coronavirus illinois

Illinois Coronavirus Updates: Pritkzer Staffer Tests Positive, 4 States Added to Chicago Travel Order

Note: Any news conferences from Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot or other officials will be streamed in the video player above.

Many people filing unemployment claims in Illinois during the pandemic have reported little assistance, no promised callbacks despite months of waiting and offices statewide remaining closed.

Meanwhile, the state of Illinois has for the second time reached the threshold at which it would be included in Chicago's emergency travel order requiring a 14-day quarantine.

That same travel order was updated once again on Tuesday, one week after Wisconsin was officially added as the neighboring state continues to see a surge.

The update comes as Chicago eases its coronavirus restrictions, allowing indoor bar service to resume and increasing capacity limits at businesses.

Here are the latest updates from across Illinois on the coronavirus pandemic today (Sept. 29):

Illinois' Region 1 to See Enhanced Coronavirus Restrictions as Positivity Rate Increases

Health officials in Illinois announced Tuesday that enhanced coronavirus mitigation rules will be put into place in Region 1 beginning on Saturday.

According to a press release from Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office, the new mitigation rules will be put into place after the region, located in northwest Illinois, saw its seven-day rolling positivity rate exceed 8% for more than three consecutive days.

Region 1 includes Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago counties.

“The concerning uptick in Region 1’s positivity rate – jumping more than two percentage points in two weeks even as the majority of Illinois continues to see downward trends – demands increased efforts to stop the spread in our northwestern counties,” Pritzker said in a statement.

Region 1 has also reported some increased hospital admission for illnesses directly related to COVID-19, as well as illnesses that could potentially be linked to the virus.

As part of the new enhanced mitigation strategies, indoor service at bars and restaurants must be suspended on Saturday. All outside bar service can continue, but service will be required to close at 11 p.m. Reservations will be required for parties looking to visit bars and restaurants.

Social events will also be limited to 25 or fewer guests, or 25% of overall room capacity. Party buses are also banned under provisions of the rules.

Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Against IHSA to Allow Fall Sports to Begin

A group of student-athletes and parents filed a class action lawsuit Tuesday against the Illinois High School Association, pushing to allow fall sports to resume amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The suit was filed in DuPage County, according to a press release, and lists the IHSA as the primary defendant.

A total of 20 students are listed as plaintiffs in the suit, which will seek a temporary restraining order ordering the state to allow fall sports, including football, soccer and volleyball, to get underway.

The suit alleges that prohibitions on some fall sports, including football and volleyball, violates the IHSA’s constitution and bylaws, and has “caused mental health issues and financial hardships” for athletes and their families, according to the press release.  

Specifically, the suit alleges that the decision to postpone fall sports will have negative financial impacts on both students and parents, as they will fall behind in their ability to compete for athletic scholarships to make college more affordable.

Illinois Reports 1,362 New Coronavirus Cases, 23 Additional Deaths Tuesday

Illinois health officials reported 1,362 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, along with 23 additional deaths statewide related to the virus.

Tuesday’s metrics bring the state’s total number of coronavirus cases to 291,001 and the total number of fatalities to 8,637.

Health officials reported slightly higher testing numbers Monday with 45,624 specimens collected by labs throughout the state. In all, 5,566,276 tests have been performed in the state since the pandemic began.

Since declining below 3.5% last week, the state’s seven-day positivity rate has been trending upward, now at 3.6% Tuesday.

As of midnight, 1,535 individuals are currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Illinois, with 363 patients currently in intensive care unit beds. A total of 151 patients are currently on ventilators in the state.

Pritzker Self-Isolating Again After Staffer Tests Positive for Coronavirus

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is self-isolating for 14 days for the second time since the coronavirus pandemic began after a member of his staff tested positive for COVID-19, his office said Tuesday.

The staff member tested negative last Wednesday during weekly testing for the office, Pritzker's office said in a statement. After experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, the staffer was tested again Monday and the results were positive.

Pritkzer's office said the staffer attended events with the governor on Wednesday in Chicago, Thursday in Marion and Sunday in Marseilles, noting that the governor and the staffer were wearing masks during the entirety of their interactions.

"The staffer has been interviewed and a contact tracing effort is underway to ensure all close contacts are notified," Pritzker's office said. "Event organizers at each impacted event have also been contacted and made aware of the staff member’s positive results as well as appropriate next steps."

