dailyheraldchicago--2020-05-14--Wisconsin high court tosses out governor's stay-home order

MADISON , Wis. -- The Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down Gov .
Tony Evers ' coronavirus stay-at-home order Wednesday , ruling that his administration overstepped its authority when it extended it for another month without consulting legislators .
The 4-3 ruling essentially reopens the state , lifting caps on the size of gatherings , allowing people to travel as they please and allowing shuttered businesses to reopen , including bars and restaurants .
The Tavern League of Wisconsin swiftly posted the news on its website , telling members , `` You can OPEN IMMEDIATELY ! ''
The decision let stand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and local governments can still impose their own health restrictions .
In Dane County , home to the capital of Madison , officials quickly imposed a mandate incorporating most of the statewide order .
City health officials in Milwaukee said a stay-at-home order they enacted in late March remains in effect .
Evers reacted angrily in a conference call Wednesday night , saying the state has been doing well in the fight against the coronavirus .
He predicted the court ruling will lead more counties to adopt their own restrictions , leading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will allow infection to spread .
`` Today , Republican legislators convinced four members of the state Supreme Court to throw the state into chaos , '' Evers said .
`` They have provided no plan .
There 's no question among anybody that people are going to get sick .
Republicans own that chaos . ''
Chief Justice Patience Roggensack wrote for the majority that health secretary Andrea Palm 's order amounted to an emergency rule that she does n't have the power to create on her own .
`` Rule-making exists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , subjective judgment asserted by one nonelected official , Palm , is not imposed in Wisconsin , '' Roggensack , part of the court 's 5-2 conservative majority , wrote .
Rebecca Dallet , one of the court 's liberal justices , dissented , saying the decision will `` undoubtedly go down as one of the most blatant examples of judicial activism in this court 's history .
And it will be Wisconsinites who pay the price . ''
Dallet also took aim at the potential delay of a rule-making process : `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ required to enact an emergency rule illustrates why the legislature authorized DHS to issue statewide orders to control contagion . ''
State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald , both Republicans , said they 're confident businesses can safely reopen by following guidelines calling for letting workers stay home if they 're sick , making workers wash their hands and implementing telework and social distancing and postponing travel and events .
`` This ( court decision ) does not promote people to act in a way that they believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Evers first issued a stay-at-home order in March that closed schools and nonessential businesses .
The order was supposed to lift April 24 , but Palm , an Evers appointee , extended it to May 26 .
Republicans asked the Supreme Court to block the extension , arguing that Palm exceeded her authority because the extension amounted to an administrative rule that required legislative approval .
Evers countered that state law clearly gives the executive branch broad authority to quickly enact emergency measures to control communicable diseases .
Nearly seven of 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at home '' order , based on a Marquette University Law School poll released Tuesday , though that support was down from 86 % in March .
Evers ' administration faced an uphill battle in convincing the conservative court to keep the order in place .
Three of the conservatives joined Roggensack ; the remaining conservative , Brian Hagedorn , joined Dallet and fellow liberal justice Ann Walsh Bradley in dissent .
The Republican legislators had asked the court to let the rule remain in place for six days to give them time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an alternative plan .
The court refused to grant the stay , saying the two sides have had weeks to come up with something .
The GOP so far has not offered any alternative plans .
The state 's Chamber of Commerce has suggested allowing all businesses to open at once while compelling higher-risk establishments and operations to take increasingly strict mitigation measures such as requiring employees to use protective gear .
Evers said there 's no avenue to appeal the decision .
His administration plans to put together an emergency rule addressing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the process is so complex that it could be at least two weeks before state health officials can start drafting it .
And the final product could be blocked by legislators .
`` In the meantime , we 're going to have 72 counties doing their own thing , '' Evers said .
`` I ca n't believe there 's a state in the nation with this type of chaos . ''
Vos and Fitzgerald said in their statement that they want to work with the administration on rules that would provide clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a more aggressive way . ''
The GOP move against Evers mirrors actions taken by Republican-controlled legislatures in other states , most notably against the Democratic governors in nearby `` blue wall '' states Michigan and Pennsylvania .
All three are critical presidential battlegrounds in November .
The GOP has been working to weaken Evers ' powers since he ousted incumbent Republican Gov .
Scott Walker in 2018 .
During Walker 's final weeks in office , Republicans adopted a set of laws that prohibited Evers from ordering the attorney general to withdraw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prevent the governor from pulling Wisconsin out of a multistate lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act .
The state Supreme Court has upheld those laws .
The high court also backed Republicans over Evers in the GOP 's insistence on holding in-person voting for April 's presidential primary despite the health risks of the coronavirus .

Wisconsin governor warns of 'massive confusion' after ruling
Owner Michael Mattson toasts the opening of the Friends and Neighbors bar Wednesday in Appleton, Wisconsin, following the Wisconsin Supreme Court's decision to strike down Gov. Tony Evers' stay-at-home restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. Associated Press
Marvin Radtke toasts the opening of the Friends and Neighbors bar Wednesday in Appleton, Wisconsin, following the Wisconsin Supreme Court's decision to strike down Gov. Tony Evers' safer-at-home order amid the coronavirus pandemic. Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers warned Thursday of "massive confusion" after the the state Supreme Court tossed out the Democrat's stay-at-home order and Republicans said they may leave it up to local governments to enact their own unique rules for combating the coronavirus pandemic.
The court's order threw communities into chaos, with some bars opening immediately while local leaders in other areas moved to keep strict restrictions in place to prevent further spread of the virus.
If Wisconsin is to have a statewide plan, Evers will have to work with the same Republicans whose lawsuit resulted in Wednesday's Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling. After a Thursday meeting with Evers, Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said GOP lawmakers and the governor may not be able to reach agreement and that a statewide policy might not be needed.
"Apparently they believe that different rules are OK," Evers said of Republicans. "I can't imagine another state that is in this predicament. Mile by mile there may be different rules across the state of Wisconsin."
Vos downplayed the concern, saying "we don't necessarily need a statewide approach."
"We already know that local health departments have the ability to utilize their power, which is already there to deal with those situations if they feel it's unsafe," Vos said.
Wisconsin is just one of several states where governors have run into increasing resistance from Republican legislators over coronavirus restrictions. Democratic governors in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Louisiana have faced a mix of legislation and lawsuits aiming to curtail their power. And in Kansas on Wednesday, Republicans resisted the Democratic governor's request to extend a disaster declaration.
It's not clear whether any of those states are about to see as thorough a move as in Wisconsin, where the state's powerful Republican legislative leaders long been able to count on help from the conservative-dominated state Supreme Court.
Vos said he had faith that the "vast majority" of Wisconsin businesses would act responsibly and open with safety precautions, such as ensuring customers keep at least 6 feet (2 meters) away from each other.
That wasn't the case at some bars Wednesday night. Nick's Bar in Platteville, in far southwest Wisconsin, posted a 30-second video that showed the bar teeming with people without masks as they drank, talked and bobbed their heads to music. Bars in Appleton and Kaukauna in northeast Wisconsin also opened and were packed with people.
The party may be short-lived in Appleton. City officials signed an order that took effect at 8 a.m. Thursday continuing the state's "safer at home" order. Other communities were taking similar steps, including Racine, Kenosha County and Brown County, home to Green Bay.
In Dane County, home to the capital of Madison, officials quickly imposed a mandate incorporating most of the statewide order until May 26. Milwaukee health officials said a stay-at-home order they enacted in late March remains in effect and does not have an end date.
Tom Diehl, president of the Association of Wisconsin Tourism Attractions, runs the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory and water ski show in Lake Delton in Sauk County, one of the state's tourist destinations.
He plans next week to open the exploratory, an indoor attraction featuring some 175 interactive exhibits like giant levers and a mock-up of a Russian space station capsule. Diehl said he will take precautions such as having hand sanitizer available and asking visitors to keep their distance from each other.
"If Home Depot, Walmart and Costco can do it safely, we can do it safely as well," he said.
Not everyone was moving quickly to reopen.
Wisconsin Restaurant Association Chairwoman Joanne Platzkill, co-owner of Za 51 Pizzeria and Draganetti's Ristorante in Altoona in Eau Claire County, said she will continue offering only takeout for now. It will take time to bring back laid-off workers, rearrange seating to accommodate social distancing guidelines and order more food. Outdoor seating may open next week at 25% capacity, she said.
"The light switch went off when the (stay-at-home) order was in place and we can't flip it back on easily," she said. "Honestly, I don't think it will ever be the same as it was. "
Wisconsin tribes will keep their casinos closed at least through May 26, Shannon Hosley, president of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans and the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, said.
The Wisconsin court ruling drew praise from President Donald Trump, who called it a "win" in a Twitter post on Thursday and added: "Its Democrat Governor was forced by the courts to let the State Open. The people want to get on with their lives. The place is bustling!"
Evers had been slowly easing restrictions on closed businesses as the percentage of new cases dropped and other metrics that were a part of his reopening plan were met. As of Thursday, there were more than 11,200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Wisconsin and 434 deaths, according to the state Department of Health Services.
Associated Press writers Gretchen Ehlke in Milwaukee, Doug Glass in Minneapolis and David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan, contributed to this report.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-05-14--COVID era to alter Kane County courtrooms, hallways

