Illinois reports July's highest one-day total of virus cases

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — As parts of the nation struggle with a worse coronavirus outbreak than during its high points last spring in other states, Illinois, where officials continue to congratulate residents for keeping the new virus in check, announced Wednesday an increasing number of newly confirmed infections.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his state public health director, Dr. Ngoze Ezike, made public pleas to wear masks when outside the home and continue physical distancing and conscientious hygiene to stem the spread of the highly contagious and potentially deadly coronavirus.

The state on Wednesday reported July's highest one-day total at nearly 1,600 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, prompting a warning from the Democratic governor.

“There are those who mistakenly think, ‘No problem. You can’t eradicate the virus and our numbers are so low, we don’t need to do anything about it,’” Pritzker said at a news conference in Chicago. “To them I would say that in every one of the states like Arizona and Florida that are in full-blown crisis right now, it started with a gradual rise in the number.”

States including Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana and Texas have seen some July surges that surpassed what any of the hardest-hit states saw in April. Meanwhile, Illinois, which many believe was slower and more deliberate in re-opening its economy and reducing restrictions on social interaction, had kept numbers of new cases steady.

But partly because of the state's wider reopening at the beginning of the month, cases have been on the rise. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday reimposed restrictions on bars and gyms in response to a recent spike in the city, particularly among young adults.

On Wednesday, the state's number of confirmed virus cases totaled 1,598,...