chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Nursing home workers authorize May 8 strike at 40 Illinois facilities, most in Chicago area

The list of 40 homes targeted by workers could increase in the coming days , officials said .
Many of @ @ @ @ @ more than Chicago ’ s minimum wage of $ 13 an hour for “ backbreaking @ @ @ @ @ care of society ’ s most vulnerable members , said Shaba Andrich , vice president @ @ @ @ @ union is seeking at least $ 15 an hour across the board for the workers @ @ @ @ @ working during the coronavirus pandemic .

Workers at 40 nursing homes in Illinois, nearly all in the Chicago area, said Monday they have set a strike date for May 8, as contract negotiations come to a head while coronavirus cases are hitting a peak.
SEIU Healthcare Illinois stated that it represents more than 10,000 workers at 100 nursing homes. The workers do not include doctors or nurses, but encompass certified nursing assistants and other support staff. They are negotiating with the Illinois Association of Healthcare Facilities on a new contract to succeed the current one, which expires April 30.
Advertisement
The list of 40 homes targeted by workers could increase in the coming days, officials said. Many of the workers are making little more than Chicago’s minimum wage of $13 an hour for “backbreaking,” essential work taking care of society’s most vulnerable members, said Shaba Andrich, vice president for nursing homes. The union is seeking at least $15 an hour across the board for the workers, plus hazard pay for working during the coronavirus pandemic.
“They were already struggling to take care of their families,” Andrich said. “We’re asking nursing homes to step up and do what’s right.”
Advertisement
Members of the SEIU Healthcare Illinois union cheer as a motorist honks during their news conference outside the Alden Wentworth nursing home on West 69th Street in Chicago on Monday, April 27, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
Workers also demanded improved staffing, better training and more personal protective equipment to guard against COVID-19, all of which, they said, have been sadly lacking. Some workers said they were forced to use one mask for an entire eight-hour shift, instead of multiple masks recommended under health guidelines.
The association announced that it offered an 11% one-year pay hike, stable employee health insurance contributions, earlier access to sick days, paid sick time during the pandemic in addition to contractual sick leave, creation of a training fund, and more for certified nursing assistants, dietary, activity, laundry and housekeeping employees.
In a letter to state lawmakers, Bob Molitor, CEO of the Alden Network of nursing homes and an association board member, described the homes’ offer as fair and equitable. “We sincerely hope the union is not using this once-in-a-lifetime crisis to incite a walk-out and put our seniors at even greater risk,” he wrote.
The state released figures over the weekend that showed a dramatic jump in deaths of people who live or work at long-term care facilities — to 625, more than double what was reported a week ago.
The latest figures compiled by the state showed that, as of Friday, at least 278 facilities had 4,298 cases of residents or workers testing positive.
The workers also asked for a 50% increase in pay for hazardous duty during the pandemic, an additional 80 hours off and continued health insurance for COVID-19 related illness, and access to testing and any emergency benefits for essential workers.
Greg Kelley, president of SEIU Healthcare Illinois, said the number of nursing homes targeted by the strike will continue to grow in coming days. He said the 2,300 potentially striking members were putting their lives on the line to care for residents, but were not willing to die for minimum wages.
The facilities targeted for a potential strike include 10 in the Alden Network, seven under the Aperion Care umbrella and four Symphony Care Network facilities.
Advertisement
“We believe that this is a public health crisis,” Kelley said. “It isn’t enough to simply say they are heroes. We need to show them that they are heroes.”
Tainika Somerville said she was a certified nursing assistant at the Bridgeview Healthcare Center in the southwest suburbs, until she was fired this month after asking for hazard pay and complaining about a lack of adequate staffing and protective equipment.
“We’re at the point where we have to strike to save lives,” she said.
Martha Peck, the administrator of the Bridgeview home, responded in an email that she would not comment on employment matters, but said officials there have not disciplined or terminated anyone “due to PPE use or COVID-19 concerns in the community.”
Advertisement
The home has had appropriate protective equipment or CDC-approved substitutes, and is offering extra pay for nurses and assistants, she added.
“We are adhering to the directions of the CDC and health care professionals,” she wrote, “to maintain a safe environment for all.”
Last week, state lawmakers sent a letter to the Illinois Association of Healthcare Facilities, noting that last year the General Assembly increased reimbursement rates for nursing homes by $240 million, with assurances that much of the money would be spent on direct care staff.
The lawmakers wrote that they are still waiting for that to happen, even as the nursing home industry is asking for millions more dollars during the spread of the coronavirus.
“Workers deserve respect and dignity,” stated the letter, which was signed by 20 state senators and 36 representatives. “This starts with adequate personal protective equipment, a level of paid sick time that you would expect for yourself, and wages that don’t keep employees living in poverty.”
In response, the nursing home association wrote in a letter that the rate increase allowed some of its members to increase pay and staffing.
Advertisement
“We have done everything in our power to secure scarce but necessary PPE,” Molitor wrote, adding that a strike would “jeopardize” the state’s most vulnerable people.
In 2017, a strike at 53 Chicago-area nursing homes was averted hours before it was set to begin. At that time, officials at SEIU, which stands for Service Employees International Union, said they “won” the dispute, with raises of up to 40% or 50% from an average of $11 an hour. The nursing homes agreed that the contract provided significant wage and staff increases.
The nursing homes had plans in place to have nurses perform duties typically done by nursing assistants, such as bathing or turning bedridden patients, and having management fill in or move employees between locations.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported that the state has about 1,200 long-term care facilities serving more than 100,000 residents, from the young to the elderly.
rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @RobertMcCoppin


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--When Trump talks about Chicago, we track it

`` But , there is one person that 's not here today .
We 're in Chicago .
I said @ @ @ @ @ I want to talk to him . '
In fact , more than anyone else @ @ @ @ @ here , because maybe he could learn something .
And that 's the Superintendent of @ @ @ @ @ '' During a speech at the annual conference for the International Association of Chiefs of @ @ @ @ @ Chicago

Chicago and its violence have been a frequent subject of President Donald Trump’s attention. It was a common campaign thread Trump used to hammer Hillary Clinton, President Barack Obama and now Joe Biden.
Since becoming president Trump has returned the theme frequently bashing the city in Tweets and interviews. It’s not all vinegar, though. In a 2016 interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity Trump said: “I love Chicago. I have big investments in Chicago, and I think it’s a great city.”
Here are Trump’s mentions of Chicago — and the state of Illinois — with annotations where appropriate.


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Bail denied for man accused of strangling escort in downtown hotel, using her phone to get money fro

Bail denied for man accused of strangling escort in downtown hotel, using her phone to get money from her clients

As Long tried to convince McFadden to pay her $ 100 , he shoved her away several times and eventually @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Attorney James Murphy said during the hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building @ @ @ @ @ McFadden would later tell authorities that during a struggle , Long had attempted to grab @ @ @ @ @ he grabbed it before she did , Murphy said .