When the stay-at-home order eventually is lifted , people going to the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles will notice changes in the hallways , starting with bench spaces marked six feet apart for social distancing .
The number of people in a courtroom will be limited , and attorneys will be required to wear masks in hallways , although judges in individual courtrooms will have discretion over whether people can remove masks if there 's enough room .
`` They 're going to have people in the hallway to make sure people are n't sitting too close together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` We 've hired additional cleaning companies to literally wipe down the benches , the door handles , and the elevator buttons , and door frames throughout the day , not just the cleaning crew that comes at night .
These are some of the steps we 've taken to minimize the risk of spread ( of COVID-19 ) and still have a court system that works for crime victims , defendants and all of us . ''
For weeks , security guards have been asking court attendees if they 've @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested positive for COVID-19 .
Guards also have been taking visitors ' temperatures with a touchless thermometer before allowing entry into the Judicial Center .
Court officials have embraced technology to use Zoom videoconferencing to move some cases along and to allow interested parties access if they ca n't watch in person .
Courtrooms will have to practice social distancing , and officials are measuring to see if certain rooms will allow for more than 10 people .
McMahon and 16th Circuit Chief Judge Clint Hull agreed that even routine appearances could be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defendant , judge , clerk , prosecutor , defense attorney , bailiff , victim and security guard are all taken into account .
`` In the courtroom , it 's going to be up to the individual judge , '' Hull said .
McMahon said he also has developed a face mask policy for prosecutors , who may wear a mask with a fabric pattern but no logos or messages .
`` They can be a different color , but they can not have any words or a message of any sort .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ an image or symbol -- that 's not allowed for my lawyers as they walk to and from court , '' McMahon said .
`` Certainly , if they 're in a courtroom , absolutely no words , no messages on a mask or anything like that . ''

COVID era to alter Kane County courtrooms, hallways
When the stay-at-home order eventually is lifted, people going to the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles will notice changes in the hallways, starting with bench spaces marked six feet apart for social distancing.
The number of people in a courtroom will be limited, and attorneys will be required to wear masks in hallways, although judges in individual courtrooms will have discretion over whether people can remove masks if there's enough room.
"They're going to have people in the hallway to make sure people aren't sitting too close together," State's Attorney Joe McMahon said. "We've hired additional cleaning companies to literally wipe down the benches, the door handles, and the elevator buttons, and door frames throughout the day, not just the cleaning crew that comes at night. These are some of the steps we've taken to minimize the risk of spread (of COVID-19) and still have a court system that works for crime victims, defendants and all of us."
For weeks, security guards have been asking court attendees if they've had any exposure to people who have tested positive for COVID-19. Guards also have been taking visitors' temperatures with a touchless thermometer before allowing entry into the Judicial Center.
Court officials have embraced technology to use Zoom videoconferencing to move some cases along and to allow interested parties access if they can't watch in person.
Courtrooms will have to practice social distancing, and officials are measuring to see if certain rooms will allow for more than 10 people.
McMahon and 16th Circuit Chief Judge Clint Hull agreed that even routine appearances could be close to the 10-person guideline when the defendant, judge, clerk, prosecutor, defense attorney, bailiff, victim and security guard are all taken into account.
"In the courtroom, it's going to be up to the individual judge," Hull said.
McMahon said he also has developed a face mask policy for prosecutors, who may wear a mask with a fabric pattern but no logos or messages.
"They can be a different color, but they cannot have any words or a message of any sort. Even if that message is depicted via an image or symbol -- that's not allowed for my lawyers as they walk to and from court," McMahon said. "Certainly, if they're in a courtroom, absolutely no words, no messages on a mask or anything like that."


dailyheraldchicago--2020-05-13--A song to make you smile: 'We Got the Beat' by The Go-Go's

We 're trying to inject a little positivity in the paper ( and on dailyherald.com ) with a daily `` @ @ @ @ @ . ''
It 's designed to help lift you out of your coronavirus funk .
@ @ @ @ @ We Got the Beat '' by The Go-Go 's , released in 1981 .

A song to make you smile: 'We Got the Beat' by The Go-Go's
Abby Travis, from left, Gina Schock, Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go's arrive at the Billboard Music Awards in 2016. Associated Press
We're trying to inject a little positivity in the paper (and on dailyherald.com) with a daily "Song to Make You Smile."
It's designed to help lift you out of your coronavirus funk.
Today's selection is "We Got the Beat" by The Go-Go's, released in 1981.
Send your ideas to suggestions@dailyherald.com.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-05-14--Feder: Nominations open today for Radio Hall of Fame

Nominations open today for the 2020 class of the Radio Hall of Fame , Robert Feder writes .
Fans are @ @ @ @ @ for nominees in six categories .
This year 's induction ceremony , which will coincide @ @ @ @ @ the radio industry , is expected to be held in late October .
`` We @ @ @ @ @ Radio Hall of Fame back to its hometown of Chicago , '' said David Plier @ @ @ @ @ Museum of Broadcast Communications .
`` However , we continue to monitor the COVID-19 guidelines @ @ @ @ @ of Illinois can not reach the goals of a Phase 5 reopening for large gatherings @ @ @ @ @ alternatives , including holding the event outside of Illinois . ''
Get the full report @ @ @ @ @ news , at robertfeder.com .

Feder: Nominations open today for Radio Hall of Fame
Nominations open today for the 2020 class of the Radio Hall of Fame, Robert Feder writes.
Fans are invited to submit suggestions online for nominees in six categories.
This year's induction ceremony, which will coincide with the 100th anniversary of the radio industry, is expected to be held in late October.
"We are excited to welcome the Radio Hall of Fame back to its hometown of Chicago," said David Plier, board chairman of the Museum of Broadcast Communications. "However, we continue to monitor the COVID-19 guidelines daily. If the state of Illinois cannot reach the goals of a Phase 5 reopening for large gatherings, we will seek other alternatives, including holding the event outside of Illinois."
Get the full report, and more Chicago media news, at robertfeder.com.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-05-14--Official says suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan kills 5

KABUL , Afghanistan -- A suicide bombing in Afghanistan 's eastern Paktia province on Thursday that looked to target a military compound but exploded before its destination killed five civilians and wounded at least 29 others , including civilians and military personnel , Afghan officials said .
The Taliban took responsibility for the bombing , calling it retaliation for statements by President Ashraf Ghani blaming it for an attack earlier this week against a maternity hospital that killed 24 people , including two newborns as well as several mothers and nurses .
The Taliban were quick to deny responsibility and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. special peace envoy , Zalmay Khalilzad , also noted the Taliban 's denial and urged the Afghan government and the Taliban to work together to battle the scourge of terrorism , specifically from the Islamic state affiliate operating in Afghanistan .
The Taliban and Islamic State extremists are rivals .
Afghan and American officials say the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan has been weakened in recent months as a result of U.S. bombing raids in the group 's stronghold , as well as military operations by Afghan security forces and attacks by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responsibility for the maternity ward attack but the hospital is located in the Shiite dominated Dasht-e-Barschi area of the Afghan capital where the IS has carried out several bloody attacks including one in 2018 killing dozens of young students taking university entrance exams .
The IS affiliate declared war on Afghanistan 's minority Shiites several years ago .
It did take responsibility for another bombing on Tuesday in the eastern Nangarhar province that targeted the funeral of a pro-government warlord that killed 32 people .
In his speech following Tuesday 's dual attacks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State but said he was ordering an all-out offensive against the Taliban .
Khalilzad brokered a peace agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban in February to allow U.S. and NATO troops to leave Afghanistan .
It was seen at the time as Afghanistan 's best chance at peace in decades of war but the government has since been consumed with political turmoil .
Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah have both declared themselves winners of last year 's presidential polls and both declared themselves president of the country .
Meanwhile , Khalilzad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a reduction in violence .
Since the deal , they have continued attacking government security forces but since refrained from attacking U.S. or NATO troops , who often come to the aid of embattled Afghans .
The U.S. has been trying to get the Taliban and the Afghan government to start negotiations , which have been held up as both sides squabble over a promised release of each other 's prisoners .
Last week Khalilzad met with the Taliban at their political office in Qatar .
He also traveled to Pakistan and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peace deal and a quick start to negotiations .
Khalilzad has not been to the Afghan capital since U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo failed to break the political deadlock between Ghani and Abdullah during a surprise visit in March amid the coronavirus pandemic , which kept most airports closed .
Frustrated by the political infighting , Pompeo cut $ 1 billion in aid to the Afghan administration .
The United Nations and the U.S. have said the coronavirus pandemic gives added urgency to an end to fighting and a quick start to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 cases and 136 deaths but the figures are believed to be much higher .