Pritzker and all close contacts will self-isolate for 14 days, his office said, and all staff who report to the office and must test negative before returning.

Pritzker and employees previously self-isolated for two weeks in May after a member of his senior staff tested positive.

In that case, the staff member was asymptomatic, the governor's office said at the time, and was in close contact with Pritzker as well as other employees.

"Staff members reporting to the office have followed all public health safety protocols including weekly testing, daily temperature checks, wearing face coverings, social distancing and strict hygiene procedures," Pritzker's office said Tuesday. "The office undergoes a weekly deep cleaning and an additional deep cleaning was conducted Monday night."

As he did in his earlier period of self-isolation, Pritzker will continue to give regular coronavirus briefings, his office said, but will conduct them from home until he is cleared to return.

Chicago Adds 4 States to Coronavirus Travel Order Requiring 14-Day Quarantine

The city of Chicago on Tuesday added four states to its emergency travel order requiring a 14-day quarantine.

Chicago health officials added Kentucky, Wyoming, Texas, and Nevada to the list and did not remove any that were included in the previous week's update, bringing the total number of states and territories to 23.

The full list now includes: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

States are added to the list if they have "a case rate greater than 15 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 resident population, per day, over a 7-day rolling average." If they fall below that threshold, they could be removed as well.

Chicago's travel order, which began on July 6, is evaluated every Tuesday, with any additions taking effect the following Friday.

Chicago health officials said Georgia is now seeing a daily case average below 15 cases per 100,000 people and will be taken off the list next week if it remains below that threshold.

Authorities said North Carolina remains below the threshold but saw a spike the week before due to a "data anomaly" and excluding that anomaly, is averaging 12.9 cases daily (adjusted for 100,000 population) for the past three weeks, leaving it off the list.

Wisconsin was one of several locations added to the order last week, along with Montana, Idaho, Minnesota and Puerto Rico. Kentucky and Louisiana were removed, though Kentucky was re-added on Tuesday.

Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said last week that Wisconsin was "currently in very poor control when it comes to COVID," adding that the state had more than double the 15 average daily cases per 100,000 residents that is the threshold to be named on Chicago's travel order.

That number has continued to climb, standing at 37 new cases for every 100,000 residents as of Monday, more than twice Chicago's threshold and nearly three times the maximum allowed by many states before a quarantine is required.

The state's positivity rate also continues to soar. On Friday it was an already-high of 16.5%, and as of Monday, the rate was 18.2%.

Throughout September, Wisconsin has seen a soaring number of cases as well. This past Friday, Wisconsin reported its highest new-case record ever, with 2,504 cases.

Under the Chicago travel order guidelines, those traveling to or from Wisconsin for work and those traveling through the state for travel will not need to quarantine, Arwady said. Those traveling to the state for leisure, however, even for less than 24 hours, will need to quarantine, she said.

Arwady said travelers entering or returning to Chicago from "states experiencing a surge in new COVID-19 cases" will need to quarantine "for a 14-day period from the time of last contact within the identified state." Essential workers could be exempt from the quarantine requirement, however, as long as their employer certifies their work in writing.

The order is set to remain in effect until further notice.

Fury and Frustration: Dealing With Illinois' Department of Employment Security

Little live help is available, no promised callbacks despite months of waiting, and still IDES field offices statewide remain closed.  These are just a few items on the long list of complaints NBC5 Responds viewers report about the state’s Department of Employment Security, the only lifeline to life-saving benefits for many Illinois residents impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

“No, I don’t think that is acceptable,” State Rep. Anne Stava-Murray tells NBC 5’s Lisa Parker. “People are frustrated, angry, at the end of their rope—and I don’t blame them.” 

Stava-Murray started speaking out this past summer, after constituents bombarded their representatives’ offices with complaints about IDES and the inability to talk to anyone at the agency.  

“Sometimes it feels like reaching out to IDES is a little like throwing a bottle into the ocean. You write this note and you hope someone reads it,” Stava-Murray says.  

Several viewers have reached out to NBC 5 about the state’s Department of Employment Security, the only lifeline to life-saving benefits for many Illinois residents impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. NBC 5's Lisa Parker shares their stories.

