EXECUTIVE ORDER 2020-41
EXECUTIVE ORDER IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19
(COVID-19 EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 39)
WHEREAS, Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), a novel severe acute respiratory illness, has rapidly spread throughout Illinois in a short period of time, necessitating stringent guidance from federal, state, and local public health officials and significant measures to respond to the increasing public health disaster; and,
WHEREAS, COVID-19 can spread among people through respiratory transmissions, asymptomatic people can transit the virus, and there is currently no effective treatment or vaccine; and,
WHEREAS, on March 9, 2020, I, JB Pritzker, Governor of Illinois, declared all counties in the State of Illinois as a disaster area in response to the outbreak of COVID-19; and,
WHEREAS, on April 1, 2020, I declared all counties in the State of Illinois as a disaster area due to the exponential spread of COVID-19; and,
WHEREAS, on April 30, 2020, due to the expected continuing spread of COVID-19 and the resulting health impacts across the State, as well as the need to prevent potential shortages of hospital beds, ICU beds, ventilators, personal protective equipment and materials for testing for the virus, I declared all counties in the State of Illinois as a disaster area; and,
WHEREAS, on May 29, 2020, due to the thousands of lives lost to COVID-19 in Illinois, the continued increase of cases, the continued threat of shortages of hospital beds, ER beds, and ventilators, the improved but still insufficient testing capacity, and the financial destruction caused by the virus, I again declared all counties in the State of Illinois as a disaster area (together with the previous proclamations identified in this Executive Order, the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamations); and,
WHEREAS, it is necessary and appropriate for the State of Illinois to continue to take immediate and significant measures to prevent or slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect public health during the COVID-19 outbreak; and,
WHEREAS, Executive Order 2020-38 mandates the practice of social distancing, wearing face coverings in public spaces, and limited gatherings of ten people or less; and,
WHEREAS, the Sports Wagering Act, 230 ILCS 45/25-30(f), 25-35(f), and 25-40(i) requires that individuals create a sports wagering account in person at a facility authorized pursuant to the Act; and,
WHEREAS, due to social distancing requirements put in place to protect public health, and because existing licensed casino gambling facilities authorized pursuant to the Sports Wagering Act have been closed to the public since March 16, 2020 and will reopen only when safe to do so pursuant to the Restore Illinois plan, Illinois residents may not be able to appear in-person at a licensed casino;
THEREFORE, by the powers vested in me as the Governor of the State of Illinois, pursuant to Sections 7(1), 7(2), 7(8), and 7(12) of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, 20 ILCS 3305, I hereby order the following, effective June 4, 2020:
Section 1. During the duration of the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamations, the provisions in the Sports Wagering Act, 230 ILCS 45/25-30(f), 25-35(f), and 25-40(i), requiring in-person creation of a sports wagering account at a facility authorized pursuant to the Act in order to participate in sports wagering offered over the internet or through a mobile application, are suspended.
Section 2. If any provision of this Executive Order or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, this invalidity does not affect any other provision or application of this Executive Order, which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application. To achieve this purpose, the provisions of this Executive Order are declared to be severable.
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JB Pritzker, Governor
Issued by the Governor June 4, 2020
Filed by the Secretary of State June 4, 2020