chicagosun-times--2020-12-31--Coronavirus live blog, Dec. 31, 2020: Coronavirus variant found on West Coast as Fauci warns of more

Coronavirus live blog, Dec. 31, 2020: Coronavirus variant found on West Coast as Fauci warns of more cases

It ’ s the last day of 2020 , but the coronavirus pandemic isn ’ t stopping for 2021 .
Here ’ s what else happened on the final day of the year as the coronavirus pandemic raged on .
8:55 p.m. COVID-19 variant found in California ; Dr. Fauci says more states ‘ likely ’ SAN DIEGO – California has reported its first case of a more contagious COVID-19 variant first identified in the United Kingdom – the second confirmed case in the U.S. Gov .
Gavin Newsom , speaking in an online conversation with Dr. Anthony Fauci , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expert , said the case was confirmed in Southern California Wednesday afternoon .
During a Wednesday afternoon briefing , San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said a 30-year-old man in the county with no travel history tested positive for the new strain on Tuesday .
“ Because there is no travel history , we believe this is not an isolated case in San Diego County , ” Fletcher said .
He urged residents to stay at home for New Year ’ s celebrations , citing the region ’ s already strained healthcare system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the variant in the U.S. on Tuesday and was investigating a second possible case Wednesday .
Both of the cases are National Guard soldiers who were deployed to support staffing at a nursing home in Simla , Colorado , outside Denver , state health officials said .
MADISON , Wis. — Authorities arrested a suburban Milwaukee pharmacist Thursday suspected of deliberately ruining hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine by removing it from refrigeration for two nights .
The Grafton Police Department said the former Advocate Aurora Health pharmacist was arrested on suspicion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drug and criminal damage to property .
The department said in a news release that he was in jail .
Police did not identify the pharmacist , saying he has not yet been formally charged .
His motive remains unclear .
Police said that detectives believe he knew the spoiled doses would be useless and people who received them would mistakenly think they ’ d been vaccinated when they hadn ’ t .
Advocate Aurora Health Care Chief Medical Group Officer Jeff Bahr told reporters during a teleconference Thursday afternoon that the pharmacist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of doses of the Moderna vaccine from refrigeration at a Grafton medical center overnight on Dec. 24 into Dec. 25 , returned them , then left them out again on the night of Dec. 25 into Saturday .
The vials contained enough doses to inoculate 570 people .
2:59 p.m. One Illinois county allows indoor dining , to governor ’ s chagrin SPRINGFIELD — As the numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths continue to climb in Illinois , health officials in the county that includes the state ’ s capital city say enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ limited indoor service in bars and restaurants — to the chagrin of Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s office .
According to the Sangamon County Department of Public Health , bars and restaurants can reopen as of Sunday for indoor service at 25 % capacity .
“ It ’ s time to try , ” said health department director Gail O ’ Neill , according to The ( Springfield ) State Journal-Register .
“ There ’ s always a risk , but our risk level is down enough that the risk of not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy back and the people who work in the food industry is great as well , ” said O ’ Neill .
The move comes as the seven-day rolling positivity rate that peaked at 17 % on Nov. 15 has dropped to 6 % .
1:30 p.m. 133 more Illinois coronavirus deaths with positivity rate trending upward into new year Illinois closed out 2020 with 8,009 new cases of COVID-19 and 133 more deaths attributed to it , keeping the state ’ s pandemic numbers slowly creeping upward as the battered state heads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year elapsed since the first reports of a novel new respiratory disease began circulating out of China — and about 11 months after it first surfaced in Illinois — the coronavirus has infected at least 963,389 people across the state , and killed 16,490 of them .
The roller-coaster pandemic has been marked in Illinois by a mid-May peak that gave way to a summertime lull , followed by an exponential , record-breaking November resurgence that has eased up only slightly while the virus continues claiming lives at a dizzying rate .
Now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , some of the state ’ s key metrics are inching back upward , while Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s health team pleads with families to cancel holiday gatherings to stave off another spike .
1:18 p.m. California is third state to pass 25,000 coronavirus deaths LOS ANGELES — Health officials say California has surpassed 25,000 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic .
The grim milestone recorded Friday comes as the nation ’ s most populated state faces a surge of COVID-19 infections that has hospitals stretched to capacity and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients than usual .
The state Department of Public Health says hospitals in Southern California and the agricultural San Joaquin Valley , which together account for a large majority of the state ’ s 40 million residents , have no capacity left in intensive care units to treat COVID-19 patients .
Hospitals are housing patients in hallways , conference rooms , a cafeteria and gift shops .
Makeshift hospitals are being set up in tents , arenas and schools .
Alice Brunner ’ s dog , Frankie , hops onto her lap as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the property .
Brunner doesn ’ t even attempt to feign disapproval .
She loves the pup : “ She ’ s certainly made my life happier and dispels a lot of gloom on gloomy days , ” said the retired stockbroker , who lives by herself in Old Town and adopted the shelter pup from PAWS Chicago .
The need for cuddly , loving moments is helping to drive a boom in people seeking to foster or adopt a pet during the pandemic .
“ A lot of single people working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Katie Sershon , a volunteer with PAWS .
“ It provides structure and purpose to take care of something else , you ’ ve got to get up and keep a routine.
” But demand outpaced supply at many shelters in the area .
The stacked rows of cages that line the picture windows of the Anti-Cruelty Society ’ s Near North Side headquarters were nearly empty for the first time in a long time .
Cuteness alone doesn ’ t account for the increased interest .
Foster applications skyrocketed in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media requesting help in freeing up kennel space to allow for an expected rush to care for pets whose owners were hospitalized or otherwise struggling because of the coronavirus .
People stepped up .
Applications increased exponentially at many area shelters .
The Anti-Cruelty Society placed 1,256 pets in foster care from March through November , a 35 % increase from the 928 pets placed a year earlier .
11:35 a.m. Illinois driver facilities to reopen Tuesday after pandemic-related closure Driver facilities are set to reopen statewide Jan. 5 after being shuttered for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Facilities were closed for a second time in November after Secretary of State Jesse White determined it was best to protect the “ health and safety of employees and the public.
” Currently , only two facilities are open in Chicago , but only to new drivers : White also extended expiration dates for driver ’ s licenses and IDs to June 1 .
Read the full story from David Struett here .
10:49 a.m. North American movie ticket sales down 80 % in 2020 from last year When the sun sets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ ll be difficult to look at the numbers as anything but disastrous .
After five consecutive years of North American revenues exceeding $ 11 billion , this year they ’ re expected to cap out at an almost 40-year low of around $ 2.3 billion .
That ’ ll be down 80 % from last year according to data firm Comscore .
Globally , where markets have been able to recover more fully , ticket sales will likely end up somewhere between $ 11 and $ 12 billion .
Last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But of course , 2020 is a year with a big asterisk .
“ It ’ s a year like no other , ” said Jim Orr , president of domestic theatrical distribution for Universal Pictures .
“ We ’ ve never seen this little business in this industry.
” Outside of January and February , it ’ s impossible to judge the year ’ s box office by pre-pandemic standards .
Box office , in aggregate , is fairly predictable in a normal year .
But when the theaters shut down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out the window , ” said Paul Dergarabedian , a senior media analyst with Comscore .
“ The unpredictability became the constant.
” 7:26 a.m. With 2020 almost in our rearview mirrors , we asked Chicagoans : How will you describe this year in the future ?
Some answers have been condensed and lightly edited for clarity .
“ My husband and I grew closer in quarantine , even though we couldn ’ t do a lot of the things we wanted to .
Having each other is more important than any missed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was the year I saw another side of some of the people in my life , and how they handled themselves during a crisis .
Some did it with amazing grace , some did it with amazing stupidity.
” — Denise Fricano “ A nightmare , but grateful for what I have and my health.
” — Myrna Kar “ Exhausting , surreal and a bit like war — long stretches of boredom interrupted by a few moments of sheer terror.
” — Christopher B. Alexandrov “ The year my wife and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with our now 2 and 4-year-old children.
” — Ryan Elliott “ I am 72 .
Seen a lot , but this has been the strangest.
” — John Green Keep reading what Chicagoans said about 2020 here .
• Illinois ’ COVID-19 testing positivity rate inched upward for a fourth straight day Wednesday as state public health officials announced the virus has killed 178 additional residents and spread to 7,374 more .
• The new cases were confirmed among 66,786 tests submitted to the Illinois Department of Public Health , raising the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last week to 7.4 % .
That ’ s increased from 6.8 % over the weekend but is still down from over 10 % this time last month .
• ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit will call the upcoming College Football Playoff semifinal between Ohio State and Clemson at home after testing positive for the coronavirus .
7:17 a.m .
Early numbers on Chicago ’ s vaccine rollout show extra effort is a must on South and West sides On Dec. 15 , health care workers across Chicago began receiving the city ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine .
Quickly , a potentially troubling pattern emerged .
Within days , doctors and other health care workers from high-income , largely white communities near downtown and on the North Side showed up in large numbers to get shots at the hospitals where they work .
By Dec. 26 , the greatest number of vaccinations citywide were of doctors and other health care workers from the Near North Side and in Lake View , Lincoln Park , South Loop and Wicker Park , an analysis by the Sun-Times ’ Brett Chase and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ living in lower income and working class neighborhoods of color on the South and West sides , the picture looked much different .
From Dec. 15 through 26 , the fewest vaccinations in the city were of health care workers from the mostly Black Far South Side ; and from West Lawn , Chicago Lawn and Belmont Cragin , neighborhoods with large Latino populations .
Both areas have among the highest COVID-19 infection rates in the city .
The analysis is a stark reminder of the extra effort that will be needed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of color .
Chicago and Illinois can not beat back COVID-19 and end the pandemic unless vaccination becomes the rule , not the exception , in every part of our city .
Keep reading this editorial here .


