chicagosun-times--2020-03-30--Hay fever or virus? For allergy sufferers, a season of worry

HAMBURG , Pa. — The spring breezes of 2020 are carrying more than just tree pollen .
There ’ s a whiff of paranoia in the air .
For millions of seasonal allergy sufferers , the annual onset of watery eyes and scratchy throats is bumping up against the global spread of a new virus that produces its own constellation of respiratory symptoms .
Forecasters are predicting a brutal spring allergy season for swaths of the U.S. at the same time that COVID-19 cases are rising dramatically .
That ’ s causing angst for people who never have had to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other than to stock up on antihistamines , decongestants and tissues .
Now they ’ re asking : Are these my allergies ?
Or something more sinister ?
“ Everyone is sort of analyzing every sneeze and cough right now , ” said Kathy Przywara , who manages an online community of allergy sufferers for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America .
Never mind the differing symptoms — that sneezing and runny nose , hallmarks of hay fever , are not typically associated with COVID-19 , which commonly produces coughing , fever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ breath .
Never mind that allergies don ’ t cause fevers .
Allergy sufferers fret that there ’ s just enough overlap to make them nervous .
Allergy season is already underway in Oceanside , California , where Ampie Convocar is dealing with a runny nose , sinus pain and headache , and an urge to sneeze .
Last year , she would ’ ve considered her symptoms mere annoyance .
Now they cause tremendous anxiety .
People with asthma , like Convocar , are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that could kill me because of COVID-19 floating around , ” Convocar said via email .
With a family member still traveling to work every day , she said , “ I don ’ t know what he got out there.
” Many garden-variety hay fever sufferers , of whom there are about 19 million adults in the U.S. , are also on heightened alert .
They ’ re taking their temperatures each day , just in case .
They ’ re hiding their sneezes and sniffles from suspicious colleagues and grossed-out grocery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each other and sharing memes on social media ( “ I don ’ t know if I should buy Zyrtec or turn myself in to the CDC ” ) .
Pamela Smelser is reminded of allergy season every time she looks out the window of her home office , where her cherry tree is blooming .
Spring came early to Maryland , she said , and lots of people are coughing and sneezing from the pollen .
“ You do what you have to do : You take your meds for allergies and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ People get really hinky about coughing right now.
” Though she ’ s had allergies for years , Smelser , a semi-retired social worker and community college teacher outside Baltimore , admits to being a touch paranoid .
She takes her temperature every day because she ’ s 66 and , well , you can never be too careful .
“ I can ’ t rule out that I have anything , ” she said .
“ That ’ s the paranoia : You can ’ t even get a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all seasonal allergies.
’ ” In Pennsylvania , pear trees are budding , red maple are beginning to flower and Leslie Haerer ’ s allergies are already in full bloom .
The 64-year-old retired nurse , who lives about an hour north of Philadelphia , is coping with a scratchy throat , an urge to sneeze and a headache behind the eyes .
As a medical professional , Haerer knows her symptoms are attributable to her allergies .
She also knows that other people are “ really flipped out about this , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw her sneeze into her elbow outside a Chinese restaurant and , instead of continuing on to their destination — the pizza shop next door — got in their car and sped away .
“ I was like , ‘ I ’ m sorry you missed your pizza , ’ ” Haerer said .
“ People ’ s reactions are just over the top.
” In Austin , Texas , where pollen counts are high , Marty Watson initially dismissed his itchy eyes , mild headache , coughing and sneezing as the product @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his temperature became slightly elevated .
Then , in mid-March , he realized he could no longer smell a pungent sourdough starter , and friends began sending him news stories that said a loss of smell sometimes accompanied a coronavirus infection .
” Austin is notorious for all sorts of allergies , and it became really hard to tell : Is it this ?
Is it that ?
” said Watson , 52 .
For most people , the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in a couple weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health problems are at higher risk of more severe illness , including pneumonia and death .
As allergy season ramps up in Pennsylvania , Dr. Laura Fisher , an allergist in Lancaster , expects an influx of worried patients .
She is advising them to keep up with their medications , stay at home as much as possible and monitor for symptoms that seem unrelated to their allergies .
“ I think people are more afraid of catching it , more afraid of going out and getting it from the grocery store or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ usual symptoms being COVID , ” said Fisher , president of the Pennsylvania Allergy and Asthma Association .
Jessica Tanniehill initially blew off her symptoms as allergy-related .
Tanniehill , 39 , of Adamsville , Alabama , started with a runny nose and sneezing .
Body aches and a cough came next , following by shortness of breath .
She thought her seasonal allergies had led to a bout of anxiety , nothing more , especially since she ’ d been outside all day doing yard work and washing her truck .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she said .
Turns out she ’ d contracted COVID-19 — which doesn ’ t preclude the possibility that she ’ d had allergies as well .
Tanniehill , who ’ s now on the mend , acknowledged that she “ was one of the people that was saying they ’ re overreacting to all this .
But now I wish I was more careful .
”

