Governor JB Pritzker confirmed that the entire state will move Friday into Phase 3 of his five-phase reopening plan. Retail, salons, spas and other businesses may open with safety restrictions, golf can tee off in foursomes, and restaurants and bars may open in-person outdoor dining. New guidelines for youth sports and camps have been developed and are on the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity website. Horse racing will be allowed to resume without fans.
Governor Pritzker removed mandates for church services and established recommendations for limited attendance, preferring remote or drive-in services but allowing gatherings with distancing and safety measures. Springfield Catholic Diocese Bishop Thomas John Paprocki granted permission for public Masses beginning next weekend with attendance limited to 25 percent capacity and distancing rules, noting that diocesan staff had already been preparing a training and certification process.
The Illinois Department of Public Health has issued emergency infection control rules for long-term care facilities, which includes COVID-19 testing for all residents and staff members and reporting of the results. IDPH reports providing 45,000 testing kits to 170 long-term care facilities, and an agreement with Quest Laboratories provides another 8,500 kits to 33 facilities.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 1,527 new COVID-19 cases with 104 additional deaths in Thursday’s update. Labs processed nearly 26,000 tests in the previous 24 hours, and the rolling seven-day positive test rate dropped to 8.3 percent. State totals are 115,833 cases including 5,186 deaths.
More than 58,000 initial unemployment claims were filed with the Illinois Department of Employment Security for the week ending May 23, increasing the total number of jobless claims to more than 1.3 million since March 1. IDES reports the number is nearly 12 times the amount processed during the sam period last year. The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program for workers including independent contractors and sole-proprietors processed nearly 89,000 claims in its two weeks. IDES processed another 39,000 claims for extended benefits after the exhaustion of regular unemployment benefits.
University of Illinois Springfield and Innovate Springfield are offering a free public webinar Friday on the loosened restrictions in the next phase of Illinois’ reopening plan. The webinar, “Reopening: What You Need to Know,” is Friday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Registration is encouraged but not required, with information found at https://go.uis.edu/COVIDwebinar.