After strangling an Ohio woman working as an escort in a downtown hotel, her killer used the dead woman’s phone to pretend she was still alive to extract money from her clients, prosecutors said Monday.
A judge Monday denied bail for Lavarius McFadden, 24, charged with first-degree murder in the death of Elizabeth Long inside the SpringHill Suites hotel in the Near North neighborhood last month.
Advertisement
Lavarius McFadden, 24, is charged with first-degree murder in the March 14, 2020, death of Elizabeth Long, 22. (Chicago Police Department)
McFadden and Long, 22, who was in town working as an escort, went to her room at the hotel at 410 N. Dearborn St. just after 4:30 p.m. March 14, but began quarreling when McFadden said he was unaware that he would have to pay to have sex with her, according to prosecutors.
As Long tried to convince McFadden to pay her $100, he shoved her away several times and eventually strangled her, Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said during the hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, broadcast on YouTube. McFadden would later tell authorities that during a struggle, Long had attempted to grab a knife, but that he grabbed it before she did, Murphy said.
Advertisement
McFadden said he took the knife and Long’s cellphone and left the room. Hotel cameras captured McFadden’s arrival to the hotel and his departure with what appears to be Long’s phone in hand, authorities said. Hotel staff later found Long’s body after a friend called to request that her room be checked. Long, of Holland, Ohio, was pronounced dead at 7:03 p.m. that day.
Long’s partially clothed body had bruises on her neck and hemorrhages in her eyes that suggest strangulation, Murphy said. Although an autopsy was initially marked pending a police investigation, the Cook County medical examiner’s office has ruled Long’s death a homicide by undetermined means.
Authorities were able to track Long’s phone to the home of McFadden’s girlfriend in DuPage County, according to Murphy.
The girlfriend, whom authorities didn’t identify, told investigators that she and McFadden used Long’s phone and masqueraded as the victim through a phone app to receive “a couple of hundred dollars” from her clients, Murphy said. Police served a search warrant at the home Saturday, and recovered both Long and McFadden’s phones.
McFadden, of the 1400 block of North Linder Avenue, has a pending domestic battery case in DuPage County, authorities said. He is expected to return to court May 15.


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Plans to open former Sherman Hospital as COVID-19 overflow facility on hold for now, Elgin mayor say

Plans to open former Sherman Hospital as COVID-19 overflow facility on hold for now, Elgin mayor says

Kaptain said he saw the decision to delay as a positive in that may signal the state ’ s social @ @ @ @ @ have successfully slowed the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 .
According to the Illinois @ @ @ @ @ % of ICU beds and 37 % of ventilators were in use at northwest suburban @ @ @ @ @

Work converting three buildings on the former Sherman Hospital campus into a coronavirus overflow medical facility is complete, but its opening postponed because there's no need for it right now, officials said. (Rafael Guerrero / The Courier-News)
Work converting the former Sherman Hospital into an overflow coronavirus care facility is complete, but it will not open to patients for the time being, Elgin Mayor Dave Kaptain said.
The city was notified of the decision last week in a conference call with state and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials, the mayor said.
Advertisement
“The Elgin alternate care facility is not going to be opened as initially planned,” a recent update the city’s daily coronavirus log said. “The decision to open the facility will depend on regional need over the next few weeks.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker also mentioned the decision in a Saturday media briefing, when he announced similar facilities at the former Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park and MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island would also be put on hold for patient use. A larger alternate care facility being set up at McCormick Place in Chicago is being scaled back by 2,000 beds.
Advertisement
“We’re making them ready so they’re in a kind of state of readiness,” Pritzker said, “but not turned on yet because it does not appear, at least at the moment, that we need them in the near future.”
Kaptain also said plans to move furniture into the renovated Elgin facility was also postponed for the Elgin overflow center, which cost $19 million to renovate.
If and when the buildings on Center Street open, they will have enough beds to accommodate up to 275 patients.
Kaptain said he saw the decision to delay as a positive in that may signal the state’s social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home order have successfully slowed the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19. According to the Illinois Department of Health, 72% of ICU beds and 37% of ventilators were in use at northwest suburban hospitals over the weekend.
“I think it’s a good thing,” Kaptain said. "Everybody should have that attitude that I don’t want to be in there, I don’t want my friends in one of those rooms.”
If opened, the overflow facility would be used by non-acute hospital patients and possibly non-acute COVID-19 patients not requiring an ICU bed or other urgent care.
Kaptain said the facility is ready in the event that the bed space is needed at a future date, something officials have indicated could occur in the fall should the virus returns at the same level and intensity as it did this winter.
The 1918 flu pandemic is a good example of when that happened, the mayor said. It was milder at the beginning of the year and became much more severe later in the year, he said.
Advertisement
"You prepare for the worst and hope for the best. And I think this is where it’s at,” he said.
Workers clean the windows of the former Sherman Hospital in Elgin in early April as work was being done to convert the site into patient overflow space to be used as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers turned the facility over to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency on Thursday, public affairs chief W. Patrick Bray said.
The Sherman renovation contract was awarded to Turner Construction March 29 and work completed April 24.
The three buildings that remain on the former hospital campus had been used for office and exam room space, not as a hospital, and therefore required extensive work. Dozens of tradespeople worked around the clock to take down existing walls, update wiring and plumbing, install ceilings and flooring, create room spaces, paint and do other work.
raguerrero@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--We’ve lowered the paywall on this essential coronavirus coverage

As the scope of this pandemic came into focus , I started thinking about people living in assisted-living facilities and @ @ @ @ @ bound to experience .
I ’ ve spoken several times at assisted-living facilities around Chicago @ @ @ @ @ aspects of life for residents is the social interaction and the activities and entertainment the @ @ @ @ @ s largely gone now .
Worse yet , many facilities have had to limit or @ @ @ @ @ seniors stuck alone in their rooms or apartments .
So maybe there ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ at least that aspect of this crisis .
I tossed an idea out on Twitter @ @ @ @ @ the hashtag # PandemicPals , asking for thoughts and advice on how to network with @ @ @ @ @ where there might be seniors facing isolation .
Read more .