Official says suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan kills 5
FILE - In this Feb. 29, 2020 file photo, U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, left, and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban group's top political leader shake hands after signing a peace agreement between Taliban and U.S. officials in Doha, Qatar. An Afghan official said Thursday, May 14, 2020, that a suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan targeted a military compound but was detonated before it reached the compound killing several civilians and wounding tens of others. The Taliban took responsibility for the bombing calling it retaliation for statements Tuesday by President Ashraf Ghani blaming Taliban for a brutal attack on a maternity hospital that killed tens of people, an attack that the Taliban were quick to condemn. Associated Press
KABUL, Afghanistan -- A suicide bombing in Afghanistan's eastern Paktia province on Thursday that looked to target a military compound but exploded before its destination killed five civilians and wounded at least 29 others, including civilians and military personnel, Afghan officials said.
The Taliban took responsibility for the bombing, calling it retaliation for statements by President Ashraf Ghani blaming it for an attack earlier this week against a maternity hospital that killed 24 people, including two newborns as well as several mothers and nurses.
The Taliban were quick to deny responsibility and condemn that attack on Tuesday. The U.S. special peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, also noted the Taliban's denial and urged the Afghan government and the Taliban to work together to battle the scourge of terrorism, specifically from the Islamic state affiliate operating in Afghanistan.
The Taliban and Islamic State extremists are rivals. Afghan and American officials say the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan has been weakened in recent months as a result of U.S. bombing raids in the group's stronghold, as well as military operations by Afghan security forces and attacks by Taliban insurgents.
IS has not taken responsibility for the maternity ward attack but the hospital is located in the Shiite dominated Dasht-e-Barschi area of the Afghan capital where the IS has carried out several bloody attacks including one in 2018 killing dozens of young students taking university entrance exams.
The IS affiliate declared war on Afghanistan's minority Shiites several years ago. It did take responsibility for another bombing on Tuesday in the eastern Nangarhar province that targeted the funeral of a pro-government warlord that killed 32 people.
In his speech following Tuesday's dual attacks, Ghani did not mention the Islamic State but said he was ordering an all-out offensive against the Taliban.
Khalilzad brokered a peace agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban in February to allow U.S. and NATO troops to leave Afghanistan. It was seen at the time as Afghanistan's best chance at peace in decades of war but the government has since been consumed with political turmoil. Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah have both declared themselves winners of last year's presidential polls and both declared themselves president of the country.
Meanwhile, Khalilzad has been pressing the Taliban to agree to a reduction in violence. Since the deal, they have continued attacking government security forces but since refrained from attacking U.S. or NATO troops, who often come to the aid of embattled Afghans.
The U.S. has been trying to get the Taliban and the Afghan government to start negotiations, which have been held up as both sides squabble over a promised release of each other's prisoners.
Last week Khalilzad met with the Taliban at their political office in Qatar. He also traveled to Pakistan and neighboring India seeking their support for the peace deal and a quick start to negotiations.
Khalilzad has not been to the Afghan capital since U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo failed to break the political deadlock between Ghani and Abdullah during a surprise visit in March amid the coronavirus pandemic, which kept most airports closed.
Frustrated by the political infighting, Pompeo cut $1 billion in aid to the Afghan administration.
The United Nations and the U.S. have said the coronavirus pandemic gives added urgency to an end to fighting and a quick start to talks. Afghanistan has reported 5,639 positive COVID-19 cases and 136 deaths but the figures are believed to be much higher.
____
Gannon reported from Islamabad


dailyheraldchicago--2020-05-14--Chicago, suburbs hit testing milestone, on track to easing stay-at-home restrictions

Chicago and the suburbs appear on track to meet standards allowing the region by May 29 to relax the stay-at-home restrictions enacted to prevent the spread of COVID-19 , Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said Thursday .
State officials announced Chicago and the suburbs had reached a milestone -- a positive average test rate of 19.9 % for the respiratory disease , below the metric of 20 % .
That puts the region on a course to reopen more businesses and partially ease social distancing , assuming it maintains that level for 14 days .
`` The trend for ( the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a very good sign , '' Pritzker said Other key measurements are hospital admissions and availability of ICU and other hospital beds .
The region is also meeting those requirements so far , he said .
Currently , the entire state is in the second of five phases , or `` flattening '' the curve of COVID-19 infections .
`` It looks like all the regions are on track to meet the other marks to move into Phase 3 , '' May 29 , Pritzker said .
What does Phase 3 mean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be required as would 6-feet social distancing .
But gatherings of 10 or less people also will be permitted .
And , nonessential manufacturing can resume operations , barbershops and hair stylists can open , and retail shops can open with capacity limits -- although all are subject to Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines .
Workers at nonessential businesses could also return to offices , but remote work is encouraged , and health clubs and gyms can offer outdoor classes or one-on-one training .
Schools and day cares would remain closed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ delivery , pickup and drive-through .
The number of Illinoisans dying from COVID-19 rose by 138 Thursday with 3,239 additional cases reported , officials said .
That 's the second largest daily count behind the 4,014 cases announced Tuesday .
It brings total deaths statewide to 3,928 and total cases to 87,937 .
Pritzker 's Restore Illinois plan lays down a five-phase plan to reopen the state on a regional basis with four separate sectors ; Chicago with Cook , DuPage , Grundy , Kane , Kankakee , Kendall , Lake , McHenry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
To reach Phase 3 , regions must have an infection rate of 20 % or lower over two weeks , hospital admissions for COVID-19 illnesses must stay level or decrease for 28 days , and at least 14 % of ICU , medical and surgery beds must be available .
`` Every region is , so far , meeting all the metrics , '' Pritzker said .
Previously , the metro area had trailed the rest of the state in test results , provoking protests from some local leaders contending locations with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are dragging down their communities ' economies .
Unemployment rates have skyrocketed as a result of the pandemic and towns are losing millions of dollars in tax revenues .
Illinois Department of Public Health data Thursday shows DuPage , Will and McHenry counties with positive tests for COVID-19 at below 20 % ; Chicago , Cook , Kane , and Lake counties are above 20 % .
Republicans , including GOP Senate Leader Bill Brady and Sen. Dan McConchie of Hawthorn Woods , have called for hearings about Restore Illinois when the legislature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Due to his emergency proclamations , the governor has been operating without the natural oversight of the legislature for months , '' McConchie said .
Pritzker said it 's important to adhere to state guidelines because the virus is still killing Illinoisans .
`` To the elected leaders -- do your job .
Be the person they elected who 's supposed to be protecting your community .
Do n't fall prey to the rhetoric out there that says 'this virus does n't affect me , ' '' he said .
The fourth phase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the fifth phase is a return to normalcy assuming a vaccine or viable treatment for COVID-19 .
Pritzker said he hopes `` to get to Phase 5 relatively quickly , if we can . ''
The state is also launching a new website that lists job openings and lets employers post opportunities .
The `` Get Hired '' website will also offer online training for workers in June .
For information , go to illinois.gov/gethired .

Chicago, suburbs hit testing milestone, on track to easing stay-at-home restrictions
An interactive map on the Daily Herald's website allows searches of COVID-19 case numbers by ZIP code.
The Illinois Department of Public Health's Restore Illinois web page on Thursday shows gauges on the criteria needed for the Northeast Region to move to the next phase of easing stay-at-home restrictions. Courtesy of the Illinois Dept. of Public Health
Chicago and the suburbs appear on track to meet standards allowing the region by May 29 to relax the stay-at-home restrictions enacted to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Thursday.
State officials announced Chicago and the suburbs had reached a milestone -- a positive average test rate of 19.9% for the respiratory disease, below the metric of 20%. That puts the region on a course to reopen more businesses and partially ease social distancing, assuming it maintains that level for 14 days.
"The trend for (the Chicago) region is downward, which is a very good sign," Pritzker said
Other key measurements are hospital admissions and availability of ICU and other hospital beds. The region is also meeting those requirements so far, he said.
Currently, the entire state is in the second of five phases, or "flattening" the curve of COVID-19 infections.
"It looks like all the regions are on track to meet the other marks to move into Phase 3," May 29, Pritzker said.
What does Phase 3 mean? Masks in public places would still be required as would 6-feet social distancing.
But gatherings of 10 or less people also will be permitted. And, nonessential manufacturing can resume operations, barbershops and hair stylists can open, and retail shops can open with capacity limits -- although all are subject to Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines.
Workers at nonessential businesses could also return to offices, but remote work is encouraged, and health clubs and gyms can offer outdoor classes or one-on-one training.
Schools and day cares would remain closed. Restaurants and bars would be limited to delivery, pickup and drive-through.
The number of Illinoisans dying from COVID-19 rose by 138 Thursday with 3,239 additional cases reported, officials said. That's the second largest daily count behind the 4,014 cases announced Tuesday.
It brings total deaths statewide to 3,928 and total cases to 87,937.
Pritzker's Restore Illinois plan lays down a five-phase plan to reopen the state on a regional basis with four separate sectors; Chicago with Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will counties comprise the Northeast region.
To reach Phase 3, regions must have an infection rate of 20% or lower over two weeks, hospital admissions for COVID-19 illnesses must stay level or decrease for 28 days, and at least 14% of ICU, medical and surgery beds must be available.
"Every region is, so far, meeting all the metrics," Pritzker said.
Previously, the metro area had trailed the rest of the state in test results, provoking protests from some local leaders contending locations with worse metrics, such as Chicago, are dragging down their communities' economies. Unemployment rates have skyrocketed as a result of the pandemic and towns are losing millions of dollars in tax revenues.
Illinois Department of Public Health data Thursday shows DuPage, Will and McHenry counties with positive tests for COVID-19 at below 20%; Chicago, Cook, Kane, and Lake counties are above 20%.
Republicans, including GOP Senate Leader Bill Brady and Sen. Dan McConchie of Hawthorn Woods, have called for hearings about Restore Illinois when the legislature returns to Springfield on Wednesday.
"Due to his emergency proclamations, the governor has been operating without the natural oversight of the legislature for months," McConchie said.
Pritzker said it's important to adhere to state guidelines because the virus is still killing Illinoisans.
"To the elected leaders -- do your job. Be the person they elected who's supposed to be protecting your community. Don't fall prey to the rhetoric out there that says 'this virus doesn't affect me,'" he said.
The fourth phase is "revitalization" with schools reopening, and the fifth phase is a return to normalcy assuming a vaccine or viable treatment for COVID-19. Pritzker said he hopes "to get to Phase 5 relatively quickly, if we can."
The state is also launching a new website that lists job openings and lets employers post opportunities. The "Get Hired" website will also offer online training for workers in June. For information, go to illinois.gov/gethired.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-05-14--Suburban pastors expect excitement, caution with reopenings

