
Today’s updates discusses a record high of COVID-19 related deaths in Illinois along with several more confirmed cases. In addition, this update discusses a second GOP state representative filing suit against Pritzker for his directive, and information released regarding a decrease in jobs across the state as a result of COVID-19 impacts.
HEALTH
- While other states in the Midwest plan to reopen, Illinois saw a reported 144 deaths related to COVID-19 on Tuesday, the highest number of confirmed deaths in a single day. Additionally, Illinois saw 2,219 new cases, which is the fifth time in the past week that the number of new cases has topped 2,000. For more information, visit https://chicago.suntimes.com/coronavirus/2020/4/28/21240216/illinois-pritzker-coronavirus-cases-deaths-high-april-28.
EMERGENCY POWERS
- Following a Southern Illinois Judge’s order exempting GOP lawmaker Darren Bailey from Governor Pritzker’s statewide stay-at-home order, a second GOP representative sued today. Republican State Rep. John Cabello filed a lawsuit challenging the stay-at-home order in Winnebago County Circuit Court. The lawsuit asks a judge to block the stay-at-home order and any similar measures from being enforced on Cabello and all citizens similarly situated. For more information, visit https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-coronavirus-illinois-stay-at-home-order-lawsuit-20200429-4k4uxyakqrcxjfhkp465usbrcu-story.html.
ECONOMICS
- Preliminary data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security reported the number of nonfarm jobs decreased in March in twelve Illinois metropolitan areas as compared to last year. These areas include Bloomington, Carbondale-Marion, Champaign-Urbana, Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, Danville, Decatur, Elgin, Kankakee, Lake County-Kenosha County, Peoria, Rockford, Springfield, and the Illinois section of St. Louis metro East. Statewide from March 2019 to March 2020, the number of jobs dropped by 39,800. For more data on individual areas across the state, visit https://www2.illinois.gov/Pages/news-item.aspx?ReleaseID=21452.
HeplerBroom attorney Emilee M. Bramstedt contributed to this blog post.