Illinois to Modify and Extend Stay at Home Order Until May 30, 2020

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Seyfarth Synopsis: On Thursday, April 23, 2020, Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that he expected to sign an order modifying and extending the current Illinois’ stay-at-home order next week. The stay at home order will not only be extended until May 30, 2020, but there is expected to be a number of important modifications.

Stay at Home Order Extended Until May 30, 2020

The current stay at home order is set to expire on May 1, 2020. However, Governor Pritzker announced yesterday that the Illinois stay at home order will be extended until at least May 30, 2020, and there will be modifications that impact, among other things, various types of business operations.

Expected Modifications to the Illinois Stay at Home Order to be Effective May 1, 2020

While the exact modifications will not be certain until the new order is signed, some of the modifications that Governor Pritzker announced, to be effective May 1, include:

• Hospitals can begin scheduling non-life-threatening surgeries and some elective procedures will be able to resume.
• Retail stores that are not on the list of essential businesses may take orders online and over the phone and offer pick-up and delivery. Greenhouses and garden centers may remain open with social distancing measures in place.
• Some state parks will begin to open for hiking, fishing and boating with no more than 2 people, while maintaining social distancing.
• Any individual over the age of two and able to medically tolerate a face-covering or mask will be required to wear one when in a public place where they cannot maintain a six-foot social distance.
• For essential businesses, including manufacturers, there is expected to be new requirements on social distancing and new caps on occupancy.

We will continue to monitor the status of the new order and issue an update as soon as it is signed. In the meantime, companies should be preparing to make adjustments to their operations and workforce to the extent any of the modifications may impact their business.