HAMBURG, Pa. — The spring breezes of 2020 are carrying more than just tree pollen. There’s a whiff of paranoia in the air.
For millions of seasonal allergy sufferers, the annual onset of watery eyes and scratchy throats is bumping up against the global spread of a new virus that produces its own constellation of respiratory symptoms.
With coronavirus restrictions in place, interactions with nature might be limited to a quick walk through the neighborhood, but it’s not hard to notice spring has sprung — bringing allergy season with it.
Allergy symptoms are likely to increase during the next two to three weeks as pollen counts grow into the thousands, said Leonard Bielory, professor of medicine, allergy, immunology and ophthalmology at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.
“If it wasn’t for the cold snap, we’d be having an incredible amount of pollen right now,” Bielory said Monday. “Once it warms up, with the rain we’ve gotten, it’s going to be quite an intense opening season for trees. It’s going to explode.”
That’s causing angst for people who never have had to particularly worry about their hay fever, other than to stock up on antihistamines, decongestants and tissues. Now they’re asking: Are these my allergies? Or something more sinister?
“Everyone is sort of analyzing every sneeze and cough right now,” said Kathy Przywara, who manages an online community of allergy sufferers for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
Never mind the differing symptoms — that sneezing and runny nose, hallmarks of hay fever, are not typically associated with COVID-19, which commonly produces coughing, fever and in more serious cases shortness of breath. Never mind that allergies don’t cause fevers. Allergy sufferers fret that there’s just enough overlap to make them nervous.
Patients with asthma or allergies who cough and experience breathlessness can resolve their symptoms with inhalers or prescription medication.
But if a patient has COVID-19, those solutions won’t work.
Many garden-variety hay fever sufferers, of whom there are about 19 million adults in the U.S., are also on heightened alert.
They’re taking their temperatures each day, just in case. They’re hiding their sneezes and sniffles from suspicious colleagues and grossed-out grocery shoppers. They’re commiserating with each other and sharing memes on social media (“I don’t know if I should buy Zyrtec or turn myself in to the CDC”).
Pamela Smelser is reminded of allergy season every time she looks out the window of her home office, where her cherry tree is blooming. Spring came early to Maryland, she said, and lots of people are coughing and sneezing from the pollen.
“You do what you have to do: You take your meds for allergies and stay away from people,” Smelser said. “People get really hinky about coughing right now.”
Though she’s had allergies for years, Smelser, a semi-retired social worker and community college teacher outside Baltimore, admits to being a touch paranoid. She takes her temperature every day because she’s 66 and, well, you can never be too careful.
“I can’t rule out that I have anything,” she said. “That’s the paranoia: You can’t even get a test to say, ‘This is all seasonal allergies.’”
In Pennsylvania, pear trees are budding, red maple are beginning to flower and Leslie Haerer’s allergies are already in full bloom. The 64-year-old retired nurse, who lives about an hour north of Philadelphia, is coping with a scratchy throat, an urge to sneeze and a headache behind the eyes.
As a medical professional, Haerer knows her symptoms are attributable to her allergies. She also knows that other people are “really flipped out about this,” including the scowling family of three who saw her sneeze into her elbow outside a Chinese restaurant and, instead of continuing on to their destination — the pizza shop next door — got in their car and sped away.
“I was like, ‘I’m sorry you missed your pizza,’” Haerer said. “People’s reactions are just over the top.”
In Austin, Texas, where pollen counts are high, Marty Watson initially dismissed his itchy eyes, mild headache, coughing and sneezing as the product of a tree allergy, even after his temperature became slightly elevated. Then, in mid-March, he realized he could no longer smell a pungent sourdough starter, and friends began sending him news stories that said a loss of smell sometimes accompanied a coronavirus infection.
”Austin is notorious for all sorts of allergies, and it became really hard to tell: Is it this? Is it that?” said Watson, 52.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in a couple weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are at higher risk of more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
As allergy season ramps up in Pennsylvania, Dr. Laura Fisher, an allergist in Lancaster, expects an influx of worried patients. She is advising them to keep up with their medications, stay at home as much as possible and monitor for symptoms that seem unrelated to their allergies.
“I think people are more afraid of catching it, more afraid of going out and getting it from the grocery store or drive-thru, than they are of their usual symptoms being COVID,” said Fisher, president of the Pennsylvania Allergy and Asthma Association.
Jessica Tanniehill initially blew off her symptoms as allergy-related.
Tanniehill, 39, of Adamsville, Alabama, started with a runny nose and sneezing. Body aches and a cough came next, following by shortness of breath. She thought her seasonal allergies had led to a bout of anxiety, nothing more, especially since she’d been outside all day doing yard work and washing her truck. “I didn’t take it seriously,” she said.
Turns out she’d contracted COVID-19 — which doesn’t preclude the possibility that she’d had allergies as well.
Tanniehill, who’s now on the mend, acknowledged that she “was one of the people that was saying they’re overreacting to all this. But now I wish I was more careful.”
Contributing: USA Today