Among those hoping: rideshare driver John Stemmelin. 

“I’ve been waiting two months. A dropped call made me lose my place in line,” John tells NBC 5 Responds. “The dropped call is not their fault. But the fact they are not trying to call us back is their fault.” 

That is an anecdote NBC 5 has heard over and over: claimants say they waited for weeks for a callback, then got precious few seconds on the line once that call came in. A dropped call, followed by…nothing. 

Even a dropped call is more than Barb Schultz says she got, 11 weeks into her wait for a callback from IDES.  

“You sit on the phone for hours,” the Tinley Park mom of six says. ”There’s a list of all these phone numbers…I called all of them. No callbacks.” 

Schultz’s case should have been a simple one, she says. IDES’ website says she was paid for two weeks of unemployment, but she says she never received those benefits, and now faces paying taxes on them.  

For answers about these questions and other complaints facing the agency, we made multiple requests to speak to IDES Acting Director Kristin Richards. Our requests were not only denied: they were flat-out ignored. Four separate requests to IDES media spokesperson Rebecca Cisco were never answered.  

IDES’ Freedom of Information officer did answer two of our questions. We asked how many callback requests the agency received in July and August. IDES says it received just over 532,000 requests, and completed more than 421,000. No word on how many of those calls were dropped.

As for how many employees the agency has added since the pandemic began? Despite public pledges by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to beef up the agency’s helplines, IDES says it has added just 24 staff employees since March. The agency says that does not account for contractors, but did not specify how many of those are on the job.  

Stava-Murray tells NBC 5 Responds she has seen incremental improvement in how IDES is handling unemployment claimants’ requests in recent weeks, but says that could also be accounted for by the fact layoffs have slowed down.  

In the meantime for Schultz, it is Day 84 and counting, as she awaits the one promised callback she asked for back on July 6. 

“All I keep thinking is, what if I was dependent on that money, how would I be feeding my family?” she says. “That’s why I decided, I’m calling (NBC 5) and I’m saying something.” 

Stemmelin agrees, saying he sought help when it became clear that reaching out to IDES was a fruitless exercise.

“Every single one of us that’s an IDES claimant is also a voter. They need to know from a real person, the system is broke. Broke!,” he says.

Chicago to Reopen Indoor Bar Service, Increase Capacity Limits in Easing Coronavirus Restrictions

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Monday plans to ease some of the restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus, allowing indoor bar service again and raising capacity limits on businesses, including restaurants, among other major changes.

The changes include increasing indoor capacity at restaurants, health and fitness centers, personal services, non-essential retail and all other establishments from 25% to 40%, according to Lightfoot's office.

Bars, breweries, taverns and other businesses that serve alcohol without a food license can reopen indoor seating - shut down since late July - at 25% capacity up to 50 people, officials said.

Bars and restaurants can also serve alcohol until 1 a.m. and stay open through 1:30 a.m., fitness classes can include up to 15 people and personal or salon services like facials that require removal of masks will again be allowed.

Those new changes will take effect at 5 a.m. on Thursday, officials said.

“Over the past six months, we have asked so much of our business community. But each time, our businesses have stepped up to the plate," Lightfoot said in a statement.

"Thanks to this cooperation, we have met this challenging moment with grace, commitment and resilience, and the sacrifices made by our businesses, workers and residents have saved countless lives," she continued. "This next step in our reopening is good news for business owners as well as the communities they serve and the thousands of residents that work for them.”

The city has been in phase four of its reopening plan since June 26, when some of the earlier restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus were gradually lifted.

Then on July 24, city officials changed course to shut down indoor bar service, reduce capacity limits at fitness classes and heighten other restrictions as the city continued to see an increase in its average number of daily new cases.

