Gov. JB Pritzker Announces 3 More Coronavirus Deaths In Illinois; Total Cases Up To 422

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Gov JB Pritzker said Thursday afternoon that three more people have died from the COVID-19 outbreak in Illinois.

The three deaths include a Will County man in his 50s, a Cook County woman in her 80s, and a Florida woman in her 70s who was visiting Sangamon County, according to the governor.

Pritzker said the rise in confirmed cases is due largely to an expansion of testing. At the start of the outbreak, Pritzker said when the state began testing, officials performed 200 tests per day, and are now conducting 1,000 tests per day. He said that will rise to 2,000 daily tests in a few days.

"That's why we're starting to see an increase in the number of positives, but no one should mistake that fact for the idea that we're not seeing a significant increase in the number of people who are contracting coronavirus, COVID-19, because that also is happening," he said.

Ezike said, while evidence indicates the elderly are the most vulnerable to severe illness from COVID-19, there have been many cases of young people also becoming seriously ill.

With restaurants closed to dine-in customers, and images of empty grocery store and pharmacy shelves while many people are staying home, Pritzker urged people not to hoard food or medicine. Pritzker said essential services like grocery stores, pharmacies, and gas stations will continue to operate, no matter what; and the state will not be closing any interstates, highways, or bridges.

"There is no need to run out and hoard food, gas, or medicine. Buy what you need, within reason. There is enough to go around as long as people do not hoard. We will never shut these services down," Pritzker said.

Meantime, Pritzker reminded Illinois residents that social distancing is the best way to prevent the spread of the disease.

In order to make sure seniors aren't afraid to go out and get the food and supplies they need during the outbreak, the governor said his staff and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association have reached out to grocery stores across the state to set aside specific times when seniors can buy groceries without other shoppers present. Pritzker urged seniors to call their local store to find out what hours they have reserved for older customers to shop.

Pritzker also said he's signed an executive order expanding telemedicine services for people on Medicaid and for those with private insurance.

"This order will allow more providers to get reimbursed for these services, and allow patients more flexibility and safety in getting the medical guidance and care that they need," he said.

The governor also asked doctors and health care providers to make sure they are staying up to date with the best prevention practices during the COVID-19 pandemic by signing up for the state's emergency notification system, Siren, to receive all the latest updates about the virus. Doctors can sign up online by clicking here.

Asked if he's considering a possible shelter-in-place order for the entire state, similar to one recently issued in west suburban Oak Park, the governor said that might be a possibility in the future, but based on his conversations with epidemiologists and other health officials, it's not necessary at this point.

"I'm looking at all of these things literally every day. We're contemplating what are the moves that we need to take, based upon the guidance that we're given," he said.

However, the governor said it is possible that he will extend his order closing all Illinois schools until March 30, and he said parents should prepare for the possibility students will have to stay home longer than that.

In an effort to provide some financial assistance to bars and restaurants, which have been ordered to close to dine-in customers through March 30, Pritzker has ordered the Department of Revenue to defer sales tax payments for more than 24,000 small- and medium-sized establishments. Bars and restaurants that incurred less than $75,000 in sales tax liabilities next year won't be charged interest or penalties if they're late on payments due in March, April, or May. However, qualified taxpayers must still file their sales tax return even if they are unable to make a payment.

Businesses that take advantage of that relief will pay their sales tax liabilities for March, April, and May in four monthly installments, starting May 20. For more information, visit the Revenue Department's informational bulletin available at tax.illinois.gov.

Small businesses across the state also are now eligible to apply for low-interest coronavirus disaster assistance loans of up to $2 million, thanks to COVID-19 relief legislation passed by Congress. Business owners can apply at disasterloan.sba.gov.

Meantime, a group called the Illinois Business Alliance on Thursday called on Pritzker to remove his proposal for a graduated income tax off the November ballot, arguing it would hurt small businesses at a time when they're already suffering the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, but the governor said "This is not a time for politics."

"We have too much to do to save people's lives. We're not focusing on legislative initiatives; other than focusing right now on what it will take to provide the healthcare, and the unemployment, and the services that people will need in what is going to be an increasingly difficult moment for everybody," Pritzker said.