chicagosun-times--2020-03-30--Coronavirus response highlights deepening partisan divide

NEW YORK — In Los Angeles , Mayor Eric Garcetti has instituted a shutdown on a city of nearly 4 million people and threatened uncooperative business owners with power shutoffs and arrest .
In Mississippi , home to nearly 3 million people , Gov .
Tate Reeves has allowed most businesses to stay open — even restaurants , so long as they serve no more than 10 people at a time .
The divergent approaches are evidence that not even a global pandemic can bridge the gaping political divisions of the Trump era .
The fierce tribalism that has characterized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care is now coloring policy-making during a coronavirus outbreak that threatens countless lives and local economies across nation .
There are exceptions , but Republican leaders have been far more likely to resist the most aggressive social distancing measures , emboldened by President Donald Trump ’ s initial rosy outlook and a smaller early caseload in their more rural communities across middle America .
But in the more crowded population centers on the East and West coasts where the disease first appeared , the Democrats in charge have been more willing to embrace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business closures and law enforcement assistance .
“ This epidemic has been a window into our politics , ” said Larry Levitt , who leads health policy for the Kaiser Family Foundation , which has been tracking responses .
“ Particularly over the past couple of weeks , a political divide has emerged.
” It is an election year divide that could have deadly consequences .
As his campaign struggles for attention , leading Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden has called for a nationwide lockdown to replace the patchwork of local responses , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the same states .
Trump , meanwhile , is largely allowing local officials to choose their own course and has encouraged them to compete for scant federal resources .
Politically , the strategy may be working for the first-term Republican president .
With the election seven months away , Trump ’ s favorable ratings are ticking up , even if his numbers have fallen short of past presidents during times of crisis .
Yet the GOP ’ s loyalty will almost certainly be tested in the weeks ahead as the virus spreads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ red-state middle America .
Democrats like Garcetti fear the politics that are shaping conflicting pandemic responses will have real-world consequences far more important than the next election .
“ I do worry that making this a partisan issue will kill more people in redder states , ” the Los Angeles mayor said in an interview .
“ There is no way to keep this out of your city.
” In Mississippi , Reeves has adopted many social distancing measures such as limiting groups to 10 people , even if he ’ s resisted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In an interview late last week , the Republican governor reiterated his opposition to a stay-at-home order , adding that he ’ s heeding the guidance of state health officials and Vice President Mike Pence himself , who told him directly during a recent conversation that the Trump administration is not recommending a blanket shutdown .
Reeves dismissed those who think he ’ s not doing enough as enemies of Trump who “ don ’ t like the fact that I ’ m a conservative and I ’ m willing to pray.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could cause a more dangerous fallout than the pandemic by destroying the nation ’ s economy .
“ I don ’ t think there ’ s any doubt that if the United States found themselves in a severe depression with 20 % to 30 % unemployment that the abject poverty that could create could lead to more health problems than this particular virus is causing , ” Reeves said .
He added : “ One size doesn ’ t fit all in this country.
” No nation has more documented cases of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which surpassed 143,000 total infections and 2,400 related deaths as of Monday morning .
Yet Trump ’ s coronavirus task force coordinator , Dr. Deborah Birx , reported Monday that the nation has perhaps only seen roughly 1 % or 2 % of the total number of deaths expected in a best-case scenario .
