Health Department Coronavirus Update 0429

Lake County, Ill. — The Lake County Health Department is reporting 202 additional cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and four new deaths in Lake County since yesterday. This brings the total number of Lake County COVID-19 cases to 3,430 including 123 deaths (as of April 29, 2020, 2 p.m.).

The four new deaths are all among residents with underlying health conditions, a risk factor for severe illness from COVID-19, and include:

• One man and one woman in their 70s
• One man and one woman in their 80s

The Health Department is investigating 32 long-term care facilities in the county that have two or more positive cases. These 32 facilities have a combined total of 557 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 80 deaths.

In early April, the Office of the Illinois Attorney General proposed a cooperative effort to address employee and public concerns about the transmission of COVID-19 in businesses. Since then, the Lake County Health Department has been working with the Attorney General's Office, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, municipalities, and local law enforcement to mitigate issues at businesses with COVID-19 cases among employees and where concerns are reported.

"During the stay at home order, we want to reassure our essential workers that their health and safety is very important to us,” said Lake County Health Department Executive Director Mark Pfister. "Thank you for continuing to work so our residents can access essential items like food and medicine. We are proud to be working closely with the State to address any reports of unsafe work practices, proactively reaching out to local businesses to provide guidance, and doing everything we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19 for the safety of all essential workers and their families."

Anyone with concerns about safety in their workplace because their employer is not following social distancing guidelines can contact the Attorney General's Workplace Rights Bureau at (844) 740-5076 or through emailworkplacerights@atg.state.il.us to file a complaint.

The Health Department continues to host weekly conference calls to provide COVID-19 updates to businesses every Thursday at 11 a.m., and continues to update its guidance for Businesses and Employers on its Information for Specific Groups page. For more details, visit https://www.lakecountyil.gov/4412/Information-for-Specific-Groups.

New Cases (since last update)	New Deaths (since last update)	Total Cases	Total Deaths
202	4	3,430	123

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:   

Please visit Lake County's Coronavirus Page for more information, including:

• How to protect yourself
• What to do if you are sick   
• Testing availability
• Interactive data hub
• Sign up for the Health Department’s COVID-19 newsletter
• How to get help
• How to help others    

Please visit Lake County Health Department Modification Page for information on Health Department Service Modifications.

For a list of government closures, visit Lake County's Closure Page.

If you have general questions, please email COVID19@lakecountyil.gov. Public health officials will answer the top questions weekly. Please note, the Health Department will not provide personal medical advice through this email address.

Additional resources   

Governor J.B. Pritzker issued Executive Order 2020-10 requiring all Illinoisans to stay in their homes through April 30, 2020, to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. On April 23, 2020, the Governor announced plans to issue another order with modified stay-at-home guidelines, including mandatory use of face coverings, effective May 1-30, 2020.  For more information, please visit https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/stay-at-home-faqs. 

Anyone needing assistance finding food, shelter, rent or utility assistance, or other essential services, CALL 211 or TEXT your zip code to 898211 to speak with someone who can help 24/7. To receive general COVID-19 information via text message, text “COVID19” to 211211. For more information, visit www.211lakecounty.org.

Illinois has launched Call4Calm, a free emotional support text line for Illinois residents experiencing stress and mental health issues related to COVID-19. To speak with a mental health professional, text “TALK” or “HABLAR” (for Spanish) to 552020.

For general state and national information, please call the Illinois State Hotline at 1-800-899-3931, or visit the Illinois Department of Public Health website at dph.illinois.gov, or the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at coronavirus.gov. 

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