chicagosun-times--2020-03-30--For writers, who depend on isolation, the coronavirus presents a new challenge: too much noise at ho

For writers, who depend on isolation, the coronavirus presents a new challenge: too much noise at home

Amid heaped laundry and accompanied by the slosh and rattle of his washer-dryer set , writer Jonathan Eig hunches over his computer , losing himself in a world of church bombings , angry mobs and the hope for a better future .
Eig scrolls through old letters and newspapers of the day as he researches the Rev .
Martin Luther King Jr. ’ s life in 1957 Alabama for a biography .
“ If I could , I would just shut my door and stay here for weeks — months at a time — and just immerse myself in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from his Lake View home .
But then there ’ s a knock at the door .
It might be one of his two daughters , asking him to make a sandwich or help with a tie-dye craft project .
Isolation — the kind that many stuck-at-home Chicagoans are now experiencing for the first time — is a way of life , a necessity , for writers .
But they , like everyone else , are having to adjust to a new , less-than-ideal reality .
There are the thumps , shrieks and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ house .
Kelly O ’ Connor McNees , who lives in Rogers Park , is revising what she hopes will be her next novel .
Until the coronavirus outbreak took hold here , she ’ d been editing her manuscript during the daily 30-minute Red Line ride each day into the Loop to her day job as director of content for Page 2 Communications , a legal industry communications strategy firm .
“ Now that we are all at home , the time I had for working on [ the revision ] is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the 2018 release “ Undiscovered Country , ” a novel based on the love affair between Eleanor Roosevelt and the Associated Press reporter Lorena “ Hick ” Hickok .
“ At home , the struggle for us to work our full-time jobs and keep second grade going for our daughter , plan , shop for and prepare three-plus meals per day , get some exercise , keep up with laundry , dishes , cleaning , etc.
, has us completely maxed out from the moment we wake up until we zonk out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , whose children are ages 4 and 6 , described her house as “ pure chaos.
” But the bigger problem isn ’ t the noise .
She typically rises to write long before sunrise , when her children are still asleep .
“ I ’ m not being very productive because I feel like I ’ m just in this mode of consuming [ coronavirus ] information right now , rather than creating , ” said Siegel , a writer of middle-grade nonfiction .
“ I ’ m trying to just give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such a bizarre situation .
I feel like if I ’ m trying to write , but I ’ m only thinking about what ’ s going on in the world , my writing is not very good.
” Vernon Hills children ’ s author Allan Woodrow said his concentration has suffered too from real-world intrusions .
“ I write seven days a week … , almost every single day since I started writing 10 years ago , but I ’ ve written very little over the last couple of weeks and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frustrating , ” said Woodrow , author of the 2019 novel “ The Curse of the Werepenguin.
” He ’ s also been unable to visit schools , one of the ways he ’ d spread the word about his recent release and the next book in the series , “ The Revenge of the Werepenguin.
” It ’ s frustrating , he says , but not foremost in his mind right now .
“ My focus is on my family and the health of the country — not my own selfish promotional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parts of the author ’ s job , particularly for writers of nonfiction , have become a bit easier now .
“ Everybody is home now .
So that people who might have been elusive for me … they ’ re definitely going to answer their phones now , ” Eig said .
Authors also know there ’ s extraordinary material to mine from the current crisis .
“ I ’ m trying to keep the big picture in mind because the stories I like to write are stories about people facing enormous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Siegel , author of two nonfiction middle-grade books , “ To Fly Among the Stars : The Hidden Story of the Fight for Women Astronauts , ” and the soon-to-be-released , “ Mayflower , The Ship that Started a Nation.
” McNees suspects there will be novels written about this time , but probably not by her .
“ I think some good books will come out of this time , but they will all be written by men who do not have small children , ” she said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deeply frustrated about that , but it is what it is.
” Eig isn ’ t sure whether the coronavirus will inspire him to write a book .
But his daily immersion into the civil rights leader ’ s struggles has put the current crisis in context .
“ I didn ’ t realize just how often bombs were exploding all over Montgomery and Birmingham .
I knew that that happened , but … I didn ’ t know how real the threat of death was for [ King ] every day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of courage is really inspiring and incredibly relevant , especially when you think about all the doctors who are putting their lives on the line right now .
”

Amid heaped laundry and accompanied by the slosh and rattle of his washer-dryer set, writer Jonathan Eig hunches over his computer, losing himself in a world of church bombings, angry mobs and the hope for a better future.
Eig scrolls through old letters and newspapers of the day as he researches the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life in 1957 Alabama for a biography.
“If I could, I would just shut my door and stay here for weeks — months at a time — and just immerse myself in this material,” Eig said, speaking from his Lake View home.
But then there’s a knock at the door. It might be one of his two daughters, asking him to make a sandwich or help with a tie-dye craft project.
Isolation — the kind that many stuck-at-home Chicagoans are now experiencing for the first time — is a way of life, a necessity, for writers. But they, like everyone else, are having to adjust to a new, less-than-ideal reality.
There are the thumps, shrieks and other interruptions coming from a suddenly crowded house.
Kelly O’Connor McNees, who lives in Rogers Park, is revising what she hopes will be her next novel. Until the coronavirus outbreak took hold here, she’d been editing her manuscript during the daily 30-minute Red Line ride each day into the Loop to her day job as director of content for Page 2 Communications, a legal industry communications strategy firm.
“Now that we are all at home, the time I had for working on [the revision] is gone,” said McNees, author of the 2018 release “Undiscovered Country,” a novel based on the love affair between Eleanor Roosevelt and the Associated Press reporter Lorena “Hick” Hickok. “At home, the struggle for us to work our full-time jobs and keep second grade going for our daughter, plan, shop for and prepare three-plus meals per day, get some exercise, keep up with laundry, dishes, cleaning, etc., has us completely maxed out from the moment we wake up until we zonk out at night.”
Lisle author Rebecca Siegel, whose children are ages 4 and 6, described her house as “pure chaos.” But the bigger problem isn’t the noise. She typically rises to write long before sunrise, when her children are still asleep.
“I’m not being very productive because I feel like I’m just in this mode of consuming [coronavirus] information right now, rather than creating,” said Siegel, a writer of middle-grade nonfiction. “I’m trying to just give myself grace with that because this is such a bizarre situation. I feel like if I’m trying to write, but I’m only thinking about what’s going on in the world, my writing is not very good.”
Vernon Hills children’s author Allan Woodrow said his concentration has suffered too from real-world intrusions.
“I write seven days a week . . ., almost every single day since I started writing 10 years ago, but I’ve written very little over the last couple of weeks and that is very odd for me and very frustrating,” said Woodrow, author of the 2019 novel “The Curse of the Werepenguin.”
He has also been unable to visit schools, one of the ways he’d spread the word about his recent release and the next book in the series, “The Revenge of the Werepenguin.”
It’s frustrating, he says, but not foremost in his mind right now.
“My focus is on my family and the health of the country — not my own selfish promotional needs,” Woodrow said.
Some parts of the author’s job, particularly for writers of nonfiction, have become a bit easier now.
“Everybody is home now. So that people who might have been elusive for me . . . they’re definitely going to answer their phones now,” Eig said.
Authors also know there’s extraordinary material to mine from the current crisis.
“I’m trying to keep the big picture in mind because the stories I like to write are stories about people facing enormous obstacles, things that seem insurmountable,” said Siegel, author of two nonfiction middle-grade books, “To Fly Among the Stars: The Hidden Story of the Fight for Women Astronauts,” and the soon-to-be-released, “Mayflower, The Ship that Started a Nation.”
McNees suspects there will be novels written about this time, but probably not by her.
“I think some good books will come out of this time, but they will all be written by men who do not have small children,” she said. “It’s hard not to be deeply frustrated about that, but it is what it is.”
Eig isn’t sure whether the coronavirus will inspire him to write a book. But his daily immersion into the civil rights leader’s struggles has put the current crisis in context.
“I didn’t realize just how often bombs were exploding all over Montgomery and Birmingham. I knew that that happened, but . . . I didn’t know how real the threat of death was for [King] every day,” Eig said. “That kind of courage is really inspiring and incredibly relevant, especially when you think about all the doctors who are putting their lives on the line right now.”


chicagosun-times--2020-03-30--Jerry Mulvihill would like to start a niceness virus

