Hey there! It’s Thursday, and my husband and I have reached a crucial milestone in our relationship. Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. Lightfoot orders sick people to stay home

Mayor Lori Lightfoot today ordered residents diagnosed with COVID-19 — and those with any symptoms of the virus — to stay home. The mayor’s office says anyone who violates the order can be fined by cops or the city’s public health department.

Meanwhile, Lightfoot will give a prime-time address today to discuss the city’s response to the pandemic and will “preview measures” she plans to take in the weeks ahead.

WBEZ will air the address live beginning around 5 p.m. CST.

Gov. JB Pritzker today announced three more deaths from COVID-19 in Illinois: A Will County man in his 50s, a Cook County woman in her 80s and a Florida resident who was visiting downstate Sangamon County.

That brings the state’s total death toll to four. The number of cases in Illinois also continued to climb. The state announced there were 134 new cases, bringing the total to 422.

The news comes as west suburban Oak Park will go on a lockdown tomorrow. You can find more local updates on the COVID-19 pandemic here. [WBEZ]

Speaking of Oak Park, here’s a look at how one multi-generational family in the suburb is adjusting to self-isolation together in the same house. [WBEZ]

On Chicago’s South Side, family members are mourning Patricia Frieson, the first person in Illinois who died from COVID-19. “She was a positive-energy person,” said Frieson’s nephew, Tarah. [WBEZ]

If you have a child at home, here are some tips from Chicago teachers on how to handle home schooling. [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. The Trump administration was warned the nation was unprepared for a pandemic

The Trump administration last year conducted exercises to contain a fictional pandemic, code-named “Crimson Contagion,” and the results were not great, reports The New York Times.

The exercises exposed “how underfunded, underprepared and uncoordinated the federal government would be for a life-or-death battle with a virus for which no treatment existed,” the Times reports. But the administration did little to fix the problems. [New York Times]

Meanwhile, the White House and congressional lawmakers are scrambling to craft a stimulus relief package as the spreading public health crisis grows into an economic disaster.

JPMorgan forecasts that the U.S. economy could shrink by 14% between April and June, which The Washington Post reports “would mark the worst quarterly contraction since World War II.”

The White House and Congressional Republicans are ironing out a $1 trillion package that would include $1,000 checks to most Americans and $500 for children within three weeks. House Democrats are also creating their own rescue package. [Washington Post]

Today, President Donald Trump said the Food and Drug Administration is trying to fast-track medicines and treatments for the coronavirus pandemic. [NPR]

3. A staggering rise in unemployment claims in Illinois

More than 41,000 unemployment claims were filed in Illinois on Monday and Tuesday as restaurants and bars across the state closed to dine-in customers this week. As Crain’s Chicago Business reports, “That’s nearly 10 times the level of the same week a year ago.” [Crain’s]

Nationwide, the number of new claims climbed last week to 281,000, the U.S. Labor Department said today. That’s the highest amount since Sept. 2, 2017, when they totaled 299,000. [NPR]

4. American adults of all ages are being severely sickened by COVID-19

And nearly 40% of patients hospitalized in the U.S. were between the ages of 20 and 54, according to a report released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report also found that nearly half of the 121 patients admitted to intensive care units were under the age of 65.

Public health officials say the report underscores the urgency for younger Americans to take the pandemic seriously and not write it off as a threat only to the elderly. [New York Times]

The news also comes as hospitals across the country prepare for a surge of patients that could overwhelm the nation’s health system. Here’s a look at how Chicago-area hospitals are preparing. [WBEZ]

But officials from around the country are warning that hospitals are running low on crucial supplies, like face masks. [Washington Post]

How well is the U.S. “flattening the curve” compared to other countries? You can find charts tracking the spread of the virus in this link. [New York Times]

And here’s a map tracking the spread of infections throughout the U.S. As of this morning, there are more than 10,000 confirmed cases and at least 149 deaths in the country. [New York Times]

5. What is a “shelter in place” order?

As mentioned earlier, suburban Oak Park will be on lockdown tomorrow after local officials issued a “shelter in place” order. Similar orders have been issued in California, and New York City officials are warning residents that a lockdown could come this week.

Shelter-in-place orders pretty much mandate social distancing by telling folks to stay home and only leave for “essential” activities, like going to grocery stores or banks, for example.

These orders also do not affect workers at businesses needed to maintain safety and health, like doctors and even gas station employees. [CNN]

Here’s what else is happening

• China reports no new local cases of the coronavirus for the first time since December. [NPR]

• More countries are closing their borders as COVID-19 spreads. [Washington Post]

• How safe is it to order takeout? And what are the exposure risks at grocery stores? You can find answers to those questions and more here. [WBEZ]

• This special episode of Nerdette reminds listeners to take a breath and take stock of all the things to be grateful for. [WBEZ]

Oh, and one more thing …

I looove watching movies and TV shows with friends, partly because I enjoy saying dumb stuff that cracks me up. Like every time Jason Momoa gets clobbered in Aquaman, I’d yell, “Argh, my tattoos!” Or anytime someone on Downton Abbey gets a letter and reads it, I’d say, “Dear fugly, you’re fugly. Sincerely, some duke.”

Lucky for me, and perhaps unfortunate to some of my more serious friends, there are a number of ways you can still watch stuff together even though practically all of America is in self-quarantine. You can find a recap of some online services here, like Netflix Party, a Chrome web browser extension that lets you watch stuff on Netflix with a group online. [Polygon]

Meanwhile, here are 10 great movies with fewer than 10 people in them. [Vulture]

Tell me something good …

How are you staving off boredom and staying sane during this very strange time?

Larry writes:

“For thousands of alcoholics and drug addicts in recovery, we already have one fatal disease: our addiction. The only ‘treatment’ for our chronic, incurable disease is daily meetings with other addicts.

“So we will shelter in place to protect ourselves and others, but at least once daily, many, if not most of us, will go to an AA or NA meeting to get the ‘medicine’ on which our lives depend.”

And T (Pops) Coozi said he wrote this rap, “Don’t Touch Your Face,” which goes:

In these days of coronavirus COVID-19

     It’s off the chain to be ultra clean.

So wash your hands for 20-seconds at a time

     And deep-clean surfaces to a germ-free shine.

When you sneeze or cough, don’t be obscene,

     Use a tissue or elbow, don’t make a scene.

If you get sick, be cool, take one for the team;

     Stay your a** at home and self-quarantine.

So if you wanna be a bro to the human race,

     Take my advice and don’t touch your face!

No cap, if you wanna be a bro to the human race,

     Don’t touch your face, don’t touch your face!

What are you up to? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.

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