As Chicago-area Catholic churches move toward reopening as soon as May 23 , some prominent suburban pastors expect parishioners will have different comfort levels about returning to Mass .
The Rev .
Matt Foley , pastor of St. James Parish in Arlington Heights , said his church will create a comfortable place for the faithful , in part by ensuring everything is properly sanitized and visitors are following social distancing and other guidelines .
`` I think people are excited , '' Foley said Thursday , `` and people are always hopeful .
That 's the essence of the Gospel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people of the light , '' he added , `` so we 're excited about the opportunity to gather and worship and follow the guidelines , and being respectful of our sisters and brothers and mindful of everybody who has a different level of acceptance and abilities , too . ''
At Holy Family Catholic Community in Inverness , the Rev .
Terry Keehan said he senses there will be worshippers eager to return to church and others who are leery .
`` I really think it will be something in between , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , they miss ( church ) , '' said Keehan , who is Holy Family 's pastor .
`` Everybody misses coming to church .
But there 's a certain group that will only kind of be fed , so to speak , by coming here .
I think there 's going to be lots more who are cautious . ''
Some older suburban parishioners already are voicing concern about returning to church .
Questions also remain about logistics , such as whether a priest can get close enough to pour water @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Citing an agreement with the governor 's office , Archdiocese of Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich on Wednesday announced a plan for the gradual reopening of churches that ultimately would include ticketing or reservation systems and contact tracing .
Catholic officials in Chicago , Rockford and Joliet released identical summaries of the plan , which features a Phase I , Phase IA and Phase II .
Work toward reopening is to start Monday with webinar training for parish volunteers who would implement the reopening proposal .
Foley does n't expect a problem attracting volunteers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there also is a groundswell of people wanting to return to a place of prayer and receive the sacraments , '' he said .
`` That 's been consistent since Day 1 .
People want to have access to the sacraments , have missed the sacraments dearly . ''
Under Phase I , targeted to start May 23 , churches would be open for limited sacramental celebrations and private prayer .
It first establishes procedures parishes can use to reestablish baptisms , reconciliations , weddings and funerals attended by up to 10 people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Keehan stressed that volunteers will need to pass `` lots of training '' and become certified by the Archdiocese of Chicago , so the idea of the Phase I reopening starting in little more than a week should be viewed with cautious optimism .
He also said exact guidance for baptisms and reconciliation is needed .
`` Baptisms and reconciliation , to me , presents a little unique problem because you 're so close , you have to pour water over a baby and you have to be close to somebody in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` I 'm not sure how we 're going to do that . ''
In a statement to the Daily Herald , the Chicago archdiocese said it 's following `` the guidance of competent civil authorities about when and how to reopen . ''
Under Phase II , weekday and weekend Masses for larger groups could restart , depending on state guidelines and church capacity .
However , Jean Wenzel , a parishioner at St. Colette Parish in Rolling Meadows since 1965 , said she and her husband wo n't be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wenzel said her husband has health problems and they are now used to tuning in ABC 7 for Cupich 's Sunday morning Mass .
`` So , I think we 'll just wait , let the younger people go , '' she said .
`` And we can still pray at home , you know . ''
The archdiocese does not have an estimated audience for the televised Sunday Mass .

Suburban pastors expect excitement, caution with reopenings
As Chicago-area Catholic churches move toward reopening as soon as May 23, some prominent suburban pastors expect parishioners will have different comfort levels about returning to Mass.
The Rev. Matt Foley, pastor of St. James Parish in Arlington Heights, said his church will create a comfortable place for the faithful, in part by ensuring everything is properly sanitized and visitors are following social distancing and other guidelines.
"I think people are excited," Foley said Thursday, "and people are always hopeful. That's the essence of the Gospel message."
"We're a people of the light," he added, "so we're excited about the opportunity to gather and worship and follow the guidelines, and being respectful of our sisters and brothers and mindful of everybody who has a different level of acceptance and abilities, too."
The Rev. Matt Foley of St. James Parish in Arlington Heights. - Courtesy of St. James Parish
At Holy Family Catholic Community in Inverness, the Rev. Terry Keehan said he senses there will be worshippers eager to return to church and others who are leery.
"I really think it will be something in between, because there's a certain group of people, they miss (church)," said Keehan, who is Holy Family's pastor. "Everybody misses coming to church. But there's a certain group that will only kind of be fed, so to speak, by coming here. I think there's going to be lots more who are cautious."
- John Starks | Staff Photographer, 2018 The Rev. Terry Keehan of Holy Family Catholic Community Church in Inverness.
Some older suburban parishioners already are voicing concern about returning to church. Questions also remain about logistics, such as whether a priest can get close enough to pour water on an infant for a baptism.
Citing an agreement with the governor's office, Archdiocese of Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich on Wednesday announced a plan for the gradual reopening of churches that ultimately would include ticketing or reservation systems and contact tracing. Catholic officials in Chicago, Rockford and Joliet released identical summaries of the plan, which features a Phase I, Phase IA and Phase II.
Work toward reopening is to start Monday with webinar training for parish volunteers who would implement the reopening proposal. Foley doesn't expect a problem attracting volunteers to help reopen.
"And then there also is a groundswell of people wanting to return to a place of prayer and receive the sacraments," he said. "That's been consistent since Day 1. People want to have access to the sacraments, have missed the sacraments dearly."
Under Phase I, targeted to start May 23, churches would be open for limited sacramental celebrations and private prayer. It first establishes procedures parishes can use to reestablish baptisms, reconciliations, weddings and funerals attended by up to 10 people, excluding ministers and the on-site staff.
Keehan stressed that volunteers will need to pass "lots of training" and become certified by the Archdiocese of Chicago, so the idea of the Phase I reopening starting in little more than a week should be viewed with cautious optimism. He also said exact guidance for baptisms and reconciliation is needed.
"Baptisms and reconciliation, to me, presents a little unique problem because you're so close, you have to pour water over a baby and you have to be close to somebody in the sacrament of reconciliation," Keehan said. "I'm not sure how we're going to do that."
In a statement to the Daily Herald, the Chicago archdiocese said it's following "the guidance of competent civil authorities about when and how to reopen."
Under Phase II, weekday and weekend Masses for larger groups could restart, depending on state guidelines and church capacity.
However, Jean Wenzel, a parishioner at St. Colette Parish in Rolling Meadows since 1965, said she and her husband won't be rushing to Mass when it resumes.
Wenzel said her husband has health problems and they are now used to tuning in ABC 7 for Cupich's Sunday morning Mass.
"So, I think we'll just wait, let the younger people go," she said. "And we can still pray at home, you know."
The archdiocese does not have an estimated audience for the televised Sunday Mass.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-05-14--Which Northwest suburban pools will be closed this summer?

While some Northwest suburban park districts announced Thursday that their swimming pools and water parks wo n't open this summer , the Arlington Heights Park District is still holding out hope .
Rolling Meadows Park District officials on Thursday said they will keep the popular Nelson Sports Complex Pool and Splash Pad closed for the 2020 season out of health and safety concerns related to COVID-19 .
And the Buffalo Grove Park District announced Thursday that its Willow Stream Pool will not open this summer , while Spray ' N Play will remain closed -- though it could open in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , state and federal guidelines .
Those announcements followed earlier decisions by the Barrington Park District not to open its Aqualusion Pool , the Hoffman Estates Park District 's decision to keep the Seascape Family Aquatic Center closed , and the Des Plaines Park District 's decision not to open the Mystic Waters Family Aquatic Center , though the last noted there 's still a chance that two outdoor pools , Chippewa and Iroquois , might be able to open .
The Arlington Heights Park District has decided to delay a decision about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those at Camelot , Frontier , Heritage , Pioneer and Recreation parks .
`` All pool operations are suspended until we receive additional guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health .
At that time , we will evaluate the situation and make a decision , '' officials said Wednesday night in a lengthy State of the Park District update related to COVID-19 .
Meanwhile , summer camps in Arlington Heights are canceled for June , but registration is open for July and August , officials said .
The park district is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up for June camps will be credited or refunded accordingly .
The recently renovated Arlington Ridge Center -- the park district 's 100,000-square-foot indoor recreation center unveiled in December -- could start offering fitness classes for groups of 10 sometime in June , officials said .
`` We have developed a comprehensive reopening plan to welcome you back as soon as state guidelines allow , '' according to the park district announcement .
`` Our members can expect a clean facility , friendly staff and plenty of sanitation products and safe crowd controls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Arlington Heights will open Friday for singles play only , while two community gardens will reopen May 23 for those who have secured a plot .
Lake Arlington and Sunset Meadows parks remain closed , along with all district playgrounds and basketball courts .

