Illinois’ Monday update on COVID-19 reports 1,173 new cases with 74 additional deaths. The state has now confirmed 22,025 cases with 794 deaths. Downstate deaths were a Fayette County woman and a Jasper County man, both in their 90s.
Governor JB Pritzker announced during Monday’s briefing that the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission approved automatic benefits to essential workers who fall ill with COVID-19. The new rules presume the virus was caught while on the job. Several business groups protested the move, saying many industries are already suffering unprecedented losses and closures and the sudden policy change will increase their costs without proof that the illness was contracted at the workplace.
Governor JB Pritzker says efforts continue to expand access and eligibility to unemployment benefits. The state received more than 513,000 initial unemployment claims in the five weeks from March 1 to April 4, more than the total number of initial claims for all of 2019. A federally- program provides an additional $600 per week through July 25 for those entitled to regular state benefits. Another federally-funded program for self-employed individuals is in the works to begin the week of May 11. An additional federally-funded program adds 13 weeks of benefits to those who have exhausted their 26 weeks of regular unemployment benefits. Illinois House Republicans, including House GOP leader Jim Durkin, earlier Monday criticized Pritzker and state officials for failures in the state system causing delays for thousands attempting to file for unemployment benefits.
