coronavirus illinois

Illinois Coronavirus Updates: More Than 3,600 New Cases Reported, NU School Goes Virtual

Washington DC Area Sees Highest Rate Of COVID-19 Infections In U.S.
Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Illinois saw a slight decline in coronavirus cases on Saturday, but the state’s positivity rate continued to climb as concerns grow over the spread of the virus statewide.

That increase in cases has led some to call for Illinois residents to hunker down and to limit their social contacts, with Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin all hitting new record-highs in daily case totals over the last few days.

In suburban Evanston, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management suspended in-person learning after multiple students tested positive for the virus.

Here are the latest coronavirus headlines from across the state.

Northwestern School Halts In-Person Classes After Positive COVID-19 Tests

Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management says it has suspended in-person classes for two weeks after four students who attended recent off-campus gatherings tested positive for COVID-19.

Kellogg’s program for full-time Master of Business Administration students, based in Evanston, will shift to remote learning Monday through Oct. 30, a school spokesman said.

Northwestern's announcement Friday came two days after the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business announced it would go remote due to an increase in COVID-19 cases among its students. More than 100 students were told to quarantine after a large group of full-time MBA students gathered off-campus on Chicago’s North Side, many without face coverings, the school said.

Illinois Health Officials Report 3,629 New Cases of Coronavirus as Positivity Rate Ticks Up

I llinois health officials reported another 3,629 cases of coronavirus on Saturday as the state’s seven-day positivity rate continues to inch higher.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Saturday’s new coronavirus cases bring the statewide total to 339,803 since the pandemic began.

Officials also reported 27 additional deaths over the last 24 hours, bringing the state’s total number of COVID-19-related fatalities to 9,192.

The state’s positivity rate inched higher as well, moving from 5.1% to 5.2% over the last seven days.

‘Tighten Up Your Social Circles,’ Chicago Doctor Says as COVID-19 Cases Surge

The University of Chicago doctor who captured the nation’s attention with an impassioned, and rather blunt, plea for social distancing is advising people to hunker down and to limit their social contacts as Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin all see record numbers of coronavirus cases.

“It looks a bit like we’re climbing a mountain,” Dr. Emily Landon, executive medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at the University of Chicago Medicine, said. “We went up in March and April, then came down a bit. Now we’re going back up again.”

Landon added that she’s concerned the current peak will be higher than the one Illinois experienced in the summer, but says she understands why residents are getting frustrated with continued restrictions.

“Everyone is getting sick of COVID,” she said. “I’m getting sick of it, you’re getting sick of COVID, and the idea of continuing to make sacrifices as we head into the fall and to have another winter stuck at home is weighing heavily on people’s minds.”

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