Hey, it’s Friday! And I’m glad this week is coming to an end. I know lately this newsletter can sound like a progress report on the apocalypse, but not all of the news is bad. Here’s what you need to know today.

1. Schools in Illinois will remain closed for the rest of the academic year, Pritzker says

Gov. JB Pritzker announced that in-person classes will be suspended for the rest of the academic year because of the pandemic. Similar orders have been made in at least 27 other states and three U.S. territories.

“This was not a decision I made lightly,” Pritzker said.

The news comes as state officials announced 1,842 new known cases, the largest amount reported in a single day. That brings the total number of cases to 27,575. Officials also said 62 people have died, pushing the state’s death toll to 1,134. [WBEZ]

You can find a map of where Illinois infections have been reported here. [WBEZ]

Almost 300 patients and staff members at Illinois nursing homes have died from COVID-19, but the state won’t name the facilities where infections have been detected. [Chicago Tribune]

Meanwhile, how do you teach students science without a lab? Some teachers and students at every level are getting creative. [WBEZ]

2. Some states looks to ease coronavirus restrictions

The governors of Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida and other states are taking steps to ease restrictions as the economic damage from the pandemic grows. But public health experts warn that reopening too soon could lead to new waves of infections.

In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she hopes to begin lifting her stay-at-home order as soon as May 1. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced this week that golf courses could reopen with certain restrictions, and stores selling materials to make face masks could open for curbside pickup.

President Donald Trump today encouraged protesters in some states to violate stay-at-home orders. The president’s comments came after he issued guidelines for states to begin reopening businesses.

Meanwhile in New York, residents will be required to wear face masks in public beginning this evening.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo today announced that the number of hospitalizations are down, but the state saw 630 deaths, bringing the death toll to 12,822, the nation’s highest. Cuomo said this week that the state’s shutdown will last until at least May 15. [New York Times]

3. China’s economy saw its biggest drop in nearly 3 decades

The world’s second-largest economy shrank 6.8 percent in the first three months of this year compared with a year ago, according to official figures released by Beijing. The news underscores the immense challenges ahead for world leaders trying to jumpstart the global economy. [NPR]

China, which has been accused of covering up the scope of the coronavirus outbreak in its earliest days, made a huge adjustment to the death toll in Wuhan, the outbreak’s epicenter. Nearly 1,300 deaths were added, bringing the total for the city to 3,869. [NPR]

Meanwhile, a United Nations commission warned that Africa could see at least 300,000 deaths from COVID-19. [NPR]

And in South Korea, a growing number of patients who recovered from COVID-19 are relapsing. [NPR]

Worldwide, more than 662,000 known cases and more than 28,000 deaths have been reported. [Johns Hopkins]

4. COVID-19 patients recovered after taking experimental drug, report says

Partial data about an antiviral drug called remdesivir is raising hope for treating COVID-19 patients.

The University of Chicago Medicine, which is participating in clinical trials of the drug, said it was seeing “rapid recoveries in fever and respiratory symptoms, with nearly all patients discharged in less than a week,” according to medical news website STAT.

But it’s not clear if the same results can be replicated. A spokesman for Gilead, the company behind the drug, said results of the study will be known later this month with more results in May. [USA Today]

Meanwhile, a technology known as CRISPR may offer an easier and faster way to test for the coronavirus. [NPR]

5. Pass the time with a video game about nothing

Allow me to introduce you to … the Seinfeld video game. It’s not out yet, but animator Ivan Dixon (Rick & Morty) and video game designer Jacob Janerka unveiled their unofficial pitch for the game today.

“Honestly, we are just huge fans of the show,” the two write on the game’s pitch website. “There is an incredible list of better scams and cash grabs that are less of a long shot. We could live like kings and commit mail fraud, however we’d much rather follow our hearts.” [Hollywood Reporter]

Here’s what else is happening

• NASA announced it will launch astronauts from the U.S. for the first time in nearly a decade. [Washington Post]
• Players of the popular Animal Crossing video game have found a way to add famous artwork from the Getty Museum’s archive. [Gizmodo]
• Mmmm, banana bread. [Takeout]
• This week’s Nerdette talks to historian Alexis Coe, who wrote a fascinating biography about George Washington that examines some of the myths associated with the first U.S. president. [WBEZ]

Oh, and one more thing …

If you’ve ever wondered what I look like in person, well you’re in luck. WBEZ’s Sarah Ballema and I will be doing another live Rundown show on WBEZ’s Facebook page today at 4:30 p.m. CT.

We’ll be joined by Lisa Donovan, a veteran journalist who writes the Chicago Tribune’s daily newsletter, The Spin.

We’ll also chat with WBEZ veteran and sketch comic Justin Kaufmann, who will discuss his new Saturday call-in show on WBEZ. And we’ll check in with the founder of a new Chicago dating experiment called Quarantine Bae.

And we’ll hear from y’all about what made you smile this week!

Tell me something good …

What’s something that made you smile this week?

Eardley Mendis writes:

“I am stuck in Sri Lanka. We have total lockdown for days. After a long spell of drought, rain came and grass turned green, trees got a new lease of life and, most of all, I spotted two peacocks that made me laugh.”

And Norma writes:

“Something that made me smile this week was when I saw my second grade students for the first time since mid-March during our remote learning class. The smiles on their faces just made my day.”

Thank you to everyone who wrote in this week! I’ll see you on Monday.