Now, the newly eased restrictions, according to the city, are as follows:

  • Increased Indoor Capacity: Restaurants, health and fitness centers, personal services, non-essential retail and all other establishments that have been limited to 25% indoor capacity will now be able to increase their maximum indoor capacity to 40%. The limit of 50 total customers within one room or space at restaurants, venues and other establishments will remain in place, as will the limit of no more than six people per table.
  • Reopening of Bars: Breweries, taverns, bars and other establishments that serve alcohol without a food license may reopen with indoor seating, at 25% capacity or 50 people, whichever is fewer. Service remains limited to no more than two hours per party, and customers must be seated when eating, drinking or ordering – patrons cannot walk up to the bar to order.
  • Extended Hours for Bars and Restaurants: Bars, restaurants and other establishments that serve alcohol will now be able to sell alcohol for on-site or offsite consumption until 1:00 am and may remain open until 1:30 am. Liquor stores, grocery stores and other establishments that sell alcohol to-go through a Packaged Goods license must continue to cease alcohol sales at 9:00 p.m.
  • Increased Group Size: Maximum group size for health and fitness classes and afterschool programming will increase from 10 to 15 people.
  • Expanded Personal Services: Facials, shaves and other personal services that require the removal of face coverings will be allowed.

Chicago officials said that in order to maintain progress, some other changes and additional guidelines would be implemented, taking effect at the same time. They include:

  • When dining out at a food service establishment or bar, customers must always wear face coverings while seated, except when actively eating or drinking. This protects employees that may interact closely with patrons.
  • Patrons at indoor bars, taverns and breweries must order from their seats – they cannot walk up to the bar to order.
  • Bars, taverns and breweries that are reopening indoors must partner with a food establishment so that food is available to patrons at all times (e.g., making menus available and allowing delivery, allowing patrons to order from third-party delivery services).
  • When taking reservations and seating walk-in customers, restaurants and bars should retain an email and/or phone number for possible contact tracing.
  • Personal services that require the removal of face coverings are recommended to be kept under 15 minutes, and the employee conducting the service must always wear a face covering.
  • All places of business should provide hand sanitizer for patrons and employees to use upon entry.

Lightfoot and Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Monday that the city was seeing an average of roughly 300 new cases of coronavirus per day, as compared to more than 350 in late August.

The positivity rate in testing has also fallen to 4.5%, officials said, adding that hospitalizations from COVID-19 as of Monday were lower than they've been since March. The city sees roughly two to three deaths per day, according to Lightfoot's office, as compared to about 50 a day at the peak of the pandemic.

“Overall, we are heading in the right direction, and this affords us an opportunity to further re-open the city and to do so gradually and safely,” Arwady said in a statement. “But I can’t emphasize this enough: Chicagoans need to continue to follow the public health guidance – wearing masks, social distancing, frequent hand washing and staying home when sick – or we risk falling back and experiencing another rise in cases.”

Prior to closing indoor bar service and implementing further restrictions in late July, Arwady had long warned that roll backs were possible if the city reached an average daily case rate above 200, which it did days before the new guidance was issued. She had previously said that daily number of new cases was the "best reflection of the burden of our disease."

"This, if I had one number, is the number that I follow," she said at the time, noting that "we've come a long way" as the Chicago was average about 1,000 cases per day in early May.

Chicago health officials have warned that if the city reaches an average of 400 new cases per day, it would mark a return to phase three of its reopening framework.

"If we get to a point where we are up to 400 cases per day, that's the equivalent of where the states are that we are requiring quarantine for our visitors," Arwady said, referring to the city's emergency travel order requiring a 14-day quarantine for people coming to Chicago from multiple states. "It's the equivalent of needing to go back to a phase three, really pulling back on major activities."

When Will CPS Resume In-Person Classes? ‘We're Not There Yet,' Lightfoot Says

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday acknowledged that while remote learning is a "real challenge for everyone involved," she said "we're not there yet" when it comes to resuming in-person learning at Chicago Public Schools.

CPS began its new school year with remote instruction Sept. 8 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In early August, Lightfoot said the decision to start the school year remotely was "rooted in public health," but at the time said the district sought to establish a hybrid learning model in the second quarter.

With the second quarter set to start Nov. 9, Lightfoot stated decisions regarding potential in-person learning will be made "in the next few weeks."

The mayor said she knows "there's a lot of anxiety on the part of the parent," but it's important for the city to consider the health of principals, teachers and staff members.

"What does it mean for members of that school community? Who are over 60? Who have underlying medical conditions? Are we going to have enough of a robust workforce to be able to come back in person?," the mayor said at a news conference Monday.

This summer Lightfoot first proposed a hybrid learning model, with students in small pods in the classroom a few days a week. The Chicago Teachers Union put on pressure to continue remote learning, citing concerns for teacher and student safety amid the pandemic.

