Chicago

Will Gov. Pritzker Extend Illinois' Stay-at-Home Order?

The statewide stay-at-home order was issued from March 21 to April 7

With the Art Institute of Chicago in the distance, view looking east at a nearly empty Adams Street in downtown Chicago, Illinois, March 22, 2020. (Photo by Interim Archives/Getty Images)

UPDATE: Gov. Pritzker is expected to announce Tuesday that the state's stay-at-home order is being extended. Read the latest update and watch live at 2:30 p.m. CT here.

Illinois' stay-at-home order is set to end one week from Tuesday, but will the governor extend that deadline even further as cases and deaths across the state spike?

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday it's something he's considering.

"It is something that we need to consider, whether to extend and if we did, how long," he said during his daily briefing, though he did not indicate when a decision would be made.

Pritzker's press secretary said Sunday the governor "can only do disaster proclamations 30 days at a time."

"I think he's mentioned that he'll follow the experts on extending them," Jordan Abudayyeh said.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot gave a passionate speech pleading with city residents to stay home.

The statewide stay-at-home order started on Saturday, March 21 and continues until April 7, unless it is extended.

Chicago's mayor hinted that such a decision could be coming, stating Friday the order could be extended until late April as health officials continue to work to contain the coronavirus and lessen its impact.

When asked about the stay-at-home order during a teleconference with reporters, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, " I think that realistically we’re looking at something’s that’s going to stretch deep into April."

However, the mayor stated she doesn't want to get ahead of Pritzker and said his team is examining "similar data" when it comes to a possible extension of the statewide order.

Pritzker said "every day" his team is looking at a possible extension.

"When are we extending if we do stay at home, keeping kids at home?" Gov. Pritzker said. "We'll be reporting to you, but for now April 7 is when our executive order extends to."

Illinois saw its biggest one-day jump in coronavirus cases since the pandemic began Sunday, with 1,105 new cases confirmed on Sunday.

A total of 4,596 coronavirus cases have now been confirmed statewide in 47 counties.

In addition, 18 more deaths have been reported in connection to the virus, bringing the state's total number of coronavirus-related fatalities to 65.

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