As a public service to our readers and community, we have lowered the paywall on some of our most critical stories so everyone can access this important information. We rely on the support of our subscribers to fund our journalism. If you’re not already signed up, we hope you will consider subscribing.
We are updating a daily live blog with the latest developments on the reopening of Chicago and Illinois. This is where you’ll find updates on the number of COVID-19 cases in our area, as well as the most up-to-date recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Public Health, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Advertisement
As summer nears, Chicagoans are desperate to get out and about — to have a summer picnic with family, to get back to work, to get a haircut. Here’s how and when you might be able to do those things.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday a five-phase plan to get Illinois reopened as the COVID-19 pandemic slows its toll on health care providers. The plan, from “Rapid Spread” to “Illinois Restored,” splits the state up into regions and allows each region to open a different phase should the impact of the pandemic be different throughout the state. The plan also emphasizes that a region can move backward if the health metrics indicate enough risk. Read more.
Advertisement
Testing for COVID-19 has greatly expanded in Illinois, with the state announcing more than 10,000 test results a day since April 24. The expansion has allowed the state to open up its guidance for who should be able to get a coronavirus test. The Illinois Department of Public Health is saying that testing is available without a doctor’s order to anyone with coronavirus symptoms or an underlying risk factor. Tests are also provided to people on the front lines of the pandemic, such as medical workers, first responders and employees of prisons or nursing homes. Search the map for coronavirus testing site near you.
All Illinois residents over age 2 must wear a face mask when they can’t maintain a 6-foot social distance in public. Studies show that the coronavirus can spread between people interacting in close proximity, including people who are not showing symptoms. Here’s where you can find them, what kind to get and how to make your own.
Americans are brainstorming with neighbors, posting questions on social media, and googling for tips and advice. The question at the center of all the hand wringing and head scratching: How do you thank the essential workers who remain out in the world, exposing themselves to greater risk of contracting the novel coronavirus, so that we can buy our groceries, receive our mail, travel by public transportation, and get health care if we need it? Here are some creative ideas to inspire you.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 68 (Chicago Tribune)
They were mothers and fathers, daughters and sons. Many were proud grandparents. Two were sisters from a tight-knit South Side family. All were loved, relatives say, and will be forever missed. As the number of deaths attributable to the coronavirus ticks upward, the Tribune is working to chronicle those who have lost their lives in the Chicago area or who have connections to our region. These are some of those victims.
Hundreds of Chicago restaurants have pivoted their operations to delivery, takeout or curbside pickup after Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that all bars and restaurants in Illinois are closed for dining-in service through April 30. We’re collecting information on restaurants across the area that are still open for delivery or take out. Find a restaurant near you.
Advertisement
A sign in the windows of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, seen on March 11, 2020, reminds people to wash their hands. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
You wake up with a sore, scratchy throat, and begin coughing and sneezing. It’s probably a run-of-the-mill cold, or it could be the beginning of a bout of seasonal flu. But with dozens of cases of the novel coronavirus surfacing in Illinois, some people are bound to wonder: Could this be the coronavirus? Here’s what experts advise for Illinoisans who fear they are showing signs of coronavirus.
The spread of the coronavirus pandemic has placed an extra burden on Chicagoland nonprofit organizations. Here is an evolving list of where you can make donations to organizations helping those in need.


Corrections and clarifications

Publishing information quickly and accurately is a central part of the Chicago Tribune ’ s news responsibility and a value @ @ @ @ @ .
Our editorial code of principles governs professional behavior and journalism standards .
Everyone in @ @ @ @ @ live up to this code of conduct .
Download the file .

· In Sunday’s Life & Travel section, a caption for a photo that accompanied an article about high school seniors and prom season mistakenly referred to Sonia Beg as she/her. The proper pronouns are they/ their/them.
The Tribune regrets the error.
Advertisement
Publishing information quickly and accurately is a central part of the Chicago Tribune’s news responsibility and a value shared in all our publications. Our editorial code of principles governs professional behavior and journalism standards. Everyone in our newsroom must agree to live up to this code of conduct. Download the file.
To report an error, fill out this form.


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Chicago releases new COVID Coach app to help people track symptoms, find testing sites

“ We ’ re talking with the developers about the possibility , for example , to be able to send @ @ @ @ @ contacts , to have that be part of the conversation , ” she said .
@ @ @ @ @ built into it right now , but as we ’ re making our plans for @ @ @ @ @ of that is sort of boots on the ground , or at least people on @ @ @ @ @ long conversations with individuals , understanding who ’ s at risk , then following up @ @ @ @ @ think the technology plays some role in this , and , in fact , the @ @ @ @ @ a piece of that .
”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, right, joins Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady to launch the new COVID Coach health app at City Hall on Monday, April 27, 2020. (Jos M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
The city of Chicago has launched a new web app called COVID Coach to help residents track their coronavirus symptoms and learn about testing sites.
The app is accessible at chicago.gov/covidcoach, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said on Monday.
Advertisement
Lightfoot called the free app “a new tool to get ahead of the game when it comes to monitoring their symptom progression,” but she said it’s no substitute for following stay-at-home order rules and social distancing.
Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said the app is free and the information will only be accessed by the city’s Public Health Department, not Google, which helped create the app.
Advertisement
It also will be a tool to connect residents to testing and information about testing, including alerting users when antibody testing is available in the future, Arwady said Monday.
Though it also will include alerts for a vaccine, Arwady said, registering with the app “does not put you first in line” for a vaccine, as decisions about who gets what will be made by public health professionals.
Arwady said it’s possible the app could be used for contact tracing, including using cellphone data to send warnings via text to people who’ve been in close contact with someone who has contracted the virus. But she said that’s not in the city’s immediate plans.
“We’re talking with the developers about the possibility, for example, to be able to send an alert … to my contacts, to have that be part of the conversation,” she said. “None of that is built into it right now, but as we’re making our plans for contact tracing, a lot of that is sort of boots on the ground, or at least people on the telephone calling, doing long conversations with individuals, understanding who’s at risk, then following up with them. We definitely think the technology plays some role in this, and, in fact, the app may very well be a piece of that.”
Apple and Google have said they are working on technology to let people know whether their phone has recently been close to someone who contracted the virus. The technology has raised privacy concerns. Arwady said no data from the app will be shared with outside providers.
gpratt@chicagotribune.com
jebyrne@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Watch live: President Trump holds a press briefing

Get the latest coronavirus updates here .

This website stores data such as cookies to enable essential site functionality, as well as marketing, personalization, and analytics. By remaining on this website, you indicate your consent.


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Coronavirus is affecting small businesses in Chicago. Here’s what you need to know about federal and

Coronavirus is affecting small businesses in Chicago. Here’s what you need to know about federal and state loan programs.

When a state of emergency was declared in Illinois on March 9 , small businesses in the state became eligible @ @ @ @ @ SBA program , which offers up to $ 2 million for businesses with fewer than @ @ @ @ @ rates of 3.75 % for for-profit businesses and 2.75 % for some nonprofits .