Long before the coronavirus outbreak , Jerry Mulvihill was helping people get health insurance , helping them get medical care , helping them get unemployment compensation and helping them find housing .
Most people would say that was just his job as a caseworker for U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski , D-Ill. , and before that Lipinski ’ s father , Rep. Bill Lipinski .
But they don ’ t know Mulvihill .
They have never seen him at work .
“ What ’ s amazing about Jerry is his ability to listen , ” Dan Lipinski said .
“ He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem and he does it , not just at work , but at social functions .
I ’ ve seen complete strangers come up to him and just start telling him about their problems and he listens .
More importantly , he cares.
” I first saw Mulvihill at work decades ago when I went to Lipinski ’ s Southwest Side office on Archer Avenue early one morning for a newspaper interview and saw a long line of people outside the congressman ’ s office .
They had legal documents in their hands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ full of paperwork , and each person told me about their problems , which ranged from trying to get a family member out of a foreign country to obtaining Social Security disability payments to problems with the IRS .
Officially , Mulvihill is now Lipinski ’ s chief caseworker .
He deals with 1,000 cases a year and — officially — has handled more than 33,000 over his career .
Unofficially , he probably has handled thousands more .
That ’ s because someone like me has probably told people that Mulvihill can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facing in life , even if they lived outside Lipinski ’ s congressional district .
“ Of course , I will try to help , tell them to call , ” Mulvihill would always say to me .
At the very least , he found time to listen , even with other constituents sitting at his desk , even with people standing in line , even when his phones were ringing .
“ That ’ s the job , ” he said .
“ And I love doing it .
I mean , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about going to work .
Still that way after 33 years .
It ’ s human beings helping other human beings and it ’ s what we all should be doing , especially now.
” Lipinski lost the Democratic primary election in March to Marie Newman .
She has big ideas .
With luck , she will learn what ’ s really important is making government work for ordinary people every day .
Mulvihill did that for Lipinski .
He is a classic patronage employee and admits at much .
At the age @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in distribution with Sherwin Williams , the paint company , and after searching everywhere , ended up in the office of his old friend , Bill Lipinski .
They had played Amateur Athletic Union basketball together as young men .
Lipinski knew Mulvihill was a good guy .
A fellow who would work hard .
And so , he gave him a job , but not as a caseworker at first .
That happened one day when the previous caseworker retired .
Lipinski asked his staff who wanted the job .
Mulvihill raised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was about helping people , ” Mulvihill said .
“ I was excited about doing that.
” He took courses in social work .
Went back to school .
Got a certificate .
And continued his education .
But most importantly , as the years wore on , he got to know people in other branches of government who could help .
He also developed contacts at hospitals , nursing homes and banks .
During the 2008 housing crisis , before the government stepped in officially , Mulvihill called bank executives and sent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ name trying to save the homes of people being foreclosed on .
“ We saved a few , not many , but it felt good to save some of them , ” Mulvihill said .
Did I mention his annual Christmas drive to feed the poor ?
He started that on his own and for nearly 30 years now it has delivered meals to about 300 people each December .
At the age of 75 , Mulvihill was still rotating among the congressman ’ s five branch offices until recently , when they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Now he works out of his home .
Still helping .
“ Isn ’ t that what people should do during this virus ?
” Mulvihill asked .
And then in an excited voice he exclaimed , “ Maybe we can start our own virus of people helping people .
Wouldn ’ t that be something ?
A niceness virus.
” Mulvihill has been a carrier all of his life .

Long before the coronavirus outbreak, Jerry Mulvihill was helping people get health insurance, helping them get medical care, helping them get unemployment compensation and helping them find housing.
Most people would say that was just his job as a caseworker for U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Ill., and before that Lipinski’s father, Rep. Bill Lipinski.
But they don’t know Mulvihill. They have never seen him at work.
Columnists bug Columnists In-depth political coverage, sports analysis, entertainment reviews and cultural commentary.
“What’s amazing about Jerry is his ability to listen,” Dan Lipinski said. “He will just listen to anyone’s problem and he does it, not just at work, but at social functions. I’ve seen complete strangers come up to him and just start telling him about their problems and he listens. More importantly, he cares.”
I first saw Mulvihill at work decades ago when I went to Lipinski’s Southwest Side office on Archer Avenue early one morning for a newspaper interview and saw a long line of people outside the congressman’s office.
They had legal documents in their hands, government forms, manila folders stuffed full of paperwork, and each person told me about their problems, which ranged from trying to get a family member out of a foreign country to obtaining Social Security disability payments to problems with the IRS.
Officially, Mulvihill is now Lipinski’s chief caseworker. He deals with 1,000 cases a year and — officially — has handled more than 33,000 over his career.
Unofficially, he probably has handled thousands more.
That’s because someone like me has probably told people that Mulvihill can help with whatever problem they’re facing in life, even if they lived outside Lipinski’s congressional district.
“Of course, I will try to help, tell them to call,” Mulvihill would always say to me.
At the very least, he found time to listen, even with other constituents sitting at his desk, even with people standing in line, even when his phones were ringing.
“That’s the job,” he said. “And I love doing it. I mean, I get excited every day just thinking about going to work. Still that way after 33 years. It’s human beings helping other human beings and it’s what we all should be doing, especially now.”
Lipinski lost the Democratic primary election in March to Marie Newman.
She has big ideas. With luck, she will learn what’s really important is making government work for ordinary people every day.
Mulvihill did that for Lipinski.
He is a classic patronage employee and admits at much.
At the age of 41, he lost his job in distribution with Sherwin Williams, the paint company, and after searching everywhere, ended up in the office of his old friend, Bill Lipinski.
They had played Amateur Athletic Union basketball together as young men.
Lipinski knew Mulvihill was a good guy. A fellow who would work hard. And so, he gave him a job, but not as a caseworker at first.
That happened one day when the previous caseworker retired. Lipinski asked his staff who wanted the job. Mulvihill raised his hand.
“I knew it was about helping people,” Mulvihill said. “I was excited about doing that.”
He took courses in social work. Went back to school. Got a certificate. And continued his education.
But most importantly, as the years wore on, he got to know people in other branches of government who could help. He also developed contacts at hospitals, nursing homes and banks.
During the 2008 housing crisis, before the government stepped in officially, Mulvihill called bank executives and sent them letters under the congressman’s name trying to save the homes of people being foreclosed on.
“We saved a few, not many, but it felt good to save some of them,” Mulvihill said.
Did I mention his annual Christmas drive to feed the poor? He started that on his own and for nearly 30 years now it has delivered meals to about 300 people each December.
At the age of 75, Mulvihill was still rotating among the congressman’s five branch offices until recently, when they shut down due to the coronavirus outbreak. Now he works out of his home. Still helping.
“Isn’t that what people should do during this virus?” Mulvihill asked.
And then in an excited voice he exclaimed, “Maybe we can start our own virus of people helping people. Wouldn’t that be something? A niceness virus.”
Mulvihill has been a carrier all of his life.
Email: philkadner@gmail.com
Send letters to: letters@suntimes.com.


chicagosun-times--2020-03-30--What it’s like to get tested for coronavirus (LIVE UPDATES)

