Sangamon Sun

With 4,909 new COVID-19 cases and 440 deaths in Illinois in the last five days, the state Public Health Director is asking residents to continue to take the coronavirus seriously to reduce fatalities. 

Dr. Ngozi Ezike told Fox 2 that the coronavirus is still just as dangerous. As of June 7, Illinois reported 127,757 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including 5,904 deaths. Sangamon County has 363 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

“If this was a traditional war, where there were soldiers outside of our doors, and people would be risking their lives to be outside of their homes, no one would think about the need to go to work, no one would think about getting their dog groomed, no one would think about getting their car washed,” Ezike told Fox 2. “But this enemy is so different, it’s invisible, we have underestimated the power and the destruction of this enemy.”

Even though Gov. J.B. Pritzker is allowing more businesses to open through his five-phase Restore Illinois plan, Ezike told Fox 2 that Illinois residents still need to take precautionary measures if they go out in public. 

“The fact is, we are still battling the same virus we were so united in fighting just two months ago,”  Ezike said.