FILE – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker listens to a question after announcing a shelter in place order to combat the spread of the Covid-19 virus, during a news conference Friday, March 20, 2020, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The governor of Illinois says he sympathizes with young athletes and their families eager to return to the field, court and ice. But Democratic Gov. J.B. Prtizker said Wednesday that the threat from the coronavirus pandemic is still too great.

Parents and fans have been pushing for resumption of football, volleyball and boy’s soccer to traditional fall schedules instead of the spring. He urged them to remember that even if a family decides to let a young person play, the virus can still be spread to other people who aren’t participating.

There have been 8,367 deaths in Illinois related to the disease that results from the coronavirus. Overall, there have been 266,151 confirmed cases.