Illinois exceeds 20,000 daily COVID-19 tests for first time

Illinois has surpassed 20,000 completed COVID-19 tests over the past 24 hours, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Friday

“Testing is fundamental to our ability to reopen the economy while controlling the spread of the virus,” he said. “That’s what it takes to keep the public safe.”

The state completed 20,671 tests since Thursday.

There’s now 244 public testing sites as well as seven drive-thru testing sites. Pritzker said three new drive-thru sites will be opened next week, with their locations to be announced in the coming days.

“In building out these sites, we’ve made it a priority to partner with existing, trusted organizations to test people across Illinois,” he said.

As of May 6, Pritzker said Illinois ranks second among the 10 most populous states in the number of tests completed per capita. It is fifth among all states in the number of tests completed since the pandemic began.

A total of 399,714 tests in Illinois have been completed.

There were 130 more deaths reported Friday, bringing the state’s total death count to 3,241.

There were 2,887 new COVID-19 cases reported Friday, bringing the state’s total number of cases to 73,760 in 98 counties.

Pritzker also said he had no issues with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s newly unveiled, five-phase plan to reopen the city’s economy. The city’s plan, which uses some different metrics for when certain businesses can reopen, fits within the state’s plan, Pritzker said.

“I think the mayor’s plan is a good one for Chicago,” he said.