Illinois expected to join California, New York with ‘shelter-in-place’ order
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to issue the order beginning Saturday to contain spread of COVID-19.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to issue a “shelter-in-place” order taking effect Saturday, March 21, for all of Illinois, according to Chicago Tribune sources.
The drastic order intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus is expected to be issued during a press conference at 3 p.m., March 20, along with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The daily COVID-19 press conference by the Illinois Department of Public Health was moved back to that time.
The order would mean Illinoisans should stay home as much as possible, but would allow them to take walks, drive on both local roads and interstate highways as well as go to grocery stores, gas stations and pharmacies, the Tribune reported.
“There is no need to run out and hoard food, gas and medicine,” Pritzker told the Tribune on Thursday. “Buy what you need within reason. There is enough to go around, as long as you do not hoard.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a similar order on March 19. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered businesses to keep non-essential workers home starting at 8 p.m. Sunday, March 22, after the state with about 6% of the nation’s population became home to about half of the nation’s COVID-19 cases, most of them in New York City.
The New York guidelines include:
- Healthy people under 70 should limit outdoor activity to getting groceries and medicine, but they may exercise, walk outside and participate in other noncontact physical activities if they stay six feet away from others.
- Avoiding mass transit unless absolutely necessary. Roads will remain open.
- Nonessential gatherings of any size for any reason are banned.
- Those who are 70 and older, have compromised immune systems or have underlying illnesses should wear masks when in the company of others and not visit households with multiple people.
- Businesses considered nonessential must keep all of their workers at home.