Which Northwest suburban pools will be closed this summer?
The Nelson Sports Complex Pool in Rolling Meadows will be closed this summer, park district officials announced Thursday. The decision follows those of other park districts, though some, like Arlington Heights, still haven't decided whether their pools will be open. Daily Herald File Photo, 2016
While some Northwest suburban park districts announced Thursday that their swimming pools and water parks won't open this summer, the Arlington Heights Park District is still holding out hope.
Rolling Meadows Park District officials on Thursday said they will keep the popular Nelson Sports Complex Pool and Splash Pad closed for the 2020 season out of health and safety concerns related to COVID-19.
And the Buffalo Grove Park District announced Thursday that its Willow Stream Pool will not open this summer, while Spray 'N Play will remain closed -- though it could open in late summer depending on the latest local, state and federal guidelines.
Those announcements followed earlier decisions by the Barrington Park District not to open its Aqualusion Pool, the Hoffman Estates Park District's decision to keep the Seascape Family Aquatic Center closed, and the Des Plaines Park District's decision not to open the Mystic Waters Family Aquatic Center, though the last noted there's still a chance that two outdoor pools, Chippewa and Iroquois, might be able to open.
The Arlington Heights Park District has decided to delay a decision about whether to open its pools, including those at Camelot, Frontier, Heritage, Pioneer and Recreation parks.
"All pool operations are suspended until we receive additional guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health. At that time, we will evaluate the situation and make a decision," officials said Wednesday night in a lengthy State of the Park District update related to COVID-19.
Meanwhile, summer camps in Arlington Heights are canceled for June, but registration is open for July and August, officials said. The park district is not collecting payments, while those who signed up for June camps will be credited or refunded accordingly.
The recently renovated Arlington Ridge Center -- the park district's 100,000-square-foot indoor recreation center unveiled in December -- could start offering fitness classes for groups of 10 sometime in June, officials said.
"We have developed a comprehensive reopening plan to welcome you back as soon as state guidelines allow," according to the park district announcement. "Our members can expect a clean facility, friendly staff and plenty of sanitation products and safe crowd controls upon reopening."
Some tennis courts in Arlington Heights will open Friday for singles play only, while two community gardens will reopen May 23 for those who have secured a plot.
Lake Arlington and Sunset Meadows parks remain closed, along with all district playgrounds and basketball courts.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-05-14--Schaumburg approves plan for eight new homes east of Conant High School

A developer has won approval to build eight single-family homes in Schaumburg on land bought from Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 just east of Conant High School .
Mount Prospect-based Paul Swanson plans the homes for a 4.4-acre site that includes a 2.1-acre pond on the southwest corner of Thacker Street and Verde Drive .
Named Verde Estates , the land was acquired by District 54 through an earlier developer donation .
Swanson entered into a contract last August to purchase the site for $ 680,000 .
On May 7 , District 54 board members extended the contingency period for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at that time was still working toward village approval and awaiting a permit from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District .
Six of the lots will face Thacker Street and share driveways to minimize curb cuts , while the remaining two will share a driveway along Verde Drive .
Most of the lots vary in size between 10,010 and 10,638 square feet , but the corner lot will be 12,586 square feet and the one on Verde Drive adjacent to the pond will be a flag-shaped 22,732 square feet .
Though the developer 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there is a provision in the village 's approval allowing lots to be sold and developed individually .
However , an overall land development permit will be required .
Schaumburg planning staff also are nearing the end of their analysis of Nitti Development 's proposal for single-family homes on a 62-acre site owned by Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 , east of Summit Drive and west of Plum Grove Road .
Though the plan is expected to be presented to the village board in the near future , Community Development Director Julie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ liberty to divulge any details such as how many homes are proposed .
District 211 board members granted a three-month extension in April to the contingency period on Nitti Development 's $ 17.7 million purchase agreement , as the builder continues to work toward village approval .

Schaumburg approves plan for eight new homes east of Conant High School
A developer has won approval to build eight single-family homes in Schaumburg on land bought from Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 just east of Conant High School.
Mount Prospect-based Paul Swanson plans the homes for a 4.4-acre site that includes a 2.1-acre pond on the southwest corner of Thacker Street and Verde Drive.
Named Verde Estates, the land was acquired by District 54 through an earlier developer donation. Swanson entered into a contract last August to purchase the site for $680,000.
On May 7, District 54 board members extended the contingency period for the sale to Aug. 3 as Swanson at that time was still working toward village approval and awaiting a permit from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.
Schaumburg village trustees unanimously endorsed the project Tuesday.
Six of the lots will face Thacker Street and share driveways to minimize curb cuts, while the remaining two will share a driveway along Verde Drive.
Most of the lots vary in size between 10,010 and 10,638 square feet, but the corner lot will be 12,586 square feet and the one on Verde Drive adjacent to the pond will be a flag-shaped 22,732 square feet.
Though the developer's intention is to construct all the homes, there is a provision in the village's approval allowing lots to be sold and developed individually. However, an overall land development permit will be required.
Schaumburg planning staff also are nearing the end of their analysis of Nitti Development's proposal for single-family homes on a 62-acre site owned by Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211, east of Summit Drive and west of Plum Grove Road.
Though the plan is expected to be presented to the village board in the near future, Community Development Director Julie Fitzgerald said she is not yet at liberty to divulge any details such as how many homes are proposed.
District 211 board members granted a three-month extension in April to the contingency period on Nitti Development's $17.7 million purchase agreement, as the builder continues to work toward village approval.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-05-14--Severe thunderstorms expected throughout suburbs tonight

The U.S. National Weather Service office in Chicago is warning of waves of severe thunderstorms beginning later this evening .
@ @ @ @ @ threat along the Interstate 80 corridor , with all of Will County and the southern @ @ @ @ @ and Kane counties listed among those areas to likely be affected the most .
The @ @ @ @ @ 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. , according to forecasters .
Wind gusts of up to @ @ @ @ @ with potential flash flooding , Ping-Pong-ball sized hail and frequent lightning .
Forecasts will be @ @ @ @ @ weather.gov/chicago .

Flash flood warning in effect through morning
Severe thunderstorms are expected throughout much of the suburbs Thursday night, with the greatest threat along the Interstate 80 corridor, according to the National Weather Service. Daily Herald File Photo/August 2008
The U.S. National Weather Service office in Chicago has issued a flash flood watch in effect through Friday morning.
The flash flood watch includes Cook, DuPage and Kane counties as multiple rounds of thunderstorms are expected overnight and possibly result in rain totals in excess of three inches.
Forecasts call for the highest threat along the Interstate 80 corridor, with all of Will County and portions of Cook, DuPage and Kane counties listed among those areas to likely be affected the most.
Wind gusts of up to 70 mph are anticipated along with potential flash flooding, Ping-Pong-ball sized hail and frequent lightning.
Forecasts will be updated throughout the day at weather.gov/chicago.


dailyheraldchicago--2020-05-14--A quarter of the residents at Bria of Geneva died from COVID-19. Families want answers