What it ’ s like to get tested for coronavirus As COVID-19 spreads rapidly across Illinois , demand for testing to confirm infection continues to outpace the supply of test kits .
Pop-up and drive-thru testing sites across the state have begun administering nasal swab tests , with priority given to first responders and health professionals .
The most widely-used test is requires a long-tipped swab that is used to collect materials from the nasopharynx , where the nasal passage connects to the back of the throat .
The swab must be held in place for several seconds .
Then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ liquid-filled tube and sent to a lab to be processed .
What is it like to get swabbed for a COVID-19 test ?
Jessica Peck , a pediatric nurse practitioner in Texas , tweeted a diagram Saturday illustrating exactly what happens when a patient is swabbed for a COVID-19 test : Some Twitter users who said they had been tested shared their experiences as replies to Peck ’ s tweet : “ I had it done yesterday .
It ’ s that far back and in both nostrils .
My eyes teared up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and my nose got extremely runny , ” one woman wrote .
“ I work on the front lines and had to be tested today .
I still have congestion and discomfort on that side of my face .
Testing still doesn ’ t guide any changes , just keeps me from going back too soon and infecting colleagues , ” another user tweeted .
A short supply of the long-tipped swabs used for testing and some of the chemicals mixed with the specimens has stymied widespread testing efforts .
So has the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to test the specimens , something Abbott Laboratories in northwest suburban Chicago is working to fix .
Lynn Sweet reports on the race to produce more testing tools at Abbott .
1:50 p.m. John Prine in stable condition , his wife says John Prine is in stable condition after being placed on a ventilator while being treated for COVID-19-type symptoms , his wife , Fiona Whelan Prine said Monday .
The singer-songwriter ’ s family said Sunday that Prine was critically ill. Fiona Prine ’ s message Monday on social media , suggested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remains hospitalized .
“ Please continue to send your amazing love and prayers , ” she said on Twitter .
“ Sing his songs .
Stay home and wash hands .
John loves you .
I love you.
” 1:25 p.m. Man who contracted COVID-19 at Cook County Jail : ‘ I thought I was going to die ’ The Albany Park man ended up in Cook County jail in December when reports of the virulent flu-like illness in China first made headlines .
As he served out a 90-day sentence for an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the top of his mind .
As weeks wore on , shelter-in-place orders shut down businesses and altered the rhythm of life on the outside .
Inside , there were only the snippets of information on TV but soon , jail visits were canceled and incoming detainees spent a week in quarantine before joining the others .
Then on March 23 , the Albany Park man and an 18-year-old detainee became the first two people who tested positive for COVID-19 inside the jail complex .
By Monday — a week later — that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jail employees .
“ It was like Disneyland for coronavirus , ” said the 42-year-old man , who was released from jail last week and is now self-quarantining at home .
“ I didn ’ t bring it in .
And once it ’ s in , it ’ s going to go crazy.
” The man , who asked the Chicago Sun-Times not to use his name , was housed in the Residential Treatment Unit , where low-risk offenders with medical issues or in treatment programs , spent their days snapping down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they slept in a single , dormitory style room , with beds roughly two feet apart .
12:25 p.m. CPS students unlikely to return to schools this year , alderman says after mayoral briefing Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday outlined a plan for “ remote learning ” — including the distribution of lap-top computers to needy students — leaving one aldermen to conclude that Chicago Public Schools students have attended their last day of in-person classes this academic year .
“ They ’ re doing remote learning for the rest of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of them going back , ” Ald .
Ray Lopez ( 15th ) told the Sun-Times after a conference call with the mayor .
Pressed on whether Lightfoot said students would not return to school buildings for the rest of the year , Lopez said , “ I don ’ t know if that was the exact words .
But , that ’ s the implication— that the rest of the school year will be remote learning .
I don ’ t know why they ’ d have to go back if they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gov .
J.B. Pritzker has closed all public and private schools statewide through April 7 .
Lightfoot has extended the closing for CPS schools through April 20 .
12:10 p.m. CPS to distribute 100K laptops , iPads and Chromebooks for students to use at home Chicago Public Schools is planning to distribute 100,000 electronic devices for students to use at home as the district begins to implement a remote learning plan ordered by the state , Mayor Lori Lightfoot and schools officials announced Monday .
Despite the effort to provide laptops for students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the district ’ s plan is expected to include guidance for both online and non-digital learning because CPS “ can not close the digital divide overnight , ” the district said in a press release .
Officials said about 65,000 school-based devices — including laptops , ChromeBooks and iPads — will be distributed to families who need them most , and another 37,000 new devices will be purchased .
CPS said it plans to distribute those “ promptly ” and would be in touch with families in the coming days .
12:03 p.m. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Illinois National Guard COVID-19 deployment The federal government will pay the costs of calling out the Illinois National Guard , activated by Gov .
J.B. Pritzker earlier this month , to assist the state in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic .
President Donald Trump on Monday , in a memo to the Defense and Homeland Security secretaries , extended the benefit to the states of Illinois , Connecticut and Michigan .
The three states will get the extra federal help for 30 days .
Illinois National Guard members are being deployed mainly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used heavily at coronavirus testing sites around the state .
8:24 a.m. Why Chicagoans are putting teddy bears in their windows With Chicago schools closed , playdates canceled and many outdoor public spaces on lockdown , kids across the city — and their parents — are getting antsy .
So Chicago has joined a global movement to make families ’ occasional trips outside in their neighborhoods a fun and engaging experience .
The # bearhunt movement was inspired by Michael Rosen ’ s 1989 children ’ s book “ We ’ re Going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opens with the lines , “ We ’ re going on a bear hunt/We ’ re going to catch a big one/What a beautiful day !
/We ’ re not scared.
” The movement has spread from Canada to New Zealand and across the U.S .
In the city and surrounding suburbs , neighbors have been using social media to encourage their communities to participate .
While gathering in large groups outside is not recommended , medical professionals say it ’ s important to get moderate exercise and fresh air , both for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ humble daily walk ” can serve as “ an anchor ” for those in need of routines while social distancing — especially children .
6:42 a.m. U.S. social distancing guidelines extended to April 30 , President Trump says Bracing the nation for a grim death toll , President Donald Trump on Sunday extended the voluntary national shutdown for a month , bowing to public-health experts who told him the coronavirus pandemic could claim over 100,000 lives in the U.S. , perhaps significantly more , if not enough is done to fight it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the president , who only days ago mused about the country reopening in a few weeks .
From the Rose Garden , he said his Easter revival hopes had only been “ aspirational.
” The initial 15-day period of social distancing urged by the federal government expires Monday and Trump had expressed interest in relaxing the national guidelines at least in parts of the country less afflicted by the pandemic .
But instead he decided to extend them through April 30 , a tacit acknowledgment he ’ d been too optimistic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ controls in place on mobility and gatherings .
“ I want our life back again , ” the president told reporters in the Rose Garden .
Picking a college has always been a nerve-wracking experience — especially as May 1 approaches , the date by which most four-year colleges require new students to enroll for a spot in the fall .
But with campuses closed , college fairs canceled and students cut off from their teachers and counselors during an unprecedented shutdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus , students have found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the economy falters .
Meanwhile , the organizations and institutions supporting them are having to find new ways of helping seniors stay on track .
• Singer-songwriter John Prine , a Grammy-winning veteran of the Chicago folk scene whose admirers include Bob Dylan and Roger Waters , has been diagnosed with the coronavirus .
“ His situation is critical , ” according to a statement .
• Placido Domingo was hospitalized with complications from COVID-19 in Mexico • The Cook County medical examiner confirmed Sunday that eight more people have died of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s autopsies , bringing the county ’ s total to 40 deaths .
Gov .
J.B. Pritzker announced over 1,000 new coronavirus cases Sunday across Illinois , with 18 people dying .
12:25 p.m.
It ’ s a bad idea for journalists to censor Trump – instead , they can help the public identify what ’ s true or false In times of mortal strife , humans crave information more than ever , and it ’ s journalists ’ responsibility to deliver it .
But what if that information is inaccurate , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s the quandary journalists have found themselves in as they decide whether to cover President Donald J. Trump ’ s press briefings live .
Some television networks have started cutting away from the briefings , saying the events are no more than campaign rallies , and that the president is spreading falsehoods that endanger the public .
“ If Trump is going to keep lying like he has been every day on stuff this important , we should , all of us , stop broadcasting it , ” MSNBC ’ s Rachel Maddow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s going to cost lives.
” News decisions and ethical dilemmas aren ’ t simple , but withholding information from the public is inconsistent with journalistic norms , and while well-meaning , could actually cause more harm than good in the long run .
Keeping the president ’ s statements from the public prevents the public from being able to evaluate his performance , for example .
Read the full Opinion story from David Cuillier , an associate professor at the School of Journalism at the University of Arizona .
11:50 a.m. A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Let ’ s keep history from repeating itself .
Once this COVID-19 pandemic has passed , we must do all in our power to be better prepared next time .
Let ’ s not listen to those who call the pandemic a hoax .
Let ’ s not listen to people who say to ignore it .
The warning signs were there and the facts were real .
We once had a federal pandemic response team , but a decision was made that this team was not necessary and it was let go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can afford a little insurance .
Read the full edition of Letters To The Editor here .
7:42 a.m. Check-out time for reusable grocery bags ?
For now , ‘ paper or plastic ’ a safer option Just one day after the union that represents Chicago grocery and pharmacy workers requested — and Mayor Lori Lightfoot ’ s administration rejected — suspending the city ’ s plastic bag tax and temporarily banning the use of reusable bags , the governor announced Saturday that grocery stores around the state will soon roll out a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ temporary prohibition on reusable bags .
It was not immediately clear how this will impact grocery stores in the city , where shoppers are charged 7 cents per bag if they don ’ t bring their own .
On Friday , the mayor ’ s office issued a statement statement shooting down the suggestion of a temporary ban and citing a lack of evidence that reusable bags transmit the illness .
On Saturday , it issued a new statement saying the city will comply with any new protocols and restrictions for grocery stores @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bag tax .
6:37 a.m .
Rent is coming due for many who ’ ve lost jobs or seen their hours cut Many renters who have lost jobs or seen their hours cut because of the coronavirus have their own reckoning with an April 1 due date .
Larger Chicago-area landlords say they ’ re in no mood to forgive rent , but they might extend the deadline if asked .
Some may hold off on eviction proceedings for longer than the current state and local mandates require .
“ We expect rent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who lost their jobs , we ’ ll work out a payment plan .
I still have to pay salaries , taxes and mortgages , ” said Stuart Handler , CEO of TLC Management and a board member of the Chicagoland Apartment Association , the lobbying voice for landlords .
TLC has more than 10,000 apartments in the city and suburbs .
David Friedman , president of F & F Realty in Skokie , said tenants have leverage because Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart has suspended evictions until April 30 .
Landlords @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eviction proceedings in court , a filing that could hurt tenants ’ chance of finding an apartment elsewhere .

