CHICAGO — Illinois marijuana businesses are exempt from Gov. JB Pritzker's "stay at home" executive order to stem the spread of the new coronavirus. The order limits non-essential activities, banning public gatherings of more than 10 people and mandating social distancing.

The order, which takes effect Saturday afternoon, requires all businesses, other than those deemed essential, to stop all but minimum basic operations — allowing employees to keep working from home and maintaining the security of the business' property. Cannabis dispensaries and licensed cannabis cultivation centers are included under the exemptions for agriculture, food and beverage production.

State regulators also have loosened restrictions on the sale of medical cannabis, normally only allowed inside designated areas in dispensaries. Under a temporary order allowing curbside delivery, licensed patients can purchase cannabis outside stores. "Our top priority is to minimize the risk of and protect as many people from exposure to COVID-19," Toi Hutchinson, the governor's senior cannabis adviser, said. "These steps prioritize that critical objective, while also ensuring medical patients have access to the medicine they need."

Coronavirus In Illinois: March 21 Update: Don't miss updates about precautions in the Chicago area as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters. Pam Althoff, executive director of the trade group Cannabis Business Association of Illinois, said dispensaries and cultivators are also following guidance to enforce social distancing and practice strict sanitary practices.

"We're trying to be extraordinary proactive, we're a highly regulated industry to begin with, we deal with medically fragile, vulnerable patients and we want to ensure that not only are we caring for our patients but we're also caring for our employees, many of whom are also patients themselves," Altoff said.

Home delivery of cannabis remains banned, and curbside delivery is limited to medical cannabis cardholders or their designated caregivers under certain conditions.