Editor 's note : ProPublica Illinois is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power .
Sign up to get weekly updates about its work .
Standing outside a window at the Bria of Geneva nursing home one morning last week , 2-year-old Rosa Morrow tried to get her grandmother 's attention .
She held her palm to the screen .
She blew kisses .
She counted slowly , `` 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... '' On the other side , 71-year-old Claudette Stasik , who has tested positive for COVID-19 , sat in her reclining wheelchair , her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her chest , her gray hair braided to one side .
A nurse , wearing gloves , gently rubbed her hand .
`` Can you say hi ?
Wake up , honey .
You have visitors . ''
Separated by the glass -- and by a devastating outbreak of the coronavirus at this facility in the western suburbs of Chicago -- Stasik 's son Scott and his family can only attempt to communicate with her through a FaceTime call .
`` Hi , Mom .
We 're over here .
Can you look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Stasik opened her eyes , but only for a moment .
It 's been a brutal few weeks at Bria of Geneva , which has experienced one of the largest and deadliest outbreaks of the coronavirus in the state , according to a ProPublica Illinois analysis of Illinois Department of Public Health data .
Since mid-April , 75 of the nursing home 's 91 residents and 37 of its 120 workers have tested positive for the virus .
Twenty-four residents have died from COVID-19 , the most recent on Monday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coroner 's office in Kane County , where the facility is located .
While other Illinois nursing homes may have seen larger overall numbers of cases and deaths , almost none have experienced an outbreak on the scale of the one here , with more than two-thirds of the residents infected with the virus and one-fourth killed by it .
The situation at Bria of Geneva illustrates the price of insufficient and delayed testing and how a lag in public reporting of cases and deaths in nursing homes obscured the breadth of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's vulnerable elderly population .
The first resident at Bria of Geneva tested positive April 17 .
At the time , Illinois public health officials had instructed nursing homes that they did not need to test everyone when there were positive cases .
That guidance changed soon after , when state officials acknowledged that more testing was needed in nursing homes to identify asymptomatic residents and staff members and prevent large outbreaks .
Still , it took another week for Bria to obtain enough supplies to do widespread testing .
State public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nursing homes April 19 .
It showed no cases at Bria of Geneva , even though the outbreak was underway .
In some of the Public Health Department 's weekly updates since , the number of deaths has been undercounted or becomes outdated almost as soon as it 's released , according to a comparison of state data with a tally from the Kane County coroner 's office .
Some family members have blamed Bria officials for being unprepared for the virus and for failing to communicate with them about their family members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been performing posthumous COVID-19 tests , also has expressed frustration with the handling of the outbreak .
`` I do n't feel that it should be my responsibility at this point running around testing ( dead ) people that should have already been tested , '' Coroner Rob Russell said .
Philip Branshaw , the medical director at Bria of Geneva , said the last few weeks have been `` trying '' and `` heartbreaking '' for the medical staff , family members and residents , but he is confident patients are well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 43 residents and staff members have recovered from the virus or are asymptomatic , according to the nursing home .
`` I likened it to following all the rules , and when you get ready to cross the street and look at the lights and you step out and get run over by a truck , '' Branshaw said .
At least 1,500 residents of Illinois nursing homes or other long-term care facilities have died from the virus -- roughly half of all COVID-19 deaths in the state , although residents of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of Illinois ' population .
The crisis is most apparent outside Cook County .
In these areas , long-term care centers account for two-thirds of all deaths , according to a ProPublica Illinois analysis of data from the state Department of Public Health .
Across the state , more than 400 out of about 1,700 facilities have reported at least one positive case among residents and staff , and about 20 facilities have had 100 or more positive cases .
The 75 cases among residents at Bria of Geneva include Claudette Stasik @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dementia , her family said .
Although she has n't displayed a high fever , cough or other symptoms of the virus , her health has declined in recent weeks as she has been confined to her room .
Patricia Yanni , 78 , had lived at Bria of Geneva for eight years .
`` The doctor called me and said , ' I 'm not sure she will make it out of this , ' '' said her daughter , Kristin Davison .
Yanni died several days later , on May 1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lucille James , had been tested for the virus , but nobody from the nursing home told her the results , she said .
James died May 1 , hours before Yanni .
The death certificate listed the cause of death as COVID-19 and noted she was last seen alive in the late hours of April 30 .
`` The hardest part is knowing there was nobody there with her , '' Borowiak said .
`` Somehow the virus got in there and went like wildfire , '' Borowiak said .
`` You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
When Branshaw discusses the timeline of the outbreak at Bria of Geneva , he starts with the morning of April 17 .
That 's when the first resident , sent to Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva a day earlier , tested positive for the virus .
`` We did not have any testing available to us , which unfortunately is pretty common , '' Branshaw said .
`` Once we got our first patient , it was a landslide . ''
Three more Bria of Geneva residents were admitted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ admitted since .
Some of the first residents to test positive were transferred to a facility in Palos Hills that Bria of Geneva 's parent company , BRIA Health Services , operates .
At the time , staff members thought they could contain the virus by transferring them to a coronavirus-designated wing at the Palos home .
`` We were still trying to figure out the scope of the issue , '' Branshaw said .
He was hamstrung , he said , because he could n't get testing supplies .
At the direction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bria of Geneva eventually obtained 10 tests from a state lab , the amount supplied to facilities at the time , county health officials said .
Branshaw secured an additional 60 tests after asking , in a group chat with medical professionals , if anyone could help ; top health officials from Northwestern 's Central DuPage and Delnor hospitals supplied them .
On April 23 and 24 , Branshaw and a nurse practitioner went from room to room at the nursing home .
`` We swabbed everyone we could , '' he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was frustrated by the difficulty nursing homes had in obtaining tests .
`` The biggest disappointment to me is why are n't long-term facilities testing folks ?
There are things they could do to mitigate the spread , '' he said last month , as the outbreak was just beginning .
He tested some nursing home residents after they died , to provide answers to family members and to build a more accurate public accounting of the disease .
Only four nursing homes in Illinois had more deaths than Bria of Geneva @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday .
All of them are larger facilities , with more beds and a higher average number of residents .
Meadowbrook Manor of Bolingbrook has had at least 26 deaths , the most in the state , but it has three times the capacity of Bria of Geneva .
Symphony of Joliet , with twice the capacity of Bria of Geneva , has had 24 deaths .
Pat Comstock , the COVID-19 response director for the Health Care Council of Illinois , an industry group that represents about 300 nursing homes , criticized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nursing homes with personal protective equipment early enough .
Hospitals obtained gear directly from the state , but nursing homes initially had to go through county health departments or secure it on their own , she said .
`` Not prioritizing nursing homes early enough created some challenges across the board , '' she said .
`` At the beginning , even if facilities went out and tried to find their own test kits , the supply just was n't available .
Help was needed from the state . ''
Gov .
J.B. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gear to all county health departments and made clear that the long-term care facilities are `` priority recipients '' for distribution .
Kane County health officials provided masks , gloves , gowns and other gear to Bria of Geneva , a spokeswoman said .
On April 20 , state officials said they would send teams to nursing homes to test residents and staff -- including at facilities with no confirmed cases to try to isolate cases and avoid major outbreaks .
It 's unclear how many sites they 've visited , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respond to a request for that number .
`` We are working to test all residents and all staff at those homes , '' Pritzker said in April , adding the state would prioritize homes serving minority populations .
State officials also said staff members should be tested more regularly instead of relying on `` wellness checks '' that do n't detect asymptomatic carriers .
In response to questions from ProPublica Illinois , an Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman said the agency has sent 30,396 test kits to 129 long-term care facilities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has sent at least an additional 2,653 test kits to eight facilities .
`` This effort continues daily , '' IDPH spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said .
`` Early in the pandemic when testing capacity and PPE were limited , and asymptomatic transmission was thought not to occur , isolating residents and restricting staff could be done with symptoms alone . ''
Arnold said the state releases data on nursing home cases and deaths only once a week because public health officials are currently `` stretched '' and their focus is on responding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protect residents and workers .
`` Without widespread testing and without frequent release of the data , there are undoubtedly buildings across the state that have outbreaks that we do n't even know about or do n't know as much about as others , '' Comstock said .
At the front door of Bria of Geneva , it 's as if time stopped before the coronavirus arrived .
A sign at the front door still reads : `` Visiting hours are only a suggestion .
Visitors are welcome any time . ''
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mid-March .
Messages in the windows signal the fight that 's going on inside : `` # WeGotThis . ''
`` # BriaStrong . ''
`` # AllforOne . ''
`` GenevaProud . ''
BRIA Health Services operates nine facilities in Illinois , all in the Chicago area and near St. Louis .
Five of them have had deaths from COVID-19 .
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services , which inspects and regulates nursing homes , gives Bria of Geneva an overall rating of four stars , which is above average , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for the care of long-term residents .
But in its most recent health inspection report , in July 2019 , the federal agency cited the facility for having insufficient staff to meet residents ' needs and for some workers not using proper hygiene , among other concerns , and gave it just two stars in that report .
The report described residents waiting so long for workers to respond to them that they soiled their clothes or were essentially confined to their rooms .
`` We just do n't have enough staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , according to the report .
`` I have waited up to 2 hours to get my call light answered . ''
Inspectors also watched a nursing assistant change a resident 's soiled underwear without changing her gloves .
The same worker , 45 minutes later , changed another resident 's soiled underwear and then , still wearing the same pair of contaminated gloves , transferred him back to his wheelchair , wiped his face with a wet washcloth and combed his hair .
`` Staff should wash their hands and change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prevent the spread of infection , '' the report states .
Inspectors concluded residents did not face immediate harm but there was potential for it .
Bria of Geneva was not fined .
Some family members whose relatives died from the virus told ProPublica Illinois they were left in the dark as COVID-19 spread through the home .
Kristin Davison 's mother returned to Bria of Geneva after being treated at a hospital for COVID-19 symptoms around April 25 .
Davison said she spent hours repeatedly calling the nursing home to get updates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She FaceTimed with her mother on Wednesday , April 29 .
The next day , she could n't reach anyone at the facility .
`` They either did n't pick it up , I was hung up on , I was transferred .
It took forever for someone to call me and most people would not return your calls , '' Davison said .
`` I had to hound them .
It was ridiculous .
You should n't have to do that . ''
On Friday evening , May 1 , she got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died .
`` The director said , 'We did our rounds and when we came around she was gone , ' '' Davison said .
She called the nursing station to ask what had happened and why she was n't contacted .
She said a nurse replied : `` We are very busy here .
I did n't know she was going to pass , so I did n't know to contact you . ''
`` What hurts me the most is my mother was alone , '' Davison said .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to FaceTime her one more time to say goodbye , and I did n't have that option . ''
Susan Borowiak said she 's also concerned about the care her mother , Lucille James , received in the weeks before she died .
When Borowiak last saw her mother through a window , she `` looked really rough , '' she said .
Her hair was long and unkempt .
Food was stuck on her shirt .
`` The nurses we did know there , we liked .
They were very caring .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was a rolling boil there , '' she said .
`` I do n't think they were as prepared as they should have been and did n't have the proper protective equipment . ''
She also expressed frustration at not getting updates about her mother 's declining health after learning through a mass email from Bria of Geneva on April 24 that residents and staff had tested positive .
The next evening , she emailed the nursing home with a plea for an update on her mother 's health , saying she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for two days .
`` I understand it 's insane there .
I 'll even take a text or email , '' she wrote .
`` Thank you for being there and taking care of my mom . ''
Administrators allowed Borowiak 's sister , Donna James , to visit her mother the night before she died , and she held her hand for the last time .
As she walked into the home , James said , a resident was wheeled out on a stretcher and into an ambulance .
The nursing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or medical-grade masks as they went from room to room , James said .
Lucille James died on her husband 's birthday .
They had been married for 59 years .
Borowiak , who had said goodbye to her mother on FaceTime , went to Bria of Geneva one last time and watched as the funeral home arrived to pick up her mother 's body , draped in purple velvet , her favorite color .
When Stasik 's family visited last week , the nurse by her bedside wore a face shield , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during visits before that and since , the family said , workers did n't wear gloves and one nurse assistant wore his mask below his mouth .
`` He was touching her and everything , '' said Stasik 's daughter-in-law , Maria .
`` No wonder it is spreading so fast . ''
Branshaw said Bria of Geneva has been `` more than adequately staffed '' by nurses working longer shifts or through pulling in employees from other BRIA homes .
He said the nursing staff has been `` heroic '' and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bria of Geneva resident Debbie Jacobs , who tested positive for the virus but is asymptomatic , has lost many of her friends in the past few weeks .
She learns the disease has taken another life when the nursing home plays the hymn `` How Great Thou Art '' over the intercom to mark each death .
She said the outbreak was `` like a bomb went off . ''
Two days after residents met with the Bria of Geneva administrator to discuss preemptive lockdown procedures , the first resident tested positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , '' she said .
She said workers have been supportive during the crisis and have kept residents informed through flyers and one-on-one meetings .
`` I have never met a ( nursing home ) administrator that cares so much for her building , '' Jacobs said .
Other families , including whose loved ones died , have sent letters , emails and food to thank the nurses and other workers for their courage to keep coming to work .
Community members provided lunch from Panera Bread Co. and the Geneva library @ @ @ @ @ @ @ During the 90 minutes Stasik 's family visited her last week , at least two other residents had windowside visits from their families .
Mary Niceley dropped off homemade fudge and pumpkin-date bread for her 95-year-old mother , who has also tested positive for the virus but is doing well , she said .
`` I love you mom , '' Nicely said , during a brief windowside visit .
She cried as she walked away , waving her hands in front of her eyes to try to stop the tears .
Noel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who had tested positive for COVID-19 a week earlier and was moved to a room on the first floor so his family could visit .
Corral tapped on the window and told his father he was n't alone .
He told him not to worry anymore .
`` Every day he is getting weaker and weaker , '' Corral said , choking up .
His father died the day after that visit .
Nursing home workers escorted Alfredo 's body outside when the funeral home came to pick him up .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us feel like we were there with our dad , '' he said .
During last week 's visit , Stasik 's son shared small talk and asked questions he knew his mother , who can no longer speak or feed herself , would not answer .
`` I have n't seen you in a few days ?
Anything new and exciting ? ''
`` You have to eat a little more , OK ? ''
Morrow said .
`` It will make you feel better . ''
Stasik occasionally opened her eyes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as if she were waving .
`` Grandma 's 'wake ! ''
shouted her 2-year-old granddaughter .
The end of the visits are always the hardest .
`` We all love you , '' Morrow said through the window .
As he drove off in his minivan , he had the same thought he has every time .
`` Will she be OK the next time I see her ? ''