“ If we do things together well , almost perfectly , we could get in the range of 100,000 to 200,000 fatalities , ” Birx said Monday on NBC ’ s “ Today.
” But she warned that every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perfectly responding “ in a uniform way to protect one another.
” “ Cities that don ’ t social distance , that don ’ t stay at home , that believe you can have social interactions , that believe you can have gatherings at homes of 20 and 10 people even , that is going to spread the virus even if everyone looks well , ” Birx said .
The partisan divide in infections and responses is difficult to ignore .
Fifteen of the 21 states that have issued statewide stay-at-home orders so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to Kaiser .
The Republican-led holdouts include Florida , where Gov .
Ron DeSantis has so far agreed with Trump ’ s preference for a more incremental approach in the premier swing state , suggesting that restrictive measures be put in place only in the hardest-hit counties .
All 50 states have reported cases , but the seven with the most infections are led by Democrats .
New York may offer a cautionary tale for other states : The state reported its first case on March 1 and nearly reached 60,000 infections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bottom six states in total cases are rural states led by Republicans .
Numbers have been escalating virtually everywhere , however , particularly in more populous red states like Louisiana , Tennessee and Texas , which reported more than 8,100 cases and 200 deaths combined as of Monday .
Some Republicans have been more assertive than others .
Maryland Gov .
Larry Hogan , a Republican , has split with Trump over when normal life might resume .
And Ohio ’ s Republican governor , Mike DeWine , has been one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ banning spectators from sporting events the first week of March .
He was among the first governors in the nation to close public schools .
Aggressive steps by DeWine and others , however , have been complicated by Trump ’ s inconsistent rhetoric .
After repeatedly downplaying the threat at first , the Republican president adopted a more serious tone before suddenly suggesting last week that the worst could be over by Easter , which is April 12 .
He has now reversed that view , calling it an “ aspiration , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guidelines through April .
Trump has also engaged in a war of words with Democratic governors in key states , like Michigan and New York , where elected officials have openly complained about the lack of federal assistance to stem a dangerous shortage of coronavirus tests and medical equipment .
Many conservatives have cheered Trump ’ s response , particularly his reluctance to encourage a nationwide stay-at-home order .
“ They have no right to tell me I need to stay in my house .
They can not impose a travel ban on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s unconstitutional , ” said Texas-based activist Mark Meckler , a co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots who now leads the Convention of States Project .
Meckler began conversations in recent days with other grassroots conservatives leaders to explore the possibility of filing lawsuits to block some of the more aggressive social distancing measures .
In the meantime , he ’ s encouraging like-minded conservatives to embrace “ peaceful resistance.
” “ I ’ m not going along with it , ” Meckler said .
“ It doesn ’ t mean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but we don ’ t want to be sheep.
” Meanwhile , the numbers are shooting up in California , which has reported more than 6,300 infections and 130 deaths as of Monday morning .
Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti has assigned teams of city workers to ensure non-essential local businesses are complying with shut down orders .
He is empowered to shut off their water and power if necessary , and the California Democrat has authorized the police to arrest those who continue to resist .
Garcetti said there have been no shutoffs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ 99 out of 100 will comply.
” He also offered a dire message to Republicans who have resisted similar steps : “ In the projections , you could see this taking tens of thousands of lives in America or millions .
You chose .
But I don ’ t think anybody wants the second to be on their hands .
”

