Illinois widens test eligibility as COVID-19 deaths pass 4,000

CHICAGO - An additional 130 people have died of the coronavirus in Illinois, bringing the state’s death toll to 4,058, state officials said Friday, as they announced that people working essential jobs can get tested whether or not they show symptoms of COVID-19.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the state has been able to conduct at least 11,000 tests daily since April 24. He said that total has nearly doubled in recent days, allowing tests for anyone with symptoms or working an essential job under the statewide stay-at-home order, including first responders and those working in nursing homes, grocery stores, restaurants, correctional facilities and child care centers.

Anyone exposed to a confirmed COVID-19 patient also can get tested, state officials said.

“Testing, testing, testing,” Pritzker said. “That’s what every epidemiologist, every immunologist, every responsible business owner and everyone who cares about safely opening up our economy says we must do to successfully maintain a high standard of protection.”

Pritzker said all regions of the state remained on track to continue loosening restrictions on May 29, including Chicago and surrounding counties. The state has been under a stay-at-home order since late March, with exceptions for outdoor exercise and essential errands.

Pritzker’s five-phase reopening plan split the state into four regions that can advance — or be forced to pull back — independently of the others based on several factors including hospitalization rates and the rate of positive tests out of all those performed.

Testing results released Friday found an additional 2,432 cases statewide, bringing the total to 90,369 since the beginning of the pandemic.

A second resident of the Illinois Manteno Veterans’ Home was among those to die, and 53 individuals at the home have tested positive for the virus.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for others, especially older people and the infirm, it can cause severe symptoms and lead to death.

In Chicago on Friday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot pushed back on plans by a handful of church leaders to hold in-person services on Sunday.

Lightfoot would not specify what actions the city could take in response. She told Chicago faith leaders in a letter this week that she “must enforce” the statewide stay-at-home order that remains in effect.

“My hope is always that our better angels prevail, that we’ll be able to educate people into compliance,” Lightfoot told reporters on Friday. “I hope that they will come to us in the same spirit.”