Mundelein Mayor Steve Lentz announced Monday evening that he and his wife have tested positive for coronavirus.
“Normally, I would never tell our constituents I have a runny nose, a cold, the flu, or even a broken limb,” Lentz said during a village board meeting on Monday.
“But given the awful events surrounding the COVID-19 coronavirus, as an elected official I feel obligated to disclose that over the weekend I tested positive for this virus,” he said.
Lentz added that his wife also tested positive. Both are quarantined in their Mundelein home with “fairly mild” symptoms.
Lentz’s first symptom of the virus was a scratchy throat.
“We’re upbeat of course, but stir crazy like everyone else from being indoors for so long,” Lentz said during the board meeting, which was attended by village officials and conducted remotely via computer.
Lentz said he has two takeaways from his experience — the importance of social distancing and prayer. He said if it wasn’t for social distancing, he would have likely gone about his routine as usual and spread the virus unknowingly.
The Illinois Department of Public Health said there are 96 Lake County residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 and 1,285 cases total in Illinois as of Monday afternoon. The number of deaths in the state has reached 12.
“It is safe to assume that COVID-19 is in every community in Lake County, and we all need to physically distance ourselves from each other,” said Mark Pfister, Executive Director of the Lake County Health Department.
“We all have a role in protecting the people we love and those who are most at risk by the rapid spread of this disease – older adults, people living with chronic health conditions, and let’s not forget our first responders and healthcare workers,” Pfister added.