NEW YORK — In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti has instituted a shutdown on a city of nearly 4 million people and threatened uncooperative business owners with power shutoffs and arrest.
In Mississippi, home to nearly 3 million people, Gov. Tate Reeves has allowed most businesses to stay open — even restaurants, so long as they serve no more than 10 people at a time.
The divergent approaches are evidence that not even a global pandemic can bridge the gaping political divisions of the Trump era. The fierce tribalism that has characterized debates over immigration, taxes and health care is now coloring policy-making during a coronavirus outbreak that threatens countless lives and local economies across nation.
There are exceptions, but Republican leaders have been far more likely to resist the most aggressive social distancing measures, emboldened by President Donald Trump’s initial rosy outlook and a smaller early caseload in their more rural communities across middle America. But in the more crowded population centers on the East and West coasts where the disease first appeared, the Democrats in charge have been more willing to embrace strict steps such as curfews, sweeping business closures and law enforcement assistance.
“This epidemic has been a window into our politics,” said Larry Levitt, who leads health policy for the Kaiser Family Foundation, which has been tracking responses. “Particularly over the past couple of weeks, a political divide has emerged.”
It is an election year divide that could have deadly consequences.
As his campaign struggles for attention, leading Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden has called for a nationwide lockdown to replace the patchwork of local responses, which have varied even among neighboring communities in the same states. Trump, meanwhile, is largely allowing local officials to choose their own course and has encouraged them to compete for scant federal resources.
Politically, the strategy may be working for the first-term Republican president. With the election seven months away, Trump’s favorable ratings are ticking up, even if his numbers have fallen short of past presidents during times of crisis. Yet the GOP’s loyalty will almost certainly be tested in the weeks ahead as the virus spreads from the blue-state coastal communities deeper into red-state middle America.
Democrats like Garcetti fear the politics that are shaping conflicting pandemic responses will have real-world consequences far more important than the next election.
“I do worry that making this a partisan issue will kill more people in redder states,” the Los Angeles mayor said in an interview. “There is no way to keep this out of your city.”
In Mississippi, Reeves has adopted many social distancing measures such as limiting groups to 10 people, even if he’s resisted some of the most aggressive steps. In an interview late last week, the Republican governor reiterated his opposition to a stay-at-home order, adding that he’s heeding the guidance of state health officials and Vice President Mike Pence himself, who told him directly during a recent conversation that the Trump administration is not recommending a blanket shutdown.
Reeves dismissed those who think he’s not doing enough as enemies of Trump who “don’t like the fact that I’m a conservative and I’m willing to pray.”
He warned that extended social distancing orders could cause a more dangerous fallout than the pandemic by destroying the nation’s economy.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that if the United States found themselves in a severe depression with 20% to 30% unemployment that the abject poverty that could create could lead to more health problems than this particular virus is causing,” Reeves said.
He added: “One size doesn’t fit all in this country.”
No nation has more documented cases of the deadly virus than the United States, which surpassed 143,000 total infections and 2,400 related deaths as of Monday morning. Yet Trump’s coronavirus task force coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, reported Monday that the nation has perhaps only seen roughly 1% or 2% of the total number of deaths expected in a best-case scenario.
“If we do things together well, almost perfectly, we could get in the range of 100,000 to 200,000 fatalities,” Birx said Monday on NBC’s “Today.”
But she warned that every part of the country isn’t perfectly responding “in a uniform way to protect one another.”
“Cities that don’t social distance, that don’t stay at home, that believe you can have social interactions, that believe you can have gatherings at homes of 20 and 10 people even, that is going to spread the virus even if everyone looks well,” Birx said.
The partisan divide in infections and responses is difficult to ignore.
Fifteen of the 21 states that have issued statewide stay-at-home orders so far are led by Democratic governors, according to Kaiser. The Republican-led holdouts include Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis has so far agreed with Trump’s preference for a more incremental approach in the premier swing state, suggesting that restrictive measures be put in place only in the hardest-hit counties.
All 50 states have reported cases, but the seven with the most infections are led by Democrats. New York may offer a cautionary tale for other states: The state reported its first case on March 1 and nearly reached 60,000 infections and 1,000 deaths on Monday.
The bottom six states in total cases are rural states led by Republicans. Numbers have been escalating virtually everywhere, however, particularly in more populous red states like Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas, which reported more than 8,100 cases and 200 deaths combined as of Monday.
Some Republicans have been more assertive than others.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, has split with Trump over when normal life might resume. And Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, has been one of the most aggressive leaders in either party, banning spectators from sporting events the first week of March. He was among the first governors in the nation to close public schools.
Aggressive steps by DeWine and others, however, have been complicated by Trump’s inconsistent rhetoric. After repeatedly downplaying the threat at first, the Republican president adopted a more serious tone before suddenly suggesting last week that the worst could be over by Easter, which is April 12. He has now reversed that view, calling it an “aspiration,” with the extension of the social distancing guidelines through April.
Trump has also engaged in a war of words with Democratic governors in key states, like Michigan and New York, where elected officials have openly complained about the lack of federal assistance to stem a dangerous shortage of coronavirus tests and medical equipment.
Many conservatives have cheered Trump’s response, particularly his reluctance to encourage a nationwide stay-at-home order.
“They have no right to tell me I need to stay in my house. They cannot impose a travel ban on me. They can’t. it’s unconstitutional,” said Texas-based activist Mark Meckler, a co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots who now leads the Convention of States Project.
Meckler began conversations in recent days with other grassroots conservatives leaders to explore the possibility of filing lawsuits to block some of the more aggressive social distancing measures. In the meantime, he’s encouraging like-minded conservatives to embrace “peaceful resistance.”
“I’m not going along with it,” Meckler said. “It doesn’t mean we won’t be smart, but we don’t want to be sheep.”
Meanwhile, the numbers are shooting up in California, which has reported more than 6,300 infections and 130 deaths as of Monday morning.
Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti has assigned teams of city workers to ensure non-essential local businesses are complying with shut down orders. He is empowered to shut off their water and power if necessary, and the California Democrat has authorized the police to arrest those who continue to resist.
Garcetti said there have been no shutoffs or arrests so far and predicts that “99 out of 100 will comply.”
He also offered a dire message to Republicans who have resisted similar steps: “In the projections, you could see this taking tens of thousands of lives in America or millions. You chose. But I don’t think anybody wants the second to be on their hands.”