The latest
For Downstate Illinois, coronavirus crisis ‘is going to devastate families’
Downstate Jacksonville’s town square sits empty on Sunday. Neal Earley/Chicago Sun-Times
The transient slaughterhouse workers of Beardstown still fill the rooms at the Budget Inn in the small central Illinois town, but the motel owner admits, beyond that “business is very slow.”
Some 30 miles southeast in Jacksonville, a sewing supply shop has closed its doors, posting instructions on how to make protective face masks, next to a plastic bin to collect donated masks.
And in southern Illinois, a small-town mayor worries that the economic downturn will lead to a spike in the already above-average suicide rate.
“The majority of people — especially in Southern Illinois — live pay-check to pay-check, and one day off work or two days off work — it is going to devastate families,” Mount Vernon Mayor John Lewis said.
In Illinois, the focus on the coronavirus crisis has been squarely on Chicago, but the hardships, fears and worries have spread across the state, even if the overwhelming majority of COVID-19 cases are in Cook County, not the state’s other 101 counties.
And that has some public officials questioning Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s decisions.
Read the full story from Neal Earley here.
News
9:32 p.m. Fired Mercy Hospital nurse alleges retaliation for speaking out about lack of protective masks while treating coronavirus patients
A former nurse at Mercy Hospital alleges she was fired after she expressed concerns that the hospital didn’t provide adequate protections for staff members treating coronavirus patients.
Regina Haglund filed a discrimination charge March 26 against the hospital with the Chicago office of the National Labor Relations Board. She was was fired March 25, allegedly for retaliation after she spoke up about the lack of protective masks, the filing states.
According to the seven-page filing, Haglund was working in triage for the hospital March 22 and saw a patient who presented with coronavirus symptoms.
The patient wasn’t given a mask because there weren’t any suitable ones in the triage area, and the patient coughed twice on Haglund, the filing states. The person was placed in isolation, and Haglund said she has not been told the patient’s test result.
Read the full report here.
9:02 p.m. Fact-Check: Booze ban? No, Illinois hasn’t stopped liquor sales because of COVID-19
You can call off your emergency trip to the liquor store — states aren’t really stopping the sale of alcohol. But recent Facebook posts would have you think otherwise.
“No beer or alcohol sales in state of Illinois as of 3pm starting Monday March, 30th,” reads an image posted by one account. Then there are links to stories with headlines like this one: “NC Governor to stop all alcohol sales beginning Friday, April 3rd.” Another one claims “Gov. Gavin Newsom suspends alcohol in CA as of March 28.”
These posts were flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed.
Some of these posts, such as one about Mississippi banning booze that has since been pulled down, appear to be screenshots of a news story. But if you click on the links in other posts, it brings you to a page that says “you got pranked.”
The joke, however, is getting lost on many Facebook users as they share both these blog posts and images of seeming media stories with this tee-totaling news.
8:30 p.m. Cook County Circuit Court extends postponement of most criminal, civil cases through May
Cook County Circuit Court is extending its suspension of most criminal and civil cases through May and expanding the use of videoconferencing amid the growing COVID-19 outbreak.
Originally postponed until April 15, most court cases are now suspended until May 18, the office of Chief Judge Timothy Evans said in a statement Monday.
Evans also ordered the expansion of videoconferencing for all court proceeds deemed necessary or emergencies, officials said. All court hearings will be conducted via video no later than April 16. Currently, all detainees with bail hearings appear in court via video.
Read the full report here.
7:56 p.m. Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s new PSA: ‘Stay home. Save lives.’
Mayor Lori Lightfoot launched a new PSA Monday to explain social distancing and encourage Chicagoans to follow just one simple rule: stay home.
“The data shows that social distancing works,” the mayor said. “Please pay attention. Stay home. Save lives.”
In the public service announcement, Lightfoot took on different personas, such as the decorator and even the astrologer, to convince people to stay home.
“Apologies to all the Aries, but if you stay at home now, maybe you can celebrate with all the Geminis later,” she said with a cup of tea and saucer in hand.
Even Lightfoot, the White Sox fan, made a plea for Chicagoans to stay in, boasting that if the White Sox win, then Chicagoans must stay home. The clip that follows is one from the Sox’s World Series win in 2005.
But it’s Lightfoot, the realist, who sums it all up best.
“The truth is, 40,000 hospitalizations will break our healthcare system,” Lightfoot concludes. “Stay home. Save lives.”
Watch the video for yourself, and if it wasn’t already clear: stay home and save lives.
Watch the PSA here.
— Alison Martin
7:01 p.m. NCAA to give spring sport athletes extra year of eligibility
The NCAA will permit spring sport athletes who had their seasons shortened by the coronavirus outbreak to have an additional year of eligibility.
The NCAA Division I Council voted Monday to give college athletes who compete in spring sports such as baseball, softball and lacrosse a way to get back the season they lost, but did not guarantee financial aid.
6:33 p.m. Pritzker says feds sent wrong masks as Illinois reports 8 more coronavirus deaths
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday said the White House sent Illinois a shipment of hundreds of thousands of the wrong type of masks — as the state saw its eighth death and the spread of the coronavirus into half of its counties.
It appears a détente between the Democratic governor and President Donald Trump is over. After weeks of criticizing Trump’s response to the outbreak on national television and daily in press briefings, Pritzker last week said he was thankful for a White House shipment of N95 masks, which came after Pritzker asked Trump personally for help.
Instead the state received surgical masks, Pritzker said.
Read the full report by Tina Sfondeles and Mitch Dudek here.
6:10 p.m. 29 more CPD members test positive for COVID-19, raising total to 50
The Chicago Police Department on Monday announced that 29 more employees have tested positive for the coronavirus,
There are now 50 total cases of the disease in the department, Chicago police said.
“They are getting the best care available and we are prioritizing infection control protocols within police facilities,” CPD chief spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a tweet announcing the cases.
Read the full story from reporter David Struett here.
5:40 p.m. Coronavirus test sites added in Illinois, but Pritzker says limited capacity still ‘an enormous problem’
As Illinois’ number of confirmed COVID-19 cases eclipsed 5,000 on Monday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said there still aren’t nearly enough tests available to track the rise of the deadly disease even as several new testing sites have opened in recent days.
“Just look at the number of tests that have been done — even in the large states — it’s minimal compared to the number of people we know already have COVID-19, or have had it and never knew it,” Pritzker said during a press briefing Monday. “And so, this is an enormous problem.”
By Monday, 5,056 of the 30,446 people tested for coronavirus in Illinois were positive, with 72 succumbing to the disease, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
As of Sunday, Illinois was running around 4,000 tests a day, double the state’s capacity for testing just five days earlier. Pritzker said then he hopes the state can start processing 10,000 daily tests by April 8 in order to get a “truly holistic understanding of the virus in each of our 102 counties.”
The governor on Monday said he was “very, very excited” about a new rapid COVID-19 test developed by Lake Bluff-based Abbott Labs that received emergency approval last week from the Food and Drug Administration. The test can deliver results in as little as five minutes, the company said.
Reporter Tom Schuba has the full story.
5:26 p.m. Federal judge suspends civil, criminal jury trials canceled until after May 29
U.S. Chief District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer on Monday acknowledged the difficulty of calling people in for jury duty amid the coronavirus outbreak as she canceled all civil and criminal jury trials set to begin on or before May 29.
“Social-distancing guidelines render juror participation difficult or unsafe, and the current public health emergency renders it infeasible for the clerk’s office to accomplish the mailing of juror summons,” Pallmeyer wrote.
Pallmeyer’s 10-page order allows several types of hearings — including detention hearings and arraignments — to occur by phone or video as long as the defendant agrees to it. The order also delays all plea hearings and sentencing hearings set to begin on or before May 1, unless an emergency judge is told it is necessary to go forward. Certain circumstances would also allow those hearings to occur by video or phone.
The chief judge also wrote that, “grand juries shall continue to meet, with reasonable limits on grand jury sessions imposed by the court in consultation with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
Read the full order here.
— Jon Seidel
4:52 p.m. Conditions for companies that get virus aid: Room for abuse?
WASHINGTON — A $500 billion federal aid package for companies and governments hurt by the coronavirus includes rules aimed at ensuring that the taxpayer money is used in ways that would help sustain the economy. But questions are being raised about whether those guardrails will prevent the kinds of abuses that have marked some corporate bailouts of the past.
In return for the emergency loans, which could be spun by the Federal Reserve into up to $4.5 trillion, companies will face temporary limits on what they can pay executives. They’ll also need to keep their workforces stable or at least not lay off more than 10% for several months. And they’ll face restrictions on stock buybacks and dividend increases.
Yet loopholes may lurk in the legislation.
“On paper, it looks like we learned the lessons,’’ said James Angel, an associate professor of finance at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. “But the devil is in the details. ... There’s a lot of room around the edges.”
Read more from the Associated Press here.
4:04 p.m. John Krasinski’s new YouTube show brings good news — with some help from Steve Carell
Few news headlines seem to be positive as the coronavirus pandemic endures, but actor John Krasinski knew there was still good news out there — so he launched his own network to share it.
Last week, Krasinski put out a call on Twitter for some good news, and people responded with all types goodness. Some thanked doctors and nurses. Others found sweet ways to stay connected with loved ones while still staying socially distant.
The result of those positive posts became the new YouTube show “Some Good News with John Krasinski.” The show, hosted by Krasinski in what looks like his home office, compiles some of those posts with other positive news from around the internet.
For this first edition, Krasinski also celebrated the 15th anniversary of “The Office” with fellow co-star Steve Carell. The two reminisced on their favorite moments from the show and dished on which scenes were hardest to film — be it from laughter or tears.
Krasinski also interviewed his hero of the week, Coco, a 15-year-old California girl who arrived home last Tuesday after her final chemotherapy treatment to a line of friends and family members cheering for her from the safe distance of their cars.
The only thing critique of the show? Needs more Emily Blunt.
Watch the first episode of Krasinski’s new show here.
— Alison Martin
3:28 p.m. Mayor Lori Lightfoot on memes: ‘I’ve enjoyed them’
Memes of a stony-faced Mayor Lori Lightfoot guarding the lakefront trail and other Chicago hotspots blew up the internet over the weekend.
“I’ve been getting them from people all over the city ... all across the country,” Lightfoot said during a press conference Monday afternoon.
Her verdict?
“I’ve enjoyed them,” Lightfoot said.
“I think this is a very difficult time and people are afraid, the stress levels are high and like in any difficult time, I think we need to have a sense of balance, and humor is part of it.”
Read the full story here.
3:10 p.m. Naperville church pastor dies a week after contracting COVID-19
A pastor at Calvary Church of Naperville has died a week after testing positive for the coronavirus and being hospitalized with pneumonia, the church announced Monday.
“It saddens my heart to tell you that Pastor Angel Escamilla has passed away from this life,” lead pastor Martyn Sloan wrote on the church’s Facebook page. “I know that we prayed for his earthly healing in hopes that he would remain with us. Our prayers were not in vain, as they turned our hearts toward the hope we place in heaven.”
Last week, Sloan announced that Escamilla tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, and had been “seriously ill” in a hospital with pneumonia.
According to the church’s website, Escamilla served for more than 40 years as a pastor, missionary, teacher and associate pastor. Escamilla was married for more than 40 years, and has two sons and 10 grandchildren, according to the website.
Read the full story here.
2:40 p.m. What it’s like to get tested for coronavirus
As COVID-19 spreads rapidly across Illinois, demand for testing to confirm infection continues to outpace the supply of test kits. Pop-up and drive-thru testing sites across the state have begun administering nasal swab tests, with priority given to first responders and health professionals.
The most widely-used test is requires a long-tipped swab that is used to collect materials from the nasopharynx, where the nasal passage connects to the back of the throat. The swab must be held in place for several seconds. Then, the sample is stored in a liquid-filled tube and sent to a lab to be processed.
What is it like to get swabbed for a COVID-19 test?
Jessica Peck, a pediatric nurse practitioner in Texas, tweeted a diagram Saturday illustrating exactly what happens when a patient is swabbed for a COVID-19 test:
This is how far back we have to put the swab to test you for #COVID19.
You might want to follow medical recommendations and #StayHome. pic.twitter.com/gCMqUdpsEk — Jessica Peck, DNP APRN CPNP-PC CNE CNL FAANP FAAN (@DrPeckPNP) March 29, 2020
A short supply of the long-tipped swabs used for testing and some of the chemicals mixed with the specimens has stymied widespread testing efforts. So has the limited availability of the biomedical equipment used to test the specimens, something Abbott Laboratories in northwest suburban Chicago is working to fix.
Lynn Sweet reports on the race to produce more testing tools at Abbott.
2:30 p.m. Illinois coronavirus deaths up to 73 as cases surpass 5,000
Sun-Times file photo
Illinois health officials on Monday said another eight people have died from the coronavirus, bringing the state’s death toll to 73 people — as COVID-19 has spread to 52 of the state’s 102 counties.
President Donald Trump on Sunday extended federal social distancing guidelines to April 30, and states including Illinois are expected to lengthen their stay-at-home orders.
