Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is extending his statewide stay-at-home order through April as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
During a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Pritzker said he’s signing an executive order Wednesday to lengthen his stay-at-home order, as well as the disaster proclamation, and continue school closures for another month.
Pritzker issued the disaster proclamation on March 9, followed by the stay-at-home order on March 20. The stay-at-home order, which called for all non-essential businesses to close and evictions to halt, went into effect on March 21 and was set to expire on April 7.
Pritzker expects construction, which is considered an essential business under his stay-at-home order, to continue in Chicago.
Illinois is nearing 6,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 100 deaths, officials said Tuesday. There were fewer than 600 reported cases across the state when Pritzker announced the stay-at-home order less than two weeks ago.