chicagosun-times--2020-03-30--Coronavirus test sites added in Illinois, but Pritzker says limited capacity still ‘an enormous prob

Coronavirus test sites added in Illinois, but Pritzker says limited capacity still ‘an enormous problem’ (LIVE UPDATES)

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 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ 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 .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 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 .
5:26 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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.
” 4:52 p.m .
Conditions for companies that get virus aid : Room for abuse ?
WASHINGTON — A $ 500 billion federal aid package for companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
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 , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afternoon .
“ 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.
” 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 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was married for more than 40 years , and has two sons and 10 grandchildren , according to the website .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 : A short supply of the long-tipped swabs used for testing and some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
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. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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.
” 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their days snapping down dominoes and playing cards .
At night , 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 .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 “ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are being deployed mainly for logistic support and medical staffing , 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 ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
While gathering in large groups outside is not recommended , medical professionals say it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 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 .
• 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people have died of the coronavirus after completing the day ’ 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 .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 Just one day after the union that represents Chicago grocery and pharmacy workers requested — and Mayor Lori Lightfoot ’ s administration rejected — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .

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--After aldermen push back, some residential street sweeping is back on again

Chicago aldermen are pushing back against Mayor Lori Lightfoot ’ s plan to postpone some of the housekeeping services they hold dear — like residential street sweeping , tree trimming and tree removal — until after the city turns the corner against the coronavirus .
“ You have all of those leaves that may not have been picked up in the fall .
You have the debris of winter from not having street sweeping that has just accumulated .
And these curbs are an absolute wreck in some communities , ” said Ald .
Jason Ervin ( 28th ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black Caucus .
“ It ’ s necessary that we sweep where we can [ even though ] we will not be able to do any enforcement as it relates to citations .
But the community can band together and , for that hour or 15 minutes that the sweeper is on the block , give that sweeper an opportunity to get through .
Our community can not just go to pot because of this [ stay-at-home ] order.
” Far South Side Ald .
Anthony Beale ( 9th ) understands suspending tree @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Communities like mine need to be swept .
If you don ’ t , the city is gon na become extremely dirty .
We rely on street sweeping .
We rely on spring cleaning to clean the city up and get ready for spring and summer .
If we don ’ t sweep , we ’ ll be extremely far behind , ” Beale said .
“ You can still post [ no parking signs ] and try to do the best you can .
Just don ’ t penalize people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cars.
” Even Ald .
Scott Waguespack ( 32nd ) , the mayor ’ s handpicked Finance Committee chairman , said he , too , wants Streets and San to “ improvise ” and do the best they can to “ clear out some of the really bad areas.
” “ Definitely the arterials and commercial streets where you don ’ t have cars parked .
But also improvising in between those , and hitting some of the residential streets where they can , just to keep the city clean and clear out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Waguespack said .
“ It becomes a public health issue here in the summer , too , if you don ’ t have clean streets and you ’ ve got stuff left over and you ’ ve got standing water.
” Streets and Sanitation spokesperson Christina Villarreal acknowledged the game plan has changed since last week , when Tully said sweeping residential streets was virtually impossible because the city is ticketing and towing only for emergencies ; at the time , Lightfoot backed him up .
“ We will have sweepers out in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t be scheduled sweeping .
We won ’ t be posting and asking people to move their cars .
But they are going to still be sweeping , where they can , residential areas , ” she said .
Also Monday , Lightfoot argued again that Chicago is well-positioned to weather the storm of increased costs and declining revenues tied to the coronavirus pandemic without blowing a giant hole in her precariously-balanced , $ 11.6 billion budget .
The costs — segregated since January in a COVD-19 Fund — are likely to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the mayor said .
“ We ’ ve been tracking those expenses pretty rigorously .
… We are doing everything we can to use precious tax dollars as wisely as we can , ” Lightfoot said .
“ And the things that we ’ ve announced — whether it ’ s the small business resiliency fund [ or ] a fund to help people with their rent and mortgages — all of those dollars are accounted for in existing city revenues that were either available or we re-purposed so we can meet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also downplayed the precipitous drop in city revenues .
“ While this is no doubt gon na have an impact , particularly in what I ’ ll call the service sector — restaurants , bars and other kind of service industries — for the city of Chicago ’ s budget , our revenue streams are fairly diverse , ” the mayor said , sounding a familiar refrain .
“ No one revenue stream is more than 13 percent of our budget .
And the package of what we call economically sensitive revenue streams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revenue , revenue from the state income tax and so forth — in the aggregate , they only make up 25 percent of our revenue.
” The mayor ’ s stance , however , does not take into account an important factor : when the stock market drops and city pension funds don ’ t meet expected investment returns , Chicago taxpayers have to make up the difference .
Waguespack also disclosed plans are proceeding for a “ virtual ” City Council meeting in March to handle legal settlements and other spending-related issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Other cities are already doing it .
We just have to set up the technology , ” he said .