Illinois residents are under a stay-at-home executive order through April 7. An extension of the order — as well as a mandated extension of school closures — is expected this week. But Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office said as of Monday, the order had not been extended.
The state on Monday reported 461 new cases, bringing the total number of positive cases to 5,057. The figure is a large drop from the 1,105 reported on Sunday, the largest single-day count the state has seen — but Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office said that is due, in part, to some commercial laboratories not running tests on Sundays.
At his daily briefing, Gov. J.B. Pritzker planned to outline how the state will use the McCormick Place convention center as a field hospital. The state is also working on re-opening some closed hospitals and opening up some older buildings to serve as hospitals.
The McCormick Place field site would not be for COVID-19 patients in severe conditions. Those patients would remain in hospitals, the governor’s office said.
Pritzker on Sunday had spent some of his daily press conference outlining the state’s testing capacity. He said the state ran 2,000 tests per day on March 24 and by Sunday had stretched that to 4,000 tests a day. The state plans to run 10,000 tests a day within about 9 days.
Both Pritzker and Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the head of the Illinois Dept. of Public Health, have said more testing would help them know where the virus is spreading. which will ultimately limit the infection and the spread.
“This is how we will get to the end of this pandemic sooner,” Ezike said on Sunday.
Read the full story here.
1:50 p.m. John Prine in stable condition, his wife says
John Prine is in stable condition after being placed on a ventilator while being treated for COVID-19-type symptoms, his wife, Fiona Whelan Prine said Monday.
The singer-songwriter’s family said Sunday that Prine was critically ill. Fiona Prine’s message Monday on social media, suggested his condition had improved overnight. Prine remains hospitalized.
“Please continue to send your amazing love and prayers,” she said on Twitter. “Sing his songs. Stay home and wash hands. John loves you. I love you.”
Read the full story here.
1:25 p.m. Man who contracted COVID-19 at Cook County Jail: ‘I thought I was going to die’
The Albany Park man ended up in Cook County jail in December when reports of the virulent flu-like illness in China first made headlines. As he served out a 90-day sentence for an aggravated DUI, coronavirus was not on the top of his mind.
As weeks wore on, shelter-in-place orders shut down businesses and altered the rhythm of life on the outside. Inside, there were only the snippets of information on TV but soon, jail visits were canceled and incoming detainees spent a week in quarantine before joining the others.
Then on March 23, the Albany Park man and an 18-year-old detainee became the first two people who tested positive for COVID-19 inside the jail complex. By Monday — a week later — that total climbed to 101 detainees and 12 jail employees.
“It was like Disneyland for coronavirus,” said the 42-year-old man, who was released from jail last week and is now self-quarantining at home. “I didn’t bring it in. And once it’s in, it’s going to go crazy.”
The man, who asked the Chicago Sun-Times not to use his name, was housed in the Residential Treatment Unit, where low-risk offenders with medical issues or in treatment programs, spent their days snapping down dominoes and playing cards. At night, they slept in a single, dormitory style room, with beds roughly two feet apart.
Read the full story here.
12:25 p.m. CPS students unlikely to return to schools this year, alderman says after mayoral briefing
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday outlined a plan for “remote learning” — including the distribution of lap-top computers to needy students — leaving one aldermen to conclude that Chicago Public Schools students have attended their last day of in-person classes this academic year.
“They’re doing remote learning for the rest of the year. … We have no expectation of them going back,” Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) told the Sun-Times after a conference call with the mayor.
Pressed on whether Lightfoot said students would not return to school buildings for the rest of the year, Lopez said, “I don’t know if that was the exact words. But, that’s the implication— that the rest of the school year will be remote learning. I don’t know why they’d have to go back if they’re all learning at home.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has closed all public and private schools statewide through April 7. Lightfoot has extended the closing for CPS schools through April 20.
Read the full story here.
12:10 p.m. CPS to distribute 100K laptops, iPads and Chromebooks for students to use at home
Chicago Public Schools is planning to distribute 100,000 electronic devices for students to use at home as the district begins to implement a remote learning plan ordered by the state, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and schools officials announced Monday.
Despite the effort to provide laptops for students who don’t have them, the district’s plan is expected to include guidance for both online and non-digital learning because CPS “cannot close the digital divide overnight,” the district said in a press release.
Officials said about 65,000 school-based devices — including laptops, ChromeBooks and iPads — will be distributed to families who need them most, and another 37,000 new devices will be purchased. CPS said it plans to distribute those “promptly” and would be in touch with families in the coming days.
Read the full story here.
12:03 p.m. Trump says feds to pay 100% for Illinois National Guard COVID-19 deployment
The federal government will pay the costs of calling out the Illinois National Guard, activated by Gov. J.B. Pritzker earlier this month, to assist the state in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Donald Trump on Monday, in a memo to the Defense and Homeland Security secretaries, extended the benefit to the states of Illinois, Connecticut and Michigan. The three states will get the extra federal help for 30 days.
Illinois National Guard members are being deployedmainly for logistic support and medical staffing, used heavily at coronavirus testing sites around the state.
Read the full story here.
8:24 a.m. Why Chicagoans are putting teddy bears in their windows
With Chicago schools closed, playdates canceled and many outdoor public spaces on lockdown, kids across the city — and their parents — are getting antsy. So Chicago has joined a global movement to make families’ occasional trips outside in their neighborhoods a fun and engaging experience.
The #bearhunt movement was inspired by Michael Rosen’s 1989 children’s book “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt,” which opens with the lines, “We’re going on a bear hunt/We’re going to catch a big one/What a beautiful day!/We’re not scared.”
The movement has spread from Canada to New Zealand and across the U.S. In the city and surrounding suburbs, neighbors have been using social media to encourage their communities to participate.
#bearhunt Come find the bears in our windows when taking the kids out for a walk! @cityofEvanston pic.twitter.com/D3MXVR3kou — Victoria Getis (@vgetis) March 30, 2020
While gathering in large groups outside is not recommended, medical professionals say it’s important to get moderate exercise and fresh air, both for physical and mental health. The “humble daily walk” can serve as “an anchor” for those in need of routines while social distancing — especially children.
— Lizzie Schiffman Tufano
6:42 a.m. U.S. social distancing guidelines extended to April 30, President Trump says
Bracing the nation for a grim death toll, President Donald Trump on Sunday extended the voluntary national shutdown for a month, bowing to public-health experts who told him the coronavirus pandemic could claim over 100,000 lives in the U.S., perhaps significantly more, if not enough is done to fight it.
It was a stark shift in tone by the president, who only days ago mused about the country reopening in a few weeks. From the Rose Garden, he said his Easter revival hopes had only been “aspirational.”
The initial 15-day period of social distancing urged by the federal government expires Monday and Trump had expressed interest in relaxing the national guidelines at least in parts of the country less afflicted by the pandemic. But instead he decided to extend them through April 30, a tacit acknowledgment he’d been too optimistic. Many states and local governments have stiffer controls in place on mobility and gatherings.
“I want our life back again,” the president told reporters in the Rose Garden.
Read the full story here.
5:30 a.m. Coronavirus upends college decision process for Chicago high school students
Picking a college has always been a nerve-wracking experience — especially as May 1 approaches, the date by which most four-year colleges require new students to enroll for a spot in the fall.
But with campuses closed, college fairs canceled and students cut off from their teachers and counselors during an unprecedented shutdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus, students have found their decision process increasingly difficult, especially as the economy falters. Meanwhile, the organizations and institutions supporting them are having to find new ways of helping seniors stay on track.
Read the full story from reporter Matt Hendrickson.
New cases
Analysis and Commentary
7:32 p.m. Remote learning OK, but school in July might be needed to really get kids back on track
The coronavirus pandemic shows no sign of slowing down here in Illinois. As of Monday, our state had more than 5,000 reported cases of COVID-19, including 73 deaths.
The McCormick Place Convention Center now is being converted into a 3,000-bed field hospital for patients who don’t require intensive care. Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected this week to extend the state’s stay-at-home order and school closures beyond April 7.
It’s clear with every day’s news that the pandemic is exacting a toll on every aspect of our lives.
So we’re bracing for another drastic development that seems more and more necessary to safeguard public health and save lives: Shutting down our public schools for the rest of the academic year.
5:34 p.m. Coronavirus makes it more clear than ever: Health care is a human right
Who is going to pay for this?
For months that question was used as a weapon against supporters of Medicare for All. Now, it is on everyone’s mind as they worry about the costs of the testing and treatment for the coronavirus. The virus is highly contagious. We need everyone with symptoms to get tested and all with the virus to get treatment. If anyone hesitates because they fear they can’t afford the cost, they put the rest of us at risk.
No one should be worried about the costs of treatment.
Those costs, however, are going to be staggering, particularly if the fears of the administration’s leading expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, are realized and a million or more may become infected with the disease. Hospitalization and treatment will cost hundreds of billions. The average cost of hospitalization for pneumonia patients is about $20,000, but many coronavirus patients tend to need to stay on ventilators longer and fight off more complications than pneumonia patients.
Across the country, Americans are terrified at the potential costs if they get sick.
Read Rev. Jesse Jackson’s latest column here.
12:25 p.m. It’s a bad idea for journalists to censor Trump – instead, they can help the public identify what’s true or false
In times of mortal strife, humans crave information more than ever, and it’s journalists’ responsibility to deliver it.
But what if that information is inaccurate, or could even kill people?
That’s the quandary journalists have found themselves in as they decide whether to cover President Donald J. Trump’s press briefings live.
Some television networks have started cutting away from the briefings, saying the events are no more than campaign rallies, and that the president is spreading falsehoods that endanger the public.
“If Trump is going to keep lying like he has been every day on stuff this important, we should, all of us, stop broadcasting it,” MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow tweeted. “Honestly, it’s going to cost lives.”
News decisions and ethical dilemmas aren’t simple, but withholding information from the public is inconsistent with journalistic norms, and while well-meaning, could actually cause more harm than good in the long run. Keeping the president’s statements from the public prevents the public from being able to evaluate his performance, for example.
Read the full Opinion story from David Cuillier, an associate professor at the School of Journalism at the University of Arizona.
11:50 a.m. A wakeup call to be ready next time
Let’s keep history from repeating itself.
Once this COVID-19 pandemic has passed, we must do all in our power to be better prepared next time. Let’s not listen to those who call the pandemic a hoax. Let’s not listen to people who say to ignore it. The warning signs were there and the facts were real.
We once had a federal pandemic response team, but a decision was made that this team was not necessary and it was let go. We are a big country and can afford a little insurance.
Read the full edition of Letters To The Editor here.
7:42 a.m. Check-out time for reusable grocery bags? For now, ‘paper or plastic’ a safer option
Apparently Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order also applies to reusable grocery bags.
Just one day after the union that represents Chicago grocery and pharmacy workers requested — and Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration rejected — suspending the city’s plastic bag tax and temporarily banning the use of reusable bags, the governor announced Saturday that grocery stores around the state will soon roll out a new set of guidelines that includes a temporary prohibition on reusable bags.
It was not immediately clear how this will impact grocery stores in the city, where shoppers are charged 7 cents per bag if they don’t bring their own.
On Friday, the mayor’s office issued a statement statement shooting down the suggestion of a temporary ban and citing a lack of evidence that reusable bags transmit the illness.
On Saturday, it issued a new statement saying the city will comply with any new protocols and restrictions for grocery stores but intends to continue to collect the bag tax.
Read more from columnist Mark Brown.
6:37 a.m. Rent is coming due for many who’ve lost jobs or seen their hours cut
Many renters who have lost jobs or seen their hours cut because of the coronavirus have their own reckoning with an April 1 due date. Larger Chicago-area landlords say they’re in no mood to forgive rent, but they might extend the deadline if asked. Some may hold off on eviction proceedings for longer than the current state and local mandates require.
“We expect rent to be paid on time. For those who lost their jobs, we’ll work out a payment plan. I still have to pay salaries, taxes and mortgages,” said Stuart Handler, CEO of TLC Management and a board member of the Chicagoland Apartment Association, the lobbying voice for landlords. TLC has more than 10,000 apartments in the city and suburbs.
David Friedman, president of F&F Realty in Skokie, said tenants have leverage because Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart has suspended evictions until April 30. Landlords, however, are free to start eviction proceedings in court, a filing that could hurt tenants’ chance of finding an apartment elsewhere.
Read the full story from David Roeder.