A quarter of the residents at Bria of Geneva died from COVID-19. Families want answers
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Standing outside a window at the Bria of Geneva nursing home one morning last week, 2-year-old Rosa Morrow tried to get her grandmother's attention. She held her palm to the screen. She blew kisses. She counted slowly, "1 ... 2 ... 3 ..."
On the other side, 71-year-old Claudette Stasik, who has tested positive for COVID-19, sat in her reclining wheelchair, her eyes closed and her arms crossed against her chest, her gray hair braided to one side. A nurse, wearing gloves, gently rubbed her hand.
"Can you say hi? Wake up, honey. You have visitors."
Separated by the glass -- and by a devastating outbreak of the coronavirus at this facility in the western suburbs of Chicago -- Stasik's son Scott and his family can only attempt to communicate with her through a FaceTime call.
"Hi, Mom. We're over here. Can you look over this way?" her son said. Stasik opened her eyes, but only for a moment.
It's been a brutal few weeks at Bria of Geneva, which has experienced one of the largest and deadliest outbreaks of the coronavirus in the state, according to a ProPublica Illinois analysis of Illinois Department of Public Health data.
Since mid-April, 75 of the nursing home's 91 residents and 37 of its 120 workers have tested positive for the virus. Twenty-four residents have died from COVID-19, the most recent on Monday, according to Bria of Geneva and the coroner's office in Kane County, where the facility is located.
While other Illinois nursing homes may have seen larger overall numbers of cases and deaths, almost none have experienced an outbreak on the scale of the one here, with more than two-thirds of the residents infected with the virus and one-fourth killed by it. The situation at Bria of Geneva illustrates the price of insufficient and delayed testing and how a lag in public reporting of cases and deaths in nursing homes obscured the breadth of a crisis that has disproportionately hit the state's vulnerable elderly population.
The first resident at Bria of Geneva tested positive April 17. At the time, Illinois public health officials had instructed nursing homes that they did not need to test everyone when there were positive cases. That guidance changed soon after, when state officials acknowledged that more testing was needed in nursing homes to identify asymptomatic residents and staff members and prevent large outbreaks. Still, it took another week for Bria to obtain enough supplies to do widespread testing.
State public health officials first released coronavirus case data on nursing homes April 19. It showed no cases at Bria of Geneva, even though the outbreak was underway. In some of the Public Health Department's weekly updates since, the number of deaths has been undercounted or becomes outdated almost as soon as it's released, according to a comparison of state data with a tally from the Kane County coroner's office.
Some family members have blamed Bria officials for being unprepared for the virus and for failing to communicate with them about their family members. The county coroner, who has been performing posthumous COVID-19 tests, also has expressed frustration with the handling of the outbreak.
"I don't feel that it should be my responsibility at this point running around testing (dead) people that should have already been tested," Coroner Rob Russell said.
Philip Branshaw, the medical director at Bria of Geneva, said the last few weeks have been "trying" and "heartbreaking" for the medical staff, family members and residents, but he is confident patients are well cared for. As of this week, 43 residents and staff members have recovered from the virus or are asymptomatic, according to the nursing home.
"I likened it to following all the rules, and when you get ready to cross the street and look at the lights and you step out and get run over by a truck," Branshaw said.
At least 1,500 residents of Illinois nursing homes or other long-term care facilities have died from the virus -- roughly half of all COVID-19 deaths in the state, although residents of such facilities make up less than 1% of Illinois' population. The crisis is most apparent outside Cook County. In these areas, long-term care centers account for two-thirds of all deaths, according to a ProPublica Illinois analysis of data from the state Department of Public Health.
Across the state, more than 400 out of about 1,700 facilities have reported at least one positive case among residents and staff, and about 20 facilities have had 100 or more positive cases.
The 75 cases among residents at Bria of Geneva include Claudette Stasik, who has Parkinson's disease and dementia, her family said. Although she hasn't displayed a high fever, cough or other symptoms of the virus, her health has declined in recent weeks as she has been confined to her room.
Patricia Yanni, 78, had lived at Bria of Geneva for eight years. "The doctor called me and said, 'I'm not sure she will make it out of this,'" said her daughter, Kristin Davison. Yanni died several days later, on May 1.
Susan Borowiak knew her mother, Lucille James, had been tested for the virus, but nobody from the nursing home told her the results, she said. James died May 1, hours before Yanni. The death certificate listed the cause of death as COVID-19 and noted she was last seen alive in the late hours of April 30. "The hardest part is knowing there was nobody there with her," Borowiak said.
"Somehow the virus got in there and went like wildfire," Borowiak said. "You scratch your head over the whole thing."
A Dire Situation
When Branshaw discusses the timeline of the outbreak at Bria of Geneva, he starts with the morning of April 17. That's when the first resident, sent to Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva a day earlier, tested positive for the virus.
"We did not have any testing available to us, which unfortunately is pretty common," Branshaw said. "Once we got our first patient, it was a landslide."
Three more Bria of Geneva residents were admitted to Delnor that day. Others have been admitted since. Some of the first residents to test positive were transferred to a facility in Palos Hills that Bria of Geneva's parent company, BRIA Health Services, operates. At the time, staff members thought they could contain the virus by transferring them to a coronavirus-designated wing at the Palos home.
"We were still trying to figure out the scope of the issue," Branshaw said.
He was hamstrung, he said, because he couldn't get testing supplies. At the direction of the Kane County Health Department, Bria of Geneva eventually obtained 10 tests from a state lab, the amount supplied to facilities at the time, county health officials said. Branshaw secured an additional 60 tests after asking, in a group chat with medical professionals, if anyone could help; top health officials from Northwestern's Central DuPage and Delnor hospitals supplied them.
On April 23 and 24, Branshaw and a nurse practitioner went from room to room at the nursing home. "We swabbed everyone we could," he said.
Russell, the coroner, said he was frustrated by the difficulty nursing homes had in obtaining tests. "The biggest disappointment to me is why aren't long-term facilities testing folks? There are things they could do to mitigate the spread," he said last month, as the outbreak was just beginning. He tested some nursing home residents after they died, to provide answers to family members and to build a more accurate public accounting of the disease.
Only four nursing homes in Illinois had more deaths than Bria of Geneva when the state updated its count last Friday. All of them are larger facilities, with more beds and a higher average number of residents. Meadowbrook Manor of Bolingbrook has had at least 26 deaths, the most in the state, but it has three times the capacity of Bria of Geneva. Symphony of Joliet, with twice the capacity of Bria of Geneva, has had 24 deaths.
Pat Comstock, the COVID-19 response director for the Health Care Council of Illinois, an industry group that represents about 300 nursing homes, criticized state public health officials for not providing nursing homes with personal protective equipment early enough. Hospitals obtained gear directly from the state, but nursing homes initially had to go through county health departments or secure it on their own, she said.
"Not prioritizing nursing homes early enough created some challenges across the board," she said. "At the beginning, even if facilities went out and tried to find their own test kits, the supply just wasn't available. Help was needed from the state."
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said the state provided protective gear to all county health departments and made clear that the long-term care facilities are "priority recipients" for distribution. Kane County health officials provided masks, gloves, gowns and other gear to Bria of Geneva, a spokeswoman said.
On April 20, state officials said they would send teams to nursing homes to test residents and staff -- including at facilities with no confirmed cases to try to isolate cases and avoid major outbreaks. It's unclear how many sites they've visited, and the Illinois Department of Public Health did not respond to a request for that number.
