Illinois Governor urges people to self-quarantine ahead of Thanksgiving gatherings



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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker told residents who wanted to host a small, in-person Thanksgiving rally on Thursday to begin self-quarantining now ahead of the holidays to curb the latest wave of coronavirus. Pritzker also praised the City of Chicago’s decision to impose a stay at home notice and an indoor / outdoor gathering ceiling of 10 people in companies.

“If you choose to travel, it is even more important to exercise caution in the weeks to come,” the governor said at a press conference Thursday. “If you choose to have a little Thanksgiving in person, quarantine each person more or less for two weeks before, which would be the case today.

Pritzker continued to urge residents of the state to maintain small gatherings, to continue to distance themselves from society and to use masks. “We ask Illinois to stay home as much as possible and only leave for essential activities,” he said.

The governor also addressed the surge in demand for COVID-19 testing and said many state-run community testing sites had reached capacity. Pritzker again warned that there was a double-digit positivity rate statewide – and the peak of the new COVID infections and hospitalizations are the worst since the start of the pandemic in the spring.

Pritzker congratulated Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on the decision to enact a stay at home advisory that begins on Monday, saying: [decision] to do, but it’s the right one. Let it be a model of action for the rest of the state. “

State public health officials on Thursday reported 12,702 new confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, the third day in a row that Illinois has seen a record number of daily cases. Illinois also reported a new record of more than 5,200 hospitalizations for coronavirus.

The governor warned that if the numbers continue in the wrong direction, more drastic action may have to be taken, which could include a statewide shutdown like the one passed in the spring.

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