Governor JB Pritzker has extended Illinois’ stay-at-home order until May 30 with modifications. It requires facemasks to be worn in public indoor spaces and anywhere a six-foot distance from others cannot be maintained. Essential businesses must provide face coverings for employees who cannot maintain social distancing. Some state parks will begin a phased re-opening; a list can be found here. Golf will be allowed under strict guidelines. Greenhouses and garden centers become essential businesses and may open. Retail stores considered non-essential may re-open for pickup and delivery. Hospitals and medical centers may conduct some elective procedures. The new order begins May 1.
Governor Pritzker cited models based on two months of COVID-19 data and intensive care usage in Illinois. He said at the current pace, deaths and hospitalizations would peak in late April or early May. Pritzker said without the stay-at-home order, the model estimates 10 to 20 times as many deaths so far. The governor said if the stay-at-home order was lifted now, death rates and hospitalizations would rise sharply by the middle of May in a second wave that would exceed the state’s hospital capacity, with peaks nearly as high as if the restrictions were never in place with five to 10 times more deaths.
Illinois lost nearly 40,000 nonfarm jobs over the past year according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security. The Springfield region lost about 1,300 jobs in that period from March 2019 to March 2020. The Springfield area unemployment rate fell to 3.1 percent in March compared to 4.7 percent one year earlier, while the statewide rate was the same as last year at 4.4 percent. IDES reports the local rates temporarily decreased over the year due to the shrinking of the labor force due to COVID-19. IDES reports processing nearly 103,000 new unemployment claims during the week ending April 18 for a total more than 755,000 initial claims from March 1 through April 18, 12 times the number of claims processed over the same period last year.
