IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike reported 715 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the total cases in Illinois to 7,695, and 16 additional deaths, bringing the total death toll in Illinois to 157.

Gov. Pritzker provided an update on the field hospitals being constructed to increase patient capacity. He said 500 beds at McCormick Place will come online this week. He said carpenters, the National Guard and McCormick Place workers are doing amazing work to turn this around so quickly.

He announced a fourth expansion site at the former Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park. That will bring 230 additional beds online.

Pritzker also announced the creation of a PR push to encourage folks to comply with the stay at home order, dubbed All In For Illinois, with an associated website at allin.illinois.gov.

The governor reserved comments praising Illinoisans for working together to enact widespread social distancing measures, but also leveled stark criticism at the federal government, saying the lack of a concerted response "will go down in history as a profound failure of our national government."

"We've exhausted every avenue available" to enact social distancing measures, the governor said, addressing Illinoisans directly. "Our strongest weapon against COVID-19 is you. Almost all of you are doing it right."

The governor reminded reporters that this is a novel virus, meaning it is new to humans and there is no vaccine. Because of the lack of immunity in the population, there’s a likelihood that if nothing was done, the medical system would have been overwhelmed by too many people getting sick all at once. That’s where the stay-at-home orders and social distancing come into play.

Dr. Ezike said people are recovering from COVID-19 infections. She noted a couple in their 70s that was among the first infections who have fully recovered. “It’s not a death sentence.”

Pritzker was asked about media comments made by Senator Durbin regarding the governor’s efforts to try to get Illinois-bound PPE out of China (where most PPE is made) via any flights coming out. Pritzker said he has not had much luck.

The governor was also asked why gun shops are considered essential businesses.

He said he wanted to make sure people had the ability to protect themselves if they needed to and there were concerns about the ability to buy ammunition for hunting.