Paca Kujtim of Arlington Heights self-administers a COVID-19 test in his car at the Arlington International Racecourse on March 31, 2021 in Arlington Heights. Kujtim was getting testing as a precaution for upcoming travel. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Small business nationwide are struggling as the coronavirus pandemic ravages the economy. Within two weeks, the initial federal program designed to provide emergency financial relief to small business ran dry.
On Friday, President Donald Trump signed a new $484 billion bill to aid employers and hospitals under stress from the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 50,000 Americans and devastated broad swaths of the economy.
Advertisement
Anchoring the bill is the Trump administration’s $250 billion request to replenish a fund to help small- and medium-size businesses with payroll, rent and other expenses. This program provides forgivable loans so businesses can continue paying workers while forced to stay closed for social distancing and stay-at-home orders.
In Chicago, emergency financial relief packages have become available for small business — but don’t expect checks any time soon. As funding runs low, several local business and entrepreneurs have turned to creative alternatives to make ends meet during social distancing.
Advertisement
Here’s what you need to know about how small business in Chicago are dealing with financial restrains due to the coronavirus.
Chicago-area small businesses shut out by the depleted federal Paycheck Protection Program, which approved more than 1.6 million loans worth $349 billion before the funding ran out, may look to the city and state for emergency relief during the coronavirus pandemic.
When a state of emergency was declared in Illinois on March 9, small businesses in the state became eligible to apply for the federal SBA program, which offers up to $2 million for businesses with fewer than 500 employees, offering interest rates of 3.75% for for-profit businesses and 2.75% for some nonprofits.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker unveiled more than $90 million in new emergency assistance dollars, mostly focused on businesses outside Chicago. The package includes $14 million in emergency grants for the hospitality industry, which many of the city’s bars, restaurants and hotels are lining up to try to win via a lottery.
But it’s clear Chicago doesn’t have enough funding for the applications already in hand and some business owners think the loans only serve as a bandaid for inevitable collapse.
Financial services companies, nonprofit relief programs, utilities and government assistance agencies are stepping up ways to help consumers get through the coming weeks and months of layoffs, business interruptions and self quarantines.
Here are some of the ways you can get help.
Struggling Chicago small-business owners can attend webinars for help in tapping into a $100 million emergency relief fund established by the city to provide cash during the COVID-19 health crisis. Hosted by the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, the sessions will cover loan terms, requirements and how to apply for funds.
Advertisement
Registration for the webinars is at www.chicago.gov/businessworkshops.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced a program to connect eligible business owners, nonprofits and contract workers with banks who will help administer the $2.2 trillion federal stimulus package.
Cook County also unveiled a $10 million Community Recovery Fund that will offer no-interest loans to suburban small businesses, gig workers, and independent contractors whose livelihoods have been battered by the new coronavirus. Find out if you’re eligible here.
“We’re doing everything we can in Cook County to ensure that businesses nonprofits and gig workers survive this crisis and thrive when it’s finally over,” Preckwinkle said.
The coronavirus pandemic is forcing Chicago-area companies and workers to face harsh realities about their paychecks and their place in the local economy. The Tribune is reaching out to hear, and share, their stories. Read how local small businesses are pivoting to survive the pandemic.
Programs are being created to help small businesses weather the new coronavirus but it’s uncertain whether the assistance will come in time.
Advertisement
With more than $90 million in state aid to small businesses unveiled, help is on the way for Illinois companies hit hard by the coronavirus shutdown. But whether it will be enough remains to be seen.
Associated Press contributed.


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood

Search below by street address , ZIP code or city , then click on the map to see the number @ @ @ @ @ state is not providing data for any ZIP code with five cases or fewer .

Note: With Chicago and Illinois moving into phase 5, the Tribune is no longer updating this data. If the state moves back into bridge phase, the Tribune we reassess. Daily metrics on COVID-19, like cases, deaths and hospitalizations, can be found here. And Daily metrics on the vaccination effort can be found here. More on where the coronavirus stands nationally and around the world can be found here.
Illinois releases the number of positive COVID-19 cases by ZIP code daily. The map below shows the cumulative cases for each area as well as other analysis of the data.
• Check out the Tribune’s coronavirus coverage.
• Tracking daily Illinois coronavirus deaths, cases and tests.
Search below by street address, ZIP code or city, then click on the map to see the number of confirmed and probable cases. The state is not providing data for any ZIP code with five cases or fewer.
Data as of June 10.
The map search tool above works best in Chrome or Firefox and may not perform consistently in Internet Explorer.
Note: Because of a coding error this map was displaying the incorrect rates for new cases in the last 7 days per 100,000 people — the issue should now be resolved.. The Tribune adjusted the data shown on the map below to focus on new cases, those the state tracked in the last 7 seven days. The totals for the entire pandemic are still available, but in the pop-up after tapping or clicking on a ZIP.


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Tracking Illinois coronavirus: 1,983 deaths, 45,883 confirmed cases, 227,628 tests, 27% ICU beds, 70

Tracking Illinois coronavirus: 1,983 deaths, 45,883 confirmed cases, 227,628 tests, 27% ICU beds, 70% ventilators open

As the coronavirus spreads and local , state and national governments work to contain and mitigate the outbreak , the @ @ @ @ @ .

Johns Hopkins University & Medicine tracked coronavirus cases, deaths and test totals from Jan. 22, 2020 through March 10, 2023, but is no longer providing this data. These charts will no longer be updated.
Check the Illinois Department of Public Health for the most up-to-date data for Illinois.
[ Remembering the lives of those in Illinois who died from coronavirus ]
Can’t see these charts? Go here.


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Insurance giant Aon to cut most employees’ pay 20% as CEO predicts economic recovery from COVID-19 m

Insurance giant Aon to cut most employees’ pay 20% as CEO predicts economic recovery from COVID-19 may take years

“ While we hold on to glimmers of hope that the worst of the human impact may have passed , @ @ @ @ @ to play out for months , or even years to come , ” Case said @ @ @ @ @ was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission .

Aon is cutting most employees’ pay 20% in response to the coronavirus pandemic, as the global insurance giant prepares for a “significant and sustained economic downturn.”
CEO Greg Case sent a memo to employees Monday outlining the pay cuts and other cost-savings strategies, while laying out a bleak forecast for the global economy in the wake of a “humanitarian tragedy” wrought by COVID-19.
Advertisement
“While we hold on to glimmers of hope that the worst of the human impact may have passed, the economic consequences are likely to play out for months, or even years to come,” Case said in the memo, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Aon, which shifted its global headquarters from Chicago to London in 2012, generated $11 billion in revenue last year, according to SEC filings. The company had nearly 48,000 employees worldwide at the end of 2019.
Advertisement
The cost-saving measures include a 20% cut in pay for 70% of Aon’s employees — those whose earnings are above an undisclosed salary floor. The median employee salary last year was $65,497, according to SEC filings.
Chicago-based Aon spokeswoman Nadine Youssef declined to say Monday what the minimum base salary would be for affected employees in the U.S.
Executive officers and board members will reduce their salaries by 50%, the company said.
Aon's former headquarters in Chicago. The company said April 28, 2020, that it is cutting most employees' pay 20% as it prepares for an economic downturn from the coronavirus pandemic. (Alex Garcia / Chicago Tribune)
Case, Aon’s CEO since 2005, has an annual base salary of $1.5 million, but last year earned more than $16 million through stock awards and other compensation, according to SEC filings.
The company said it was taking the salary reduction measures to preserve “operational flexibility” and employee jobs, citing projections that one-third of American workers — nearly 47 million people — could lose their jobs before the COVID-19 crisis ends.
“No one at Aon is going to lose their job because of the COVID-19 outbreak,” Case said in the memo.
In addition to the salary reductions, Aon said it will pause its stock buyback plan, but will continue to pay a regular dividend to shareholders.
rchannick@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Zion woman in critical condition after Sunday shooting

The woman had been taken to the emergency department of Vista Medical Center East , which is where officers learned @ @ @ @ @ to a news release .
Officers were dispatched to the hospital shortly before 4:30 a.m. @ @

A 21-year-old Zion woman shot in the abdomen Sunday remained hospitalized in critical condition Monday, the chief police chief said.
No other updates were available regarding the shooting, which Zion police said occurred outside in the 2300 block of Jethro Avenue.
Advertisement
The woman had been taken to the emergency department of Vista Medical Center East, which is where officers learned of the shooting, according to a news release. Officers were dispatched to the hospital shortly before 4:30 a.m. Sunday.
The woman had been shot once in the abdomen and her injuries were considered serious, according to the release.
Advertisement
Officers and detectives subsequently went to the Jethro Avenue area to collect evidence, according to the release. The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Zion Police Department at (847) 872-8000 or Lake County Crime Stoppers at (847) 662-2222.


