Hey there! It’s Thursday, and my husband and I are staying at home and holding a dog fashion show. Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. “Dear God, stay home. Save lives,” Lightfoot says as she closes lakefront and nearby parks

Mayor Lori Lightfoot today ordered the closure of the entire lakefront, The 606 trail and downtown’s Riverwalk, and the city will “strictly enforce these rules” — and possibly arrest violators.

The mayor chastised large groups of people who had been gathering at beaches and parks in recent days. She warned the city could see “40,000 hospitalizations in the coming weeks,” which will “break the back” of the area’s health care system. [WBEZ]

Lightfoot’s order to close public spaces comes as Illinois officials announced 673 new coronavirus cases, bringing the state’s total of known cases to 2,538. Illinois also saw 7 more deaths, pushing the state’s death toll to 26.

Gov. JB Pritzker announced today that President Donald Trump granted his request for a disaster declaration, which allows Illinois access to more federal resources to stop the spread of COVID-19. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, Chicago’s gun violence has dipped during the COVID-19 pandemic. The city saw just one homicide in the last seven days, which hasn’t happened in more than five years. [WBEZ]

Here’s a look at the people who have died in Illinois from the coronavirus. [Chicago Tribune]

2. U.S. unemployment claims are highest ever

More than 3.2 million Americans filed for jobless benefits last week, according to a federal report released today. That’s nearly five times higher than the previous record, 695,000, which was set in 1982.

“We may well be in a recession,” said Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell in an interview with NBC’s Today Show. [NPR]

In Illinois, more than 114,000 people filed unemployment claims, an increase of 1,338% over the same week last year. [WBEZ]

The news comes as the House prepares to vote on a $2 trillion rescue package addressing the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan would expand unemployment benefits, send stimulus checks to many Americans and provide loans to corporations and small businesses.

The package cleared the Senate in a 90-0 vote. The House is expected to take up the measure on Friday. [NPR]

And The New York Times dug deep into the measure and found that the Trump Organization could potentially benefit. [New York Times]

Meanwhile, investors on Wall Street seemed to shrug off the news of record unemployment claims as the Dow soared again today. [CNBC]

3. “It’s apocalyptic,” says doctor at NYC hospital where 13 people died in 24 hours

Hospitals in New York City face a similar surge in cases that overloaded health-care systems in China and Italy. At Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens, 13 patients died within 24 hours. The 545-bed public hospital has started transferring patients not diagnosed with COVID-19 to other hospitals, and a refrigerated truck is stationed outside to remove the bodies of the dead. [New York Times]

New York has emerged as the U.S. epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said his state’s death toll jumped to 385 and the number of cases increased by 40% to 5,327. [New York Times]

Across the U.S., there have been more than 69,000 cases and more than 1,000 deaths. [NPR]

4. Worldwide COVID-19 cases surpass 500,000

More than half a million cases have been reported around the world, with the U.S. and Italy on track to see more infections than China. The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, criticized world leaders for responding slowly to the crisis.

“The time to act was actually more than a month ago or two months ago,” he said. [AP]

Meanwhile, Spain extended its lockdown to at least April 12. Spain and Italy have been particularly hit hard by the pandemic, but Spain’s ranking health official said the country may start to see a “a stabilization phase.” [Reuters]

In China, borders will be closed temporarily to foreign nationals. [NPR]

In Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro is downplaying the threat of the coronavirus, calling it a “little cold.” [Washington Post]

There have been more than 23,000 deaths reported around the world. [Johns Hopkins]

5. Does COVID-19 make you lose your sense of smell and taste?

Doctors around the world are reporting cases where COVID-19 patients lose their sense of taste and smell. Those sensory losses are not considered symptoms for COVID-19. But some health experts say the information may help efforts to slow the spread of the virus by focusing on possible symptoms that have been overlooked.

“Obviously, people who are very symptomatic should be treated and confined to quarantine,” said Dr. Rachel Kaye, an assistant professor at Rutgers University. “But the way to ‘flatten the curve’ is finding all these asymptomatic people and mildly symptomatic people. They’re the ice underneath the water of the iceberg. The danger is that these people unbeknownst to themselves are transmitting the virus.” [NPR]

Here’s what else is happening

• The U.S. charged Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro with drug trafficking. [NPR]

• Australia’s Great Barrier Reef suffers its third mass bleaching event in five years. [BBC]

• The “BBC Dad” is back. [NPR]

• Not going to lie: Bookmarking this link here because I currently look like the pigeon lady from Home Alone 2. [New York Times]

Oh, and one more thing …

If you’re like me and my husband, and are quickly running out of things to do while under quarantine, WBEZ’s Nerdette has a book club!

This month, host Greta Johnsen and friends are reading Emily St. John Mandel’s The Glass Castle. Read the book, send questions to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com, then tune in to next Friday’s conversation!

Tell me something good …

What’s the first thing you’re doing to do when things go back to normal?

Mike writes:

“First thing: A meal out at a neighborhood restaurant. Take my son and daughter-in-law and my wife’s niece and nephew.”

And Anne Copeland writes:

“When this is over, I will be taking my Cavalier spaniel, Harry, back to nosework class!”

What will you do? Feel free to email or tweet me, and your response might show up here this week.

Thanks for reading and have a nice night! Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.

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