Chicago aldermen are pushing back against Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan to postpone some of the housekeeping services they hold dear — like residential street sweeping, tree trimming and tree removal — until after the city turns the corner against the coronavirus.
“You have all of those leaves that may not have been picked up in the fall. You have the debris of winter from not having street sweeping that has just accumulated. And these curbs are an absolute wreck in some communities,” said Ald. Jason Ervin (28th), chairman of the City Council’s Black Caucus.
“It’s necessary that we sweep where we can [even though] we will not be able to do any enforcement as it relates to citations. But the community can band together and, for that hour or 15 minutes that the sweeper is on the block, give that sweeper an opportunity to get through. Our community cannot just go to pot because of this [stay-at-home] order.”
Far South Side Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) understands suspending tree trimming services — but not street sweeping.
“Communities like mine need to be swept. If you don’t, the city is gonna become extremely dirty. We rely on street sweeping. We rely on spring cleaning to clean the city up and get ready for spring and summer. If we don’t sweep, we’ll be extremely far behind,” Beale said.
“You can still post [no parking signs] and try to do the best you can. Just don’t penalize people if they don’t move their cars.”
Even Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd), the mayor’s handpicked Finance Committee chairman, said he, too, wants Streets and San to “improvise” and do the best they can to “clear out some of the really bad areas.”
“Definitely the arterials and commercial streets where you don’t have cars parked. But also improvising in between those, and hitting some of the residential streets where they can, just to keep the city clean and clear out some of the winter gunk,” Waguespack said.
“It becomes a public health issue here in the summer, too, if you don’t have clean streets and you’ve got stuff left over and you’ve got standing water.”
Streets and Sanitation spokesperson Christina Villarreal acknowledged the game plan has changed since last week, when commissioner John Tully said sweeping residential streets was virtually impossible because the city is ticketing and towing only for emergencies; at the time, Lightfoot backed him up.
“We will have sweepers out in all 50 wards, but it won’t be scheduled sweeping. We won’t be posting and asking people to move their cars. But they are going to still be sweeping, where they can, residential areas,” she said.
Mayor insists city can weather COVID-19 fiscal storm
Also Monday, Lightfoot argued again that Chicago is well-positioned to weather the storm of increased costs and declining revenues tied to the coronavirus pandemic without blowing a giant hole in her precariously-balanced, $11.6 billion budget.
The costs — segregated since January in a COVID-19 Fund — are likely to be absorbed by the federal stimulus package, the mayor said.
“We’ve been tracking those expenses pretty rigorously. … We are doing everything we can to use precious tax dollars as wisely as we can,” Lightfoot said.
“And the things that we’ve announced — whether it’s the small business resiliency fund [or] a fund to help people with their rent and mortgages — all of those dollars are accounted for in existing city revenues that were either available or we re-purposed so we can meet this need for our residents.”
Lightfoot also downplayed the precipitous drop in city revenues.
“While this is no doubt gonna have an impact, particularly in what I’ll call the service sector — restaurants, bars and other kind of service industries — for the city of Chicago’s budget, our revenue streams are fairly diverse,” the mayor said, sounding a familiar refrain.
“No one revenue stream is more than 13 percent of our budget. And the package of what we call economically sensitive revenue streams — whether it’s sales tax revenue, revenue from the state income tax and so forth — in the aggregate, they only make up 25 percent of our revenue.”
The mayor’s stance, however, does not take into account an important factor: When the stock market drops and city pension funds don’t meet expected investment returns, Chicago taxpayers have to make up the difference.
Online council meeting a virtual reality
Waguespack also disclosed plans are proceeding for a “virtual” City Council meeting April 15 to handle legal settlements and other spending-related issues tied to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Other cities are already doing it. We just have to set up the technology,” he said.