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Many of Chicago area’s essential workers are people of color and live in lower-income neighborhoods,

Many of Chicago area’s essential workers are people of color and live in lower-income neighborhoods, new analysis says

Austen Edwards , a senior policy analyst at the agency , said the analysis speaks to new and long-running economic @ @ @ @ @ sectors are facing .
In beginning to examine data , Chicago can better look at @ @ @ @ @ access to education , health care and government services , he said .

A disproportionately high number of essential worker jobs in the Chicago area are held by people of color and those who live in lower-income neighborhoods, according to a new analysis by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.
The analysis categorized essential workers by using 12 occupation categories released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The categories include employees who work in health care support, building and ground maintenance, transportation and construction.
Advertisement
“This is our first pass at trying to take a look at a regional level at who our essential workers are,” said Simone Weil, principal for policy at the agency.
More than 54% of essential workers in the Chicago area are people of color, compared to 44% of all regional workers, the study found. Essential workers include those who work for the CTA, Pace and Metra. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
More than 54% of essential workers are people of color, compared with 44% of all workers in the region, the study found. Black workers are most overrepresented in health care support and protective services jobs, whereas Hispanic workers are overrepresented in both construction and food service industries, according to the analysis.
Advertisement
Many essential workers live on the South and West sides of the city; in nearby south, southwest and west suburban Cook County; and in job centers in Lake, DuPage and Will counties, according to the analysis.
The analysis also found that 1 in 4 essential workers lives in a census tract that has a median household income at least 30% below the regional median of $70,500.
However, the estimates excluded workers in some industries that have become essential during the coronavirus pandemic. For example, grocery store employees are classified under a nonessential occupation role as retail sales workers.
Austen Edwards, a senior policy analyst at the agency, said the analysis speaks to new and long-running economic pressures that workers in these sectors are facing. In beginning to examine data, Chicago can better look at how to provide better equitable access to education, health care and government services, he said.
“It speaks to longer-term trends in employment that we continue to see play out today,” he said. “When we’re thinking of coronavirus and the shift to long-term recovery, we need to have a strong understanding of long-term trends and what opportunities are being presented to workers.”
jvillagomez@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Margaret ‘Peg’ Price, first and only female mayor of Naperville, dead at 87

“ Mayor Price will always hold the title of being Naperville ’ s first female mayor , and her legacy @ @ @ @ @ lives on through what she accomplished , '' Chirico said in a statement .
`` @ @ @ @ @ the current municipal center to expanding the City Council from four to six members during @ @ @ @ @ shied away from a challenge .

Margaret "Peg" Price, the first and only woman elected mayor of Naperville, died April 26 at the age of 87. (Steve price)
Margaret “Peg” Price, a two-term Naperville mayor and the first woman to be elected to the position, died Sunday at age 87.
Price died of natural causes Sunday at St. Patrick’s Residence in Naperville, where she had been living for the past few months.
Advertisement
Price had a 30-year public service career and served as mayor from 1983 to 1991. She spent two terms as a city council member and served for many years in appointed county and city positions, including tenures on the Naperville Plan and Riverwalk commissions.
Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico said the city was changed for the better because of Price, “whose leadership, influence and determination shaped our city during a time of rapid change.”
Advertisement
“Mayor Price will always hold the title of being Naperville’s first female mayor, and her legacy of strong leadership and decision-making lives on through what she accomplished," Chirico said in a statement. "From spearheading the construction of the current municipal center to expanding the city council from four to six members during her administration, she never shied away from a challenge.
“Although Mayor Price may have seen Naperville grow by leaps and bounds under her watch, she never lost sight of what mattered to her: seeing her city be a place where families came first and people looked out for each other."
Price was born April 8, 1933, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and moved to Naperville in 1967 with her husband, the late Charles “Chuck” Price, and two sons, Steve and Tim Price.
Their father’s job with the Western Electric Co. had the family moving several times around the Midwest and East Coast before they landed in Naperville, Steve Price said.
When she arrived, Peg Price knew immediately Naperville was a place she wanted her family to put down roots, Price told a Chicago Tribune reporter in 1998, when she retired from her government work to spend more time with her grandchildren, Amanda and Scott.
Peg Price is seen serving as a judge at Naperville's Ribfest with Naperville Sun writer and editor Tim West, right, in this undated photo. (Steve Price)
“You could stand in the middle of Jefferson Avenue and chat,” Price said of the city she moved to, which then had just 17,000 people. “It was a great town, and we fell in love with it. My husband and I made up our minds that we were going to stay here.”
Price’s political career began in 1969 when she became involved in the campaign to shift the city from a strong-mayor form of of government to a council-manager form.
In 1971, she was appointed to the city’s Plan Commission and later she was elected to city council. After losing her bid for a third term as mayor in 1991, Price was re-elected to another council term in 1994 and opted to not run again in 1998.
Advertisement
Steve Price said in addition to being a good mother and always there for him and his brother, Peg Price was a hard worker who took her roles as mayor and city council member seriously.
“When she was mayor, she was always busy, and when she was on the city council, she took that seriously,” Steve Price said. He recalled seeing his mother with paperwork spread out across a large dining room table, trying to read and digest everything her elected position required her to do.
He still has “mounds of newspaper clippings" from his mother’s elections, and remembers her pushing hard to get the Naperville Municipal Center built in a downtown location. “She really put herself out on a limb on that,” he said.
But Peg Price didn’t pull any punches, he said. “What you saw was what you got.”
Naperville City Councilwoman Judy Brodhead said Peg Price helped get her started in Naperville government, adding her to the city’s Transportation Advisory Board in 1990 and less than a year later asking her to be on the Plan Commission.
“I owe Peg Price a lot,” Broadhead said. “She was absolutely fearless. You have to remember that’s a time there were not that many women in government."
Advertisement
Broadhead remembers Price as “very confident and outspoken. She knew how to get things done,” she said.
Price was the one who argued Naperville’s city hall should be located downtown so residents would have easier access to the building and some could walk there rather than having to drive, Brodhead said.
She also was really good at getting people to agree on things, she said.
“She always had everyone’s respect. In her day that was a really fine line to walk between being considered too aggressive and not aggressive enough," Brodhead said. “She just did it.”
Price is also credited with being the first mayor to give a State of the City address and with beginning the planning for Naperville’s water utility, her obituary said.
In addition to her elected positions, Price also was a member of the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission for eight years and the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference for three years, according to the city of Naperville.
Advertisement
Price was a longtime member of the Rotary Club of Naperville, which posted a tribute to her Monday.
“We are saddened by the passing yesterday of fellow Rotarian, former Naperville Mayor Peg Price. Peg was the first woman mayor of Naperville and one of the first two women to join the Rotary Club of Naperville in 1987,” the post said.
“We celebrate the impact she has had on our community as a leader and role model. Peg truly lived by the Rotary words ‘Service Above Self.’”
Price was involved in other local organizations, including Loaves and Fishes food pantry, the Naperville Area Homeowners Confederation and the League of Women Voters of Naperville.
The family will hold a funeral mass at St. Raphael Catholic Church in Naperville, where Price attended church, at a future date. Steve Price said his mother did not wish to have a visitation or wake.
She asked that “well-wishers take a few minutes to call a friend” in her memory and in lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the Naperville Riverwalk Foundation either online at www.napervilleriverwalkfoundation.org/donate-2/ or by mail, Attn: Jan Erickson, 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL 60540.
Advertisement
Arrangements are being handled by Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home in Naperville.
ehegarty@tribpub.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Federal judge orders additional social distancing measures at Cook County Jail