"We are working to test all residents and all staff at those homes," Pritzker said in April, adding the state would prioritize homes serving minority populations. State officials also said staff members should be tested more regularly instead of relying on "wellness checks" that don't detect asymptomatic carriers.
In response to questions from ProPublica Illinois, an Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman said the agency has sent 30,396 test kits to 129 long-term care facilities and Quest Diagnostics, a private company, has sent at least an additional 2,653 test kits to eight facilities.
"This effort continues daily," IDPH spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said. "Early in the pandemic when testing capacity and PPE were limited, and asymptomatic transmission was thought not to occur, isolating residents and restricting staff could be done with symptoms alone."
Arnold said the state releases data on nursing home cases and deaths only once a week because public health officials are currently "stretched" and their focus is on responding to outbreaks to limit the spread and protect residents and workers.
"Without widespread testing and without frequent release of the data, there are undoubtedly buildings across the state that have outbreaks that we don't even know about or don't know as much about as others," Comstock said.
Troubling Reports
At the front door of Bria of Geneva, it's as if time stopped before the coronavirus arrived. A sign at the front door still reads: "Visiting hours are only a suggestion. Visitors are welcome any time."
But no visitors have been allowed inside since mid-March. Messages in the windows signal the fight that's going on inside: "#WeGotThis." "#BriaStrong." "#AllforOne." "GenevaProud."
BRIA Health Services operates nine facilities in Illinois, all in the Chicago area and near St. Louis. Five of them have had deaths from COVID-19.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which inspects and regulates nursing homes, gives Bria of Geneva an overall rating of four stars, which is above average, and its top rating, five stars, for the care of long-term residents. But in its most recent health inspection report, in July 2019, the federal agency cited the facility for having insufficient staff to meet residents' needs and for some workers not using proper hygiene, among other concerns, and gave it just two stars in that report.
The report described residents waiting so long for workers to respond to them that they soiled their clothes or were essentially confined to their rooms. "We just don't have enough staff," one resident told inspectors last year, according to the report. "I have waited up to 2 hours to get my call light answered."
Inspectors also watched a nursing assistant change a resident's soiled underwear without changing her gloves. The same worker, 45 minutes later, changed another resident's soiled underwear and then, still wearing the same pair of contaminated gloves, transferred him back to his wheelchair, wiped his face with a wet washcloth and combed his hair.
"Staff should wash their hands and change their gloves after caring for residents to prevent the spread of infection," the report states. Inspectors concluded residents did not face immediate harm but there was potential for it. Bria of Geneva was not fined.
Some family members whose relatives died from the virus told ProPublica Illinois they were left in the dark as COVID-19 spread through the home.
Kristin Davison's mother returned to Bria of Geneva after being treated at a hospital for COVID-19 symptoms around April 25. Davison said she spent hours repeatedly calling the nursing home to get updates, but nobody answered the phone. She FaceTimed with her mother on Wednesday, April 29. The next day, she couldn't reach anyone at the facility.
"They either didn't pick it up, I was hung up on, I was transferred. It took forever for someone to call me and most people would not return your calls," Davison said. "I had to hound them. It was ridiculous. You shouldn't have to do that."
On Friday evening, May 1, she got a phone call that her mother had died. "The director said, 'We did our rounds and when we came around she was gone,'" Davison said. She called the nursing station to ask what had happened and why she wasn't contacted. She said a nurse replied: "We are very busy here. I didn't know she was going to pass, so I didn't know to contact you."
"What hurts me the most is my mother was alone," Davison said. "I would have loved to have been able to FaceTime her one more time to say goodbye, and I didn't have that option."
Susan Borowiak said she's also concerned about the care her mother, Lucille James, received in the weeks before she died. When Borowiak last saw her mother through a window, she "looked really rough," she said. Her hair was long and unkempt. Food was stuck on her shirt.
"The nurses we did know there, we liked. They were very caring. Once the staff all got sick, it was a rolling boil there," she said. "I don't think they were as prepared as they should have been and didn't have the proper protective equipment."
She also expressed frustration at not getting updates about her mother's declining health after learning through a mass email from Bria of Geneva on April 24 that residents and staff had tested positive. The next evening, she emailed the nursing home with a plea for an update on her mother's health, saying she had been trying to reach someone there for two days. "I understand it's insane there. I'll even take a text or email," she wrote. "Thank you for being there and taking care of my mom."
Administrators allowed Borowiak's sister, Donna James, to visit her mother the night before she died, and she held her hand for the last time. As she walked into the home, James said, a resident was wheeled out on a stretcher and into an ambulance. The nursing home workers did not have face shields or medical-grade masks as they went from room to room, James said.
Lucille James died on her husband's birthday. They had been married for 59 years. Borowiak, who had said goodbye to her mother on FaceTime, went to Bria of Geneva one last time and watched as the funeral home arrived to pick up her mother's body, draped in purple velvet, her favorite color.
When Stasik's family visited last week, the nurse by her bedside wore a face shield, gown, mask and gloves. But during visits before that and since, the family said, workers didn't wear gloves and one nurse assistant wore his mask below his mouth.
"He was touching her and everything," said Stasik's daughter-in-law, Maria. "No wonder it is spreading so fast."
Branshaw said Bria of Geneva has been "more than adequately staffed" by nurses working longer shifts or through pulling in employees from other BRIA homes. He said the nursing staff has been "heroic" and that it has had sufficient protective gear.
Bria of Geneva resident Debbie Jacobs, who tested positive for the virus but is asymptomatic, has lost many of her friends in the past few weeks. She learns the disease has taken another life when the nursing home plays the hymn "How Great Thou Art" over the intercom to mark each death.
She said the outbreak was "like a bomb went off." Two days after residents met with the Bria of Geneva administrator to discuss preemptive lockdown procedures, the first resident tested positive, Jacobs said. "Nobody expected it," she said. She said workers have been supportive during the crisis and have kept residents informed through flyers and one-on-one meetings.
"I have never met a (nursing home) administrator that cares so much for her building," Jacobs said.
Other families, including whose loved ones died, have sent letters, emails and food to thank the nurses and other workers for their courage to keep coming to work. Community members provided lunch from Panera Bread Co. and the Geneva library staff sent a letter of thanks.
Difficult Visits
During the 90 minutes Stasik's family visited her last week, at least two other residents had windowside visits from their families.
Mary Niceley dropped off homemade fudge and pumpkin-date bread for her 95-year-old mother, who has also tested positive for the virus but is doing well, she said.
"I love you mom," Nicely said, during a brief windowside visit. She cried as she walked away, waving her hands in front of her eyes to try to stop the tears.
Noel Corral saw his 89-year-old father, Alfredo, who had tested positive for COVID-19 a week earlier and was moved to a room on the first floor so his family could visit. Corral tapped on the window and told his father he wasn't alone. He told him not to worry anymore.
"Every day he is getting weaker and weaker," Corral said, choking up. His father died the day after that visit. Nursing home workers escorted Alfredo's body outside when the funeral home came to pick him up. "The staff did everything possible to make us feel like we were there with our dad," he said.
During last week's visit, Stasik's son shared small talk and asked questions he knew his mother, who can no longer speak or feed herself, would not answer. "I haven't seen you in a few days? Anything new and exciting?"
"You have to eat a little more, OK?" Morrow said. "It will make you feel better."
Stasik occasionally opened her eyes. Once, she wiggled her fingers, as if she were waving. "Grandma's 'wake!" shouted her 2-year-old granddaughter.
The end of the visits are always the hardest. "We all love you," Morrow said through the window.
As he drove off in his minivan, he had the same thought he has every time. "Will she be OK the next time I see her?"
Ash Ngu contributed reporting.