Evanston Mayor Steve Hagerty this evening reported that an Evanston man who lived in one of the city’s retirement communities has become the first resident to die from the COVID-19 coronavirus.
The new victim, who reportedly lived at Three Crowns Park, was not identified by name.
On Saturday John LaPlante, 80, a Chicago resident who was a member of the Unitarian Church of Evanston. also succumbed to the disease, becoming the first person with an Evanston connection to die.
In a message to the community, Hagerty said he hoped the two deaths would help persuade residents to heed the governor’s stay-at-home order and help slow the spread of the virus.
He said until the order is lifted there should be “no play dates, no playground visits, no sleepovers, no pickup games and no social gatherings.”