chicagosun-times--2020-03-30--READ: 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 @ @ @ @ @ all civil and criminal jury trials set to begin on or before May 29 .
@ @ @ @ @ participation difficult or unsafe , and the current public health emergency renders it infeasible for @ @ @ @ @ to accomplish the mailing of juror summons , ” Pallmeyer wrote .
Pallmeyer ’ s @ @ @ @ @ of hearings — including detention hearings and arraignments — to occur by phone or video @ @ @ @ @ agrees to it .
The order also delays all plea hearings and sentencing hearings set @ @ @ @ @ May 1 , unless an emergency judge is told it is necessary to go forward @ @ @ @ @ allow those hearings to occur by video or phone .
The chief judge also wrote @ @ @ @ @ shall continue to meet , with reasonable limits on grand jury sessions imposed by the @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Attorney ’ s Office .
”

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 Pallmeyer’s full 10-page order below.


chicagosun-times--2020-03-30--Mailbox boosted ballot box for Chicago primary voters wary of coronavirus

Despite fears that the coronavirus would keep Chicagoans from voting , mail-in ballots trickling in are inching the city ’ s primary turnout to nearly 35 % .
That ’ s down sharply from the 53.52 % city turnout in the 2016 presidential primary and the 52.70 % in 2008 , but above or comparable to the city ’ s showing in the remaining three presidential primaries this century – including 2012 when only 24.46 % of voters cast ballots .
Perhaps not surprisingly , the city numbers appear to have been boosted by mail-in ballots , after election officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about becoming infected in crowded polling places .
On Monday , the city ’ s turnout rose by nearly 3 percentage points , going from 32.62 % a few days after the primary to nearly 35 % as the city counted additional vote-by-mail ballots that were postmarked in time .
Winning candidates will soon be able to officially celebrate their victories as the city ’ s election board inches closer to finalizing the results of the March 17 primary .
“ Our goal is to beat the April 7 deadline , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chicago Board of Election Commissioners .
That date is the deadline for municipal election authorities to issue their official election results .
In unofficial results released Monday , many of the winners in various contests didn ’ t see their leads diminish or grow by sizable numbers .
Of the city ’ s 117,119 mail-in ballot applications , 91,706 ballots have been returned as of Monday morning , according to city records .
Of that number , 8,437 were rejected for reasons like not being postmarked on or before March 17 .
Remaining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet fall into three main categories : some may never return or arrive too late to be considered ; some will continue to arrive by March 31 and will continue to be added to the counts by state law so long as they were postmarked on or before March 17 ; and some will continue to arrive by March 31 but won ’ t be counted if they were postmarked or certified on or after March 18 .
There are still about 3,000 provisional ballots that may or may not count depending on @ @ @ @ @ @

Despite fears that the coronavirus would keep Chicagoans from voting, mail-in ballots trickling in are inching the city’s primary turnout to nearly 35%.
That’s down sharply from the 53.52% city turnout in the 2016 presidential primary and the 52.70% in 2008, but above or comparable to the city’s showing in the remaining three presidential primaries this century — including 2012 when only 24.46% of voters cast ballots.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the city numbers appear to have been boosted by mail-in ballots, after election officials pushed the option to ease voter concerns about becoming infected in crowded polling places.
On Monday, the city’s turnout rose by nearly three percentage points, going from 32.62% a few days after the primary to nearly 35% as the city counted additional vote-by-mail ballots that were postmarked in time.
Winning candidates will soon be able to officially celebrate their victories as the city’s election board inches closer to finalizing the results of the March 17 primary.
“Our goal is to beat the April 7 deadline,” said Jim Allen, a spokesman for the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.
That date is the deadline for municipal election authorities to issue their official election results.
Amid fears of the coronavirus pandemic, election officials wear gloves as residents early vote in the March 17 Illinois primary election at the Loop super site at 191 N. Clark St., Monday afternoon, March 16, 2020. Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times file
In unofficial results released Monday, many of the winners in various contests didn’t see their leads diminish or grow by sizable numbers.
Of the city’s 117,119 mail-in ballot applications, 91,706 ballots have been returned as of Monday morning, according to city records. Of that number, 8,437 were rejected for reasons like not being postmarked on or before March 17.
Remaining ballots that haven’t been returned yet fall into three main categories: some may never return or arrive too late to be considered; some will continue to arrive by March 31 and will continue to be added to the counts by state law as long as they were postmarked on or before March 17; and some will continue to arrive by March 31 but won’t be counted if they were postmarked or certified on or after March 18.
There are still about 3,000 provisional ballots that may or may not count depending on their circumstances, Allen said.