new cases of the virus on Saturday.
The state’s death toll due to COVID-19 cases now stands at 2,559, while the total number of cases now stands at 58,505, according to state data.
North Side Whole Foods Confirms Multiple Employees Tested Positive for COVID-19
Multiple employees of a North Side grocery store have tested positive for coronavirus, Whole Foods officials said Saturday.
The employees, who work at the Whole Foods location in the 1500 block of North Kingsbury in the city’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, are currently being quarantined, according to a company spokesman.
