CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The state's top health official on Monday urged people not to let this week's warm weather lull them into a false sense of security.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike of the Illinois Department of Public Health said Tuesday's weather was expected to be especially warm. She implored the public not to scuttle the state's efforts to stem the fast spread of novel coronavirus.
"Please stay home. I assure you if people congregate we will set the state back in our fight against COVID-19," Ezike said as the Pritzker Administration offered its daily briefing on COVID-19.
Tuesday highs would be in the 70s, the National Weather Service says. Health authorities say the best way to blunt the spread of coronavirus is for regular people -- those who do not have "essential" jobs that take them from home -- to stay inside. People can exercise or walk their dogs in relative isolation outside, but they must not gather with others, officials say.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot last month closed lakefront trails and other attractions after people mobbed the spaces during a warm weather surge.
The state's number of COVID-19 cases grew by 1,006 for a total of 12,262, including 307 deaths. State officials reported 33 new deaths over the past 24 hours.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said his administration continues to try to secure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Illinois medical professionals, while pressing the federal government for more supplies.
He cited a 10-day burn rate on PPE in Illinois of just under 1.5 million N95 masks, 25 million gloves and 700,000 surgical masks.