Double-inmate cells will be permitted only in certain situations — such as on tiers where inmates are quarantined after testing @ @ @ @ @ on suicide or other medical watch , Kennelly ruled .
The judge wrote that dormitory-style @ @ @ @ @ if they are at less than 50 % capacity , so the 6-foot distancing rule @ @ @ @ @

Activists protest outside the Cook County Jail as a caravan of vehicles calls for the mass release of incarcerated people, April 7, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
A federal judge on Monday issued a preliminary injunction mandating additional testing and social distancing measures to battle the spread of coronavirus at the Cook County Jail, including banning double-inmate cells and group housing in most cases.
In an 87-page order, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly gave the sheriff’s office until Friday to implement new plans eliminating “bullpens” to house new inmates being processed into the jail, providing face masks to all detainees under quarantine, and regularly sanitizing “all frequently touched surfaces and objects.”
Advertisement
Double-inmate cells will be permitted only in certain situations — such as on tiers where inmates are quarantined after testing positive for COVID-19 or are on suicide or other medical watch, Kennelly ruled. The judge wrote that dormitory-style tiers can only be used if they are at less than 50% capacity, so the 6-foot distancing rule can be better enforced.
The order also requires the sheriff’s office to “acquire and maintain sufficient testing materials” to promptly test any jail detainee exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms or others who may have been exposed to others with the virus.
Advertisement
The ruling came as part of an ongoing lawsuit filed by the Loevy and Loevy law firm and the MacArthur Justice Center at Northwestern University alleging Sheriff Tom Dart has failed to stop a “rapidly unfolding public health disaster” at the jail, which has been identified as one of the nations’ leading hot spots for coronavirus infections.
As of Sunday, six detainees have died after contracting COVID-19 at the jail, according to the sheriff’s office. Another 229 inmates currently have the virus, 17 of whom are hospitalized. Hundreds of others have tested positive and have since recovered.
Also, 158 correctional officers who work at the jail are currently positive for COVID-19. One officer has died of the disease, the sheriff’s office said.
While Kennelly ordered new social distancing provisions, he once again denied other relief sought by the plaintiffs, including ordering the release of medically vulnerable detainees due to the pandemic.
Kennelly wrote that detainees have recourse for such relief in state court — where inmates can ask for an emergency review of their bond conditions — and that it would not be appropriate for a federal judge to intervene.
“The bottom line is that the plaintiffs have not shown that the bond reduction remedy offered by the state courts is any less effective than a federal remedy,” Kennelly wrote.
The injunction will likely remain in place until coronavirus is no longer a threat to spread among the jail population, the judge said.
“Under ordinary circumstances, there is nothing constitutionally inappropriate about housing detained persons in groups and allowing them to come into contact with each other,” Kennelly wrote. “Currently we are not living in ordinary circumstances ... but once matters return to something approaching normal, it may be appropriate to loosen the requirements of the injunction.”
Advertisement
In a statement, the sheriff's office said Kennelly's order largely formalized measures that the jail had already put in motion, including plans to reinforce social distancing.
Both the judge and the plaintiff acknowledged the extensive steps authorities have taken to slow the virus' spread behind bars, the statement read.
“We will continue to combat COVID-19, despite the added burden of time and resources needed to defend our practice,” the statement read.
Locke Bowman, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said Monday the ruling reflects that Kennelly “recognizes that the special circumstances of this pandemic” require the sheriff to take every reasonable precaution to limit the spread of the disease in the jail.
“Our prayer is that this decision has meaningful effects on the lives and the safety of the men and women confined to the jail,” Bowman said.
Last week, Kennelly heard detailed testimony from experts on both sides of the issue.
Advertisement
The assistant director of Cook County Jail testified that more than 175 tiers in the sprawling facility have been transitioned to single-cell housing, officials had spray painted “X’s” on the floors to try to keep detainees 6 feet apart, and inmates were being handed spray bottles to sanitize showers after use.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs, meanwhile, continued to argue that not enough is being done to enforce social distancing — such as double-occupant cells and dormitories where dozens of inmates sleep together on cots is simply impossible, and inmates are paying for it with their health.
“The virus is spreading rapidly in the jail since the issuance of this court’s order, and that is not surprising: People are sleeping within 3 feet of each other, eating and using showers in close proximity to each other, and touching the same surfaces,” the plaintiffs wrote in an ongoing request for a preliminary injunction.
Dart has repeatedly defended his response and said he was “ahead of the curve” in recognizing the dangers the growing pandemic in a jail setting. To help alleviate overcrowding, Dart said he’s been working with stakeholders to release detainees who are medically vulnerable or accused of nonviolent offenses.
After extensive efforts to release detainees due to the pandemic, the jail population has reached all-time lows. Dart said last month he had the capacity to implement social distancing measures with as many as 5,000 detainees behind bars. As of Friday, there were 4,155 in custody.
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--CDC adds six COVID-19 symptoms to its list, but many doctors, hospitals already were using them

“ Your body thinks it ’ s cold , so you shiver and you have the repeated shaking that comes @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` So adding those is kind of redundant with fever .
Muscle aches @ @ @ @ @ same umbrella .
You generally just ache or feel sore or weak with a fever @ @ @ @ @ can be common because you really do use a lot of muscles to shiver , @ @ @ @ @ extended time .
”