chicagosun-times--2020-03-30--Federal low-income housing tax credits awarded to 11 Chicago projects

Last summer , Mayor Lori Lightfoot changed the rules for how Chicago allocates its precious allotment of federal low-income housing tax credits .
She wanted to chip away at the city ’ s 120,000-unit shortage of affordable housing — and that was long before layoffs tied to the coronavirus made the problem worse .
On Monday , 11 projects expected to create a combined 1,083 units were given the go-ahead — and the tax credits to proceed under those new rules .
The combined cost of those designated projects is nearly $ 400 million .
They will use $ 13.2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 9 % of the city ’ s allotment — to generate $ 126.2 million in private equity .
Another $ 60.4 million will come from federal subsidies .
and $ 23.5 million from tax-increment-financing .
The projects include the winner of an “ international sustainable design competition ” in East Garfield Park that will use what City Hall described as a “ first-of-its-kind modular construction produced at a Chicago factory.
” • The Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind Residents , 1800 W. Roosevelt Rd .
“ We know it ’ s important to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can .
One thing that we ’ re excited about is that we were able in this round to preserve our single largest single-room-occupancy building in the city of Chicago .
That ’ s the Lawson House .
That ’ s an example of a preservation deal that matters a lot to us , ” Housing Commissioner Marisa Novara told the Sun-Times .
“ We ’ re also able to do new construction in parts of the city that have been lacking development [ in a way that ] preserves some affordability in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occurring .
You ’ ll see that with development at the end of the 606 Trail .
You ’ ll see that with development on the east side of Woodlawn and in East Garfield Park as a result of a request for proposals that was a design competition .
There ’ s a lot we ’ re excited about here.
” Affordable housing projects are notoriously difficult to finance .
To make it work , they must rely on a patchwork quilt of financing .
Novara called federal tax credits the “ heart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and the city ’ s “ biggest opportunity ” to “ make an impact.
” Even so , the projects announced Monday create only 1,083 units .
That ’ s just a fraction of 1 % of the 120,000-unit shortage of affordable housing that , Novara acknowledged , is likely to grow because of economic hardships caused by the coronavirus .
“ This is the national reality that we live in .
This is a country that has chosen to give away multiple times more money to homeowners in the mortgage interests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Novara said .
“ This is the single biggest source that we have as a city to finance affordable rental development .
… That ’ s why we ’ ve had a very thoughtful process .
Since the applications came in in the fall , our team has been meeting weekly with a cross-departmental team .
...
They ’ ve reviewed each and every project in detail to get to this final eleven.
” Homeless advocates and their City Council allies have pressured Lightfoot for nearly a year to deliver on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s real estate transfer tax on high-end home sales and earmark a hefty chunk of the money to bankroll affordable housing .
Lightfoot has adamantly resisted those efforts .
She has argued that a city facing a $ 1 billion spike in pension payments — even before the pandemic sent the stock market into a nosedive — can not afford to take money off the table , no matter how worthy the cause .
The next round of low-income housing tax credits will be awarded two years from now .
“ There ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affordable housing supply .
There ’ s no one thing that , ‘ Oh , great .
When we get this next round out , we ’ ll solve the whole problem.
’ What we are doing is saying , ‘ Here ’ s one resource.
’ We ’ re gon na maximize it and do the absolute best we can to get across our entire city and across a range of needs , ensuring that we ’ re working with a range of developers , ” Novara said .
“ At the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a bunch of other things .
We ’ ve been working on legalizing accessory dwelling units .
That will help to create more affordability throughout this city .
”

