The Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday reported 2,264 new coronavirus cases and said 14 counties have reached a warning level for the virus.

Grants of $10,000 to $20,000 have been awarded to more than 2,600 small businesses throughout the state that have experienced financial loss or disruptions as a result of coronavirus-related closures.

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced a woman in her 20s was among the eight Illinoisans who died of COVID-19 on Sunday.

With coronavirus cases rising, Gov. J.B. Pritzker implored local officials to take action to stop the spread of the virus and warned if they don’t, more stringent regulations could be on the way, including another stay-at-home order. 

When the coronavirus pandemic struck Illinois in the spring, Cook County was hit hard while areas downstate were largely spared. But that’s changing. “We’re seeing troubling signs,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday.

Despite a statewide mandate, not all residents are wearing masks. A new campaign aims to encourage folks to do just that. “A mask is like anything that keeps us safe. It only works if you wear it,” the governor said.

The Illinois Department of Public Health on Sunday reported 1,467 new cases of COVID-19 — the 12th day in a row the state reported more than 1,000 new cases in a 24-hour period. In total, the state has seen 181,943 confirmed cases of the virus.

With the number of new coronavirus cases rising in Illinois and a handful of outbreaks linked to youth sports, the governor announced new guidance restricting youth and adults sports in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Illinois and Chicago officials disagree on how to calculate the single most important benchmark for tracking the spread of the coronavirus, even as the number of confirmed cases of the virus continues to rise statewide.

With Illinois reporting more than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 for the sixth consecutive day, the state’s top public health official says the question of a reopening rollback will be answered by residents.

For nearly a week, more than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Illinois each day. The spike has prompted Gov. J.B. Pritzker to repeatedly urge residents to wear masks and practice social distancing.

Sunday marks the fifth consecutive day in which the state saw an increase of more than 1,000 new cases. So far, more than 28,000 people in Illinois have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in July. 

State officials on Wednesday reported the highest single-day increase in COVID-19 cases for the month of July, prompting a stern warning from Illinois’ top doctor: Wear a mask or we’ll move backwards.

Illinois has a plan in place to roll back restrictions if COVID-19 positivity rates spike. Now, one of the state’s 11 regions is “dangerously close to that threshold,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday.

Saturday marks the state’s fourth consecutive day in which more than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed. After falling below 1,000 new cases per day from June 6 to July 8, this month has so far seen seven days above 1,000.

As Illinois nears the 2 million mark in total COVID-19 tests conducted since the start of the pandemic, health officials reported an additional 954 cases of the virus on Sunday — and a record number of specimens tested in a single day.