ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (AP) – On the sixth straight day that Illinois officials reported more than 1,000 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday again urged residents to wear face coverings to slow the spread of the highly contagious virus. State public health officials announced 1,231 new cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, with 18 new deaths, bringing the total number who’ve died in the state to 7,416 out of 172,655 cases. After the state recorded fewer than 1,000 new cases a day for 34 straight days in June and July, the number has topped 1,000 on 14 of the past 19 days, according to state statistics.