Last summer, Mayor Lori Lightfoot changed the rules for how Chicago allocates its precious allotment of federal low-income housing tax credits.
She wanted to chip away at the city’s 120,000-unit shortage of affordable housing — and that was long before layoffs tied to the coronavirus made the problem worse.
On Monday, 11 projects expected to create a combined 1,083 units were given the go-ahead — and the tax credits to proceed under those new rules.
The combined cost of those designated projects is nearly $400 million. They will use $13.2 million in low-income housing tax credits — 9% of the city’s allotment — to generate $126.2 million in private equity. Another $60.4 million will come from federal subsidies and $23.5 million from tax-increment financing.
The projects include the winner of an “international sustainable design competition” in East Garfield Park that will use what City Hall described as a “first-of-its-kind modular construction produced at a Chicago factory.”
The winners are:
• Lawson House, 30 W. Chicago Ave.
• Roosevelt Square 3B, 1201 W. Taylor St.
• 43 Green Phase 1, 321 E. 43rd St.
• Park Station Lofts, 6300 S. Blackstone Ave.
• The Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind Residence, 1800 W. Roosevelt Rd.
• Garfield Green Apartments, 201 S. Kedzie Ave.
• Metropolitan Apartments, 3557 W. Lawrence Ave.
• Encuentro Square, 3745 W. Cortland St.
• 1850 South Racine, 1850 S. Racine Ave.
• West Haven Park IID, 223-57 N. Damen Ave.
• Park Boulevard 3B, 43 W. 36th St.
The Lawson House, 30 W. Chicago Ave., is part of an affordable-housing initiative announced Monday. Sun-Times Media
“We know it’s important to save the structures we have if we can. One thing that we’re excited about is that we were able in this round to preserve our single largest single-room-occupancy building in the city of Chicago. That’s the Lawson House. That’s an example of a preservation deal that matters a lot to us,” Housing Commissioner Marisa Novara told the Chicago Sun-Times.
“We’re also able to do new construction in parts of the city that have been lacking development [in a way that] preserves some affordability in the mix of changes that may be occurring. You’ll see that with development at the end of the 606 Trail. You’ll see that with development on the east side of Woodlawn and in East Garfield Park as a result of a request for proposals that was a design competition. There’s a lot we’re excited about here.”
Affordable housing projects are notoriously difficult to finance. To make it work, they must rely on a patchwork quilt of financing.
Novara called federal tax credits the “heart and soul of the affordable housing community” and the city’s “biggest opportunity” to “make an impact.”
Even so, the projects announced Monday create only 1,083 units. That’s just a fraction of 1% of the 120,000-unit shortage of affordable housing that, Novara acknowledged, is likely to grow because of economic hardships caused by the coronavirus.
“This is the national reality that we live in. This is a country that has chosen to give away multiple times more money to homeowners in the mortgage interest deduction than it has toward low-income renters,” Novara said.
“This is the single biggest source that we have as a city to finance affordable rental development. … That’s why we’ve had a very thoughtful process. Since the applications came in in the fall, our team has been meeting weekly with a cross-departmental team. ... They’ve reviewed each and every project in detail to get to this final eleven.”
Homeless advocates and their City Council allies have pressured Lightfoot for nearly a year to deliver on her campaign promise to raise Chicago’s real estate transfer tax on high-end home sales and earmark a hefty chunk of the money to bankroll affordable housing.
Lightfoot has adamantly resisted those efforts. She has argued that a city facing a $1 billion spike in pension payments — even before the pandemic sent the stock market into a nosedive — cannot afford to take money off the table, no matter how worthy the cause.
The next round of low-income housing tax credits will be awarded two years from now.
“There’s no one way to increase our affordable housing supply. There’s no one thing that, ‘Oh, great. When we get this next round out, we’ll solve the whole problem.’ What we are doing is saying, ‘Here’s one resource.’ We’re gonna maximize it and do the absolute best we can to get across our entire city and across a range of needs, ensuring that we’re working with a range of developers,” Novara said.
“At the same time, we’re working on a bunch of other things. We’ve been working on legalizing accessory dwelling units. That will help to create more affordability throughout this city.”


chicagosun-times--2020-03-30--Cubs, Brewers and Cardinals slug it out via bobblehead

The baseball season is on hold , but the Cubs ’ rivalries with the Brewers and Cardinals live on .
@ @ @ @ @ NL Central Division rivalries were released Monday by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and @ @ @ @ @ One set has Cubs mascot Clark squaring off against Bernie Brewer .
Clark faces Cardinals @ @ @ @ @ set .
Each bobblehead is individually numbered to 1,000 and they are only available through @ @ @ @ @ Fame and Museum ’ s online store .
The bobbleheads are $ 60 each plus @ @ @ @ @ $ 8 per order .
“ No one knows when the MLB season will start @ @ @ @ @ give fans a reason to smile and something to look forward to on what would @ @ @ @ @ Wrigley Field , ” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil @ @ @ @ @ .

The baseball season is on hold, but the Cubs’ rivalries with the Brewers and Cardinals live on.
New bobblehead sets commemorating the NL Central Division rivalries were released Monday by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum and manufacturer FOCO.
One set has Cubs mascot Clark squaring off against Bernie Brewer. Clark faces Cardinals mascot Fredbird in the other set.
Each bobblehead is individually numbered to 1,000 and they are only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s online store. The bobbleheads are $60 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.
“No one knows when the MLB season will start, but we wanted to give fans a reason to smile and something to look forward to on what would have been Opening Day at Wrigley Field,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said in a statement.


chicagosun-times--2020-03-30--Downtown janitors, security guards get expanded health benefits

About 11,000 janitors and security guards at downtown office buildings will receive expanded health benefits under a revised labor agreement @ @ @ @ @ is between the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago and Service Employees International Union @ @ @ @ @ is an investor in Sun-Times Media .
Despite a decline in business activity , the @ @ @ @ @ essential employees and continue working under Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s executive order dealing @ @ @ @ @ changes include additional and more flexible time off , said both parties in the deal @ @ @ @ @ have to choose between their health and their job , and this agreement reflects the @ @ @ @ @ organizations share to keeping Chicagoans healthy , ” SEIU Local 1 President Tom Balanoff said @ @ @ @ @ to the janitorial and security staffs in our buildings for the essential services they provide @ @ @ @ @ said Michael Cornicelli , BOMA Chicago executive vice president .

About 11,000 janitors and security guards at downtown office buildings will receive expanded health benefits under a revised labor agreement announced Monday.
The agreement is between the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago and Service Employees International Union Local 1. The union is an investor in Sun-Times Media.
Despite a decline in business activity, the janitors and security guards are essential employees and continue working under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive order dealing with the coronavirus.
Key changes include additional and more flexible time off, said both parties in the deal.
“No one should have to choose between their health and their job, and this agreement reflects the long-term commitment both of our organizations share to keeping Chicagoans healthy,” SEIU Local 1 President Tom Balanoff said.
“We are grateful to the janitorial and security staffs in our buildings for the essential services they provide, particularly now,” said Michael Cornicelli, BOMA Chicago executive vice president.


chicagosun-times--2020-03-30--John Prine in stable condition, his wife says

NEW YORK — John Prine is in stable condition after being placed on a ventilator while being treated for COVID-19-type symptoms , his wife , Fiona Whelan Prine said Monday .
The singer-songwriter ’ s family said Sunday that Prine was critically ill. Fiona Prine ’ s message Monday on social media , suggested his condition had improved overnight .
Prine remains hospitalized .
“ Please continue to send your amazing love and prayers , ” she said on Twitter .
“ Sing his songs .
Stay home and wash hands .
John loves you .
I love you.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in jeopardy provoked an outpouring of affection for Prine .
Joan Baez responded with a video of her playing his song “ Hello In There ” from her kitchen .
Fiona Prine earlier in March tested positive for coronavirus and said the couple was quarantined and isolated from each other .
Fiona Prine , who is also Prine ’ s manager , said Monday that she has recovered from COVD-19 .
The 73-year-old Prine , one of the most influential in folk and country music , has twice fought cancer .
Most recently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2013 and had part of a lung removed .
The surgeries affected his voice but Prine continued to make music and to tour .
Before the onset of the virus , Prine had shows scheduled in May and a summer tour planned .

NEW YORK — John Prine is in stable condition after being placed on a ventilator while being treated for COVID-19-type symptoms, his wife, Fiona Whelan Prine said Monday.
The singer-songwriter’s family said Sunday that Prine was critically ill. Fiona Prine’s message Monday on social media, suggested his condition had improved overnight. Prine remains hospitalized.
“Please continue to send your amazing love and prayers,” she said on Twitter. “Sing his songs. Stay home and wash hands. John loves you. I love you.”
I have recovered from Covid-19. We are humbled by the outpouring of love for me and John and our precious family. He is stabile. Please continue to send your amazing Love and prayers. Sing his songs. Stay home and wash hands. John loves you. I love you — Fiona Whelan Prine (@FionaPrine) March 30, 2020
News that Prine’s health was in jeopardy provoked an outpouring of affection for Prine. Joan Baez responded with a video of her playing his song “Hello In There” from her kitchen.
Fiona Prine earlier in March tested positive for coronavirus and said the couple was quarantined and isolated from each other. Fiona Prine, who is also Prine’s manager, said Monday that she has recovered from COVD-19.
The 73-year-old Prine, one of the most influential in folk and country music, has twice fought cancer. Most recently, he was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2013 and had part of a lung removed. The surgeries affected his voice but Prine continued to make music and to tour. Before the onset of the virus, Prine had shows scheduled in May and a summer tour planned.