Illinois Again Hits Metric for Inclusion on Chicago's Travel Order Requiring Quarantine, Data Shows

For the second time in less than two months, the state of Illinois has reached the point in its average number of new coronavirus cases where it would theoretically be included on Chicago's emergency travel order requiring anyone entering the city from more than a dozen states to quarantine for 14 days.

Public health data shows that the 7-day rolling average number of new cases in Illinois, including Chicago, stood at 15.7 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people as of Monday.

States are added to Chicago's Emergency Travel Order order if they have "a case rate greater than 15 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 resident population, per day, over a 7-day rolling average." If they fall below that threshold, they could be removed as well.

Theoretically, the city of Chicago could require Illinois residents from outside to quarantine when entering city limits. Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago health officials have consistently said that would never happen, but it appears the state - and the city as well - continue to have concerns about rising cases.

On Aug. 19, the 7-day rolling average number of new cases in Illinois stood at 15 new cases per 100,000 people, initially marking the threshold for inclusion on the travel order.

While new cases are on a steady rise statewide, that's not the situation in the city of Chicago.

On Monday, city leaders announced plans to ease some of the restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the virus, allowing indoor bar service again and raising capacity limits on businesses, including restaurants.

"The restrictions that we're lifting today, we're excited about because they mark progress," Dr. Allison Arwady, Chicago's Department of Public Health Commissioner, said at a news conference. "But we will continue at the health department to track all eight... indicators. If we start to see things heading in the wrong direction...we might have to go backwards."

With the new guidelines being issued, it's worth noting that while the city has seen a small rise in recent coronavirus cases, Chicago is doing much better than the state of Illinois as a whole, on many levels.

As of Monday, the city of Chicago was logging 12 new daily coronavirus cases per 100,000 citizens - still high, but not nearly as high as the state's figure of 15.7 new cases for every 100,000 residents.

Statewide, new daily deaths have increased slightly over the past several weeks, while in the city of Chicago, new daily deaths have not increased as of Monday.

Illinois Reports 1,709 New Coronavirus Cases, 13 Additional Deaths Monday

Illinois health officials reported 1,709 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, along with 13 additional deaths statewide related to the virus.

Monday’s updated metrics bring the state’s total number of coronavirus cases to 289,639 and the total number of fatalities to 8,614.

Health officials reported lower testing numbers Sunday with 41,142 specimens tested by labs throughout the state. In all, 5,520,652 tests have been performed in the state since the pandemic began.

Illinois Driver's License Renewal Deadline Extended Another 3 Months

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White has extended expiration dates for driver’s licenses another three months.

White announced this week that expired licenses need be renewed by Feb. 1, 2021. The previous extension was until Nov. 1. White extended the deadline to prevent the need for visiting a driver’s license facility during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those 75 and older need only ensure to renew driver’s licenses by their birthday in 2021.

The extension for renewing driver’s license plate stickers remains Nov. 1. They can be renewed online.

White continues to encourage motorists to conduct business on the secretary of state’s website to the extent possible.

Other business that can be conducted online includes obtaining a duplicate driver’s license or ID card, obtaining a driving record abstract or renewing a standard driver’s license through the Safe Driver renewal program.

When a visit to a facility is necessary, White urges customers to be patient because of a heavy volume of traffic, to wear face masks and be prepared to wait outside because of social-distance requirements.

Class-Action Lawsuit to be Filed Against IHSA to Allow Fall Sports to Begin

A group of student-athletes and parents plan to file a class action lawsuit against the Illinois High School Association as they aim to allow fall sports to resume amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The suit will be filed in DuPage County, according to a press release, and will list the IHSA as the primary defendant. The suit is expected to be filed this week.

A total of 20 students are expected to be listed as plaintiffs in the suit, which will seek a temporary restraining order ordering the state to allow fall sports to get underway.

The suit alleges that prohibitions on some fall sports, including football and volleyball, violates the IHSA’s constitution and bylaws, and has “caused mental health issues and financial hardships” for athletes and their families, according to the press release.  

Specifically, the suit alleges that the decision to postpone fall sports will have negative financial impacts on both students and parents, as they will fall behind in their ability to compete for athletic scholarships to make college more affordable.

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