Welch Urges Residents to Follow Extended Stay At Home Order

HILLSIDE, Ill. – In an effort to save lives and continue to flatten the curve, state Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, is updating residents and encouraging them to adhere to the stay at home order that was recently extended by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to slow the spread of COVID-19.

“The stay at home order is working, and we are seeing the curve begin to flatten, but in the face of this unprecedented public health crisis me must remain vigilant in our precautions to prevent its spread and save lives,” Welch said. “The governor’s extension of the stay-at-home order is necessary for us to continue to make progress in the fight against COVID-19 and prevent a second surge of cases that could take thousands of lives.”

Welch is encouraging residents to adhere to the governor’s extended stay-at-home order. The modified stay at home order will go into effect on May 1 and will remain in effect through the end of the month, strengthening social distancing measures with modifications. Key components of the new stay at home order include:

• All individuals above the age of 2 will be required to wear a face covering in public spaces where proper social distancing measures cannot be maintained. See the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for face coverings and ways to make your own at home at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html.
• State parks will begin re-opening for residents to use while maintaining social distancing, and fishing and boating will be permitted for no more than two people.
• Greenhouses, garden centers and animal grooming centers will be able to re-open and operate following all guidelines for essential businesses. Non-essential retail stores may re-open to manage telephone and online orders with curbside pickup and delivery services.
• All essential businesses and manufacturers will be required to provide face coverings for employees who are not able to maintain proper social distancing at work, and will be required to follow occupancy limits and other added precautionary requirements.
• The Illinois Department of Public Health will provide guidance to health care facilities to allow certain surgeries for non-life threatening conditions.

“During this difficult time, it’s important to remember that we are all in this together and by staying home you are helping to save lives,” Welch said. “I strongly encourage residents to continue to follow the stay-at-home order so we can continue to effectively combat this deadly virus.”