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
Lynette Houston, emergency room manager at Roseland Community Hospital, adds a decorative headband to the surgical cap of a fellow nurse in the hospital's ER as part of her effort to provide levity. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has added six symptoms to its list of those associated with COVID-19, but doctors say the symptoms weren’t recently discovered and the nation’s top health agency has just updated its list of possible symptoms.
The CDC added the six possible symptoms of COVID-19 to three previously listed symptoms. New are: Chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and loss of taste or smell. Previously just fever, cough, and shortness of breath were officially listed as known symptoms.
Advertisement
Although many news outlets publicized the new list of symptoms over the weekend, the changes were made without fanfare on April 17, updating a list of three symptoms that previously had been highlighted on the CDC website, according to the CDC site’s history on the internet archive.
Dr. Emily Landon, hospital epidemiologist at the University of Chicago Medical Center, said the hospital long has been using the updated possible symptoms as indicators of COVID-19, including on official documents aimed at the hospital’s own health care workers, so they could seek care if presenting with symptoms less obvious than fever, cough, or shortness of breath.
Advertisement
“We’ve been using all of these for a long time,” Landon said, adding that she’s pleased the CDC updated its list because it may encourage more people, or those with varied or less common symptoms, to seek medical care.
“I think it’s right to spell it out,” she said. “We want to spell it out so that people really understand that they need to get care.”
Dr. Kiran Joshi, senior medical officer for the Cook County Department of Public Health, was on the team that handled Illinois’ first case of COVID-19 in January, which was widely regarded at the time as the second confirmed case in the United States and the first instance of person-to-person transmission, he said.
“We saw early on really this thing of how people could be really fairly asymptomatic and still have had it. And we saw, over the months, we’ve seen a number of patients presenting in a number of ways with a variety of symptoms that look and feel a lot like the garden variety flu,” Joshi said.
Both Joshi and Landon said many of the new symptoms, such as chills or chills with repeated shaking, are among clear indicators of an influenza-like illness, or those that are common with a virus that produces fever.
“Your body thinks it’s cold, so you shiver and you have the repeated shaking that comes from shivering," Landon said. "So adding those is kind of redundant with fever. Muscle aches also could fall under the same umbrella. You generally just ache or feel sore or weak with a fever, and muscle pain also can be common because you really do use a lot of muscles to shiver, especially if shivering for an extended time.”
Joshi said the addition that most stood out to him on the new CDC guidelines is the loss of taste or smell. He and Landon each said they were reading papers out of China in the earlier days of COVID-19 that warned loss of taste or smell may be among symptoms for some with coronavirus.
“I had the strange circumstance of having a colleague who was reporting that exact symptom and he tested positive,” Joshi said. "And the next day I think the paper describing loss of taste or smell was published, so it’s clearly very real.”
Advertisement
Landon and Dr. Susan Bleasdale, an associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said although the CDC has just recently updated its list, they added loss of taste or smell to their guidelines in early March.
“You may notice it more as ‘My orange juice tastes funny,’ rather than explicitly saying you’ve lost your sense of smell or taste,” Landon said.
With more than 50,000 people dead from COVID-19 in a month’s time in the United States alone, Joshi said it’s obvious not everyone will have all the symptoms or even a combination of some of the more common symptoms. He thinks the CDC wanted to include what’s now known based on new cases.
Diarrhea has also been a common symptom Bleasdale and other doctors have noticed. Though it isn’t yet among the CDCs official COVID-19 symptoms, it is another example of doctors working together to identify possible symptoms.
“Headache is something that by itself had not become a trigger but we’re seeing more people have headaches as one of the first signs,” Bleasdale said.
Advertisement
Bleasdale looks at the addition of new symptoms to the CDC’s official list as a positive move that can only improve care and result in more people realizing they have or had COVID-19, which helps improve accuracy in the data that’s so critical to tracking the pandemic’s spread.
“Having the CDC’s criteria expanded helps to get more people tested, so they know,” Bleasdale said.
In a statement, Dr. Ngozi Ezike of the Illinois Department of Health, said the added symptoms have been commonly seen for some time. But that doesn’t mean the updated list isn’t useful.
“As we have seen more cases of this novel coronavirus, we have been able (to) learn more about the symptoms," Ezike said in the statement. "We know COVID-19 can affect individuals differently, but the initial diagnostic symptoms gave doctors and other medical providers the road map for identification.”
There are some symptoms that call for immediate intervention, Joshi said. Chief among them are shortness of breath, labored or troubled breathing, pain in the chest, or thinking becoming unclear. Some people have reported bluish lips, or a general change in color, he said.
“Those are all signs that you could be getting much sicker and I would want anyone with those signs or symptoms to get medical attention immediately,” he said.
Advertisement
It’s important not to think of the CDC’s list as exhaustive or finalized.
“We will continue to see changes that are brought to light by the ongoing research around COVID-19 so it’s very possible this could change … it’s still early,” Joshi said.
kdouglas@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @312BreakingNews


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Remembering the lives of those in Illinois who died from coronavirus

As the number of deaths attributable to COVID-19 ticks upward , the Tribune is working to chronicle those who have @ @ @ @ @ Chicago area or who have connections to our region .
These are some of those @ @

They were mothers and fathers, daughters and sons. Many were proud grandparents. Two were sisters from a tight-knit South Side family. All were loved, relatives say, and will be forever missed.
As the number of deaths attributable to COVID-19 ticks upward, the Tribune is working to chronicle those who have lost their lives in the Chicago area or who have connections to our region. These are some of those victims.
If you know of someone or would like to offer a remembrance of someone please share your information here. To file a death notice, go here.
Subscribe to the Chicago Tribune: Our mission is to deliver trusted and meaningful local news. Your support allows us to continue providing the award-winning, watchdog and in-depth journalism our community deserves. Subscribe here.


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Illinois repeals controversial workers’ compensation rule that presumed front-line workers with COVI

Illinois repeals controversial workers’ compensation rule that presumed front-line workers with COVID-19 got it on the job

A Sangamon County judge last week issued a temporary restraining order blocking the new rule , which would have granted @ @ @ @ @ who contracted the new coronavirus .
The judge ’ s order resulted from a lawsuit @ @ @ @ @ ’ Association and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association that had the support of more than @ @ @ @ @

The Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission on Monday repealed a controversial emergency rule stating that if front-line workers are infected with COVID-19, it would be presumed to be a result of their work duties.
A Sangamon County judge last week issued a temporary restraining order blocking the new rule, which would have granted benefits to workers deemed essential who contracted the new coronavirus. The judge’s order resulted from a lawsuit filed by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association that had the support of more than two dozen business groups.
Advertisement
The commission passed the rule earlier this month expanding workers’ compensation insurance for first responders, health care workers, grocery store employees and some other workers considered “essential” under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s statewide stay-at-home order if they contract COVID-19.
Pritzker had asked the commission to pass the emergency rule, and said earlier this month the measure was “what we need to do right now to protect people.”
Advertisement
When the emergency rule was passed, business groups called it a drastic policy change that would require employers to take on added medical expenses and salary benefits if an employee is diagnosed with COVID-19, without proof that it was contracted in the workplace.
“It was clearly an overreach and inconsistent with the traditional rule-making process,” Illinois Manufacturers’ Association president and CEO Mark Denzler and Illinois Retail Merchants Association president and CEO Rob Karr said in a joint statement Monday. “If left unchecked, this rule would have subject Illinois businesses to billions of dollars in added costs at a time when many are struggling to make payroll and retain employees.”
Hospital staff watch as a group of registered nurses from Community First Medical Center talks to reporters outside about the lack of personal protective equipment at the facility in the Portage Park neighborhood on March 30, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
Alice Johnson, executive director of the Illinois Nurses Association, praised the rule at a news briefing when it was passed, noting that some nurses have seen employers question where they became infected, “ignoring the obvious risks created by the work they do every day.”
The statewide stay-at-home order has been in effect since March 21. Pritzker announced last week he was extending the order until May 30, with some changes that take effect Friday.
jmunks@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Metropolitan Brewing, a Chicago canned beer holdout, finally pivots to cans — in part because of cor

Metropolitan Brewing, a Chicago canned beer holdout, finally pivots to cans — in part because of coronavirus

In 2015 , bottles were used about six times as often as cans to package craft beer , according to @ @ @ @ @ year since , the use of bottles has shrunk and use of cans has grown @ @ @ @ @ maintained only a narrow lead on cans .
In 2020 , can packaging is likely @ @ @ @ @ the trade group has said .

Metropolitan Brewing, which long delighted in holding out against canning its faithful recreations of German-style beers, realized months ago that consumer tastes meant it would finally need to embrace cans.
Coronavirus is accelerating the plan.
Advertisement
With business down about 90% since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chicago brewery announced Monday it would begin selling five brands in 12-ounce cans, including its two biggest sellers.
Metropolitan Brewing announced April 27, 2020, that it would begin selling five brands in 12-ounce cans. (Metropolitan Brewing )
Metropolitan, which opened with a focus on lagers in 2009, already planned to can three smaller brands in six-packs of 12-ounce cans — Jet Stream Wheat, Stromhaus Helles and Humbucker Dortmunder.
Advertisement
Coronavirus, and the way beer sales have dramatically shifted toward home consumption, led the brewery to add two brands that comprise more than half its sales: Krankshaft Kolsch and Flywheel Pilsner. Both will be sold in 12-packs of 12-ounce cans in addition to the previous packaging of six-packs of 12-ounce bottles.
When it decided to experiment with canning late last year, Metropolitan did not envision canning its core beers anytime soon, brewery co-founder Tracy Hurst said. However, what began as a niche project has taken on new urgency.
“We need to adapt ourselves in order to survive and this is definitely adapting,” Hurst said. "What was originally going to be a fun thing to boost profits and talk about now will change the face of our packaging.”
As the pandemic has shuttered bars and restaurants, breweries have spent recent weeks pivoting to stay afloat, including curbside sales, beer delivery and virtual tastings. Metropolitan is making one of the most dramatic pivots, by shifting two core brands to a package it has publicly sneered at for years.
Packaging craft beer in cans was almost unheard of 10 years ago, according to the Brewers Association. (Chicago’s Half Acre Beer Co. was among the early adopters by canning its Daisy Cutter Pale Ale in 2010).
However, consumers gravitated to the novelty and convenience of craft beer in cans while brewers touted the benefits, including no light exposure for the beer itself and better preservation due to reduced oxygenation when packaged properly.
In 2015, bottles were used about six times as often as cans to package craft beer, according to the Brewers Association. Every year since, the use of bottles has shrunk and use of cans has grown. In 2019, bottles maintained only a narrow lead on cans. In 2020, can packaging is likely to exceed bottle packaging, the trade group has said.
As Metropolitan remained one of the rare Chicago breweries not to can its beer, Hurst’s go-to quip became, “Lagers have languished long enough in cans.” Avoiding cans was also a counterpoint to the lagers made by the world’s largest beer companies, she said.
Advertisement
But in November, Metropolitan decided that releasing select beers in cans, especially those being packaged for the first time, could be a smart next step for growth. Hurst cited improved canning technology via mobile canning units — which Metropolitan will use to fill its cans — as well as improved logistics, such as being able to buy and stock fewer cans at a time, as making the time right.
But with bars and restaurants closed and brewery sales down dramatically, cans offered the opportunity for a major and necessary pivot, Hurst said.
“In business we like to think ahead and predict the future, but all that is out the window now,” she said. "You can’t predict a damn thing. You just have to watch what people are doing.”
Jet Stream Wheat will be a seasonal offering and Stromhaus Helles will become a year-round brand. Both will be available in early May. Humbucker Dortmunder, a collaboration with the restaurant Kuma’s Corner, will come out during summer.
Krankshaft Kolsch 12-packs will be released “around Memorial Day,” Hurst said. Flywheel Pilsner 12-packs will debut during summer. Canned six-packs of both beers will also be available at the brewery.
Metropolitan plans to employ mobile canning for the foreseeable future, Hurst said; it is contracting with the nation’s largest mobile canning operator, Iron Heart Canning.
Advertisement
The brewery would like to buy a canning line of its own, but the sales downturn caused by the pandemic makes that questionable, Hurst said.
“Doing business is different now," she said. “You can only look a few stones across the stream — you can’t look to the other bank right now."
jbnoel@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Lightfoot leads ‘virtual field trips’ to major cultural institutions during coronavirus

“ It was fantastic .
She had a really high level of curiosity , ” said Andrea Rodgers , the @ @ @ @ @ vice president , who witnessed the shoot on , fittingly , Earth Day .
“ @ @ @ @ @ great questions , especially of our shark researcher .
She put the gloves on and @ @ @ @ @ that squishy shark food , no problem .
”

It takes clout — and a very compelling reason — to get through the locked doors of the city’s leading cultural institutions in these days of coronavirus-forced closure.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot had both last week when she began a series of “virtual field trips” by visiting Shedd Aquarium for a video shoot.
Advertisement
“It was fantastic. She had a really high level of curiosity,” said Andrea Rodgers, the Shedd’s public relations vice president, who witnessed the shoot on, fittingly, Earth Day. “She asked a ton of great questions, especially of our shark researcher. She put the gloves on and did the feed of all that squishy shark food, no problem.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot, rockhopper penguin Wellington and Shedd Aquarium CEO Bridget Coughlin on the aquarium's main entry steps during the shooting of the mayor's first "Stay Home. Hit Play" video. (Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez / HANDOUT)
The footage is being edited into episode one of a new half-hour video series, called “Stay Home. Hit Play,” an extension of the mayor’s efforts to encourage Chicagoans to remain home in order to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Advertisement
Led by Lightfoot — and backed by Citadel, the financial firm of major Chicago museum philanthropist Ken Griffin — the weekly series will visit institutions including Shedd, Lincoln Park Zoo, the Field Museum, the DuSable Museum of African American History, the Museum of Science and Industry, the National Museum of Mexican Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
The series “allows our city’s cultural gems to come to life, ensuring our students are able to stay connected and engaged with our world-class museums and institutions amidst the unprecedented restrictions of COVID-19,” the mayor said in a statement.
“These institutions embody what makes Chicago special,” Griffin, Citadel’s founder and CEO, said in the statement. “My colleagues and I are excited to join the Mayor and our neighbors across Chicago as we discover – and rediscover – some of our favorite places in a new way.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Heather Barnes, Shedd Aquarium's aquatic presentations director, visit the Shedd's Wild Reef exhibit during the shooting of the mayor's first 'Stay Home. Hit Play' video. (Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez / HANDOUT)
The premiere, shot at Shedd, debuts Wednesday on www.HitPlayChicago.org, For those without Internet access or wanting to watch on a TV screen, it will air Friday at 5:30 p.m. on WTTW (11.1) and on Monday, May 4 at 12:30 p.m. on WTTW Prime (11.2).
“Stay Home. Hit Play.” will follow this schedule weekly, while the series website will host all segments plus related student worksheets.
“All of the city’s nonprofit institutions are really missing that in-person connection,” said Rodgers.
While the aquarium’s “digital doors” are wide open during this unprecedented time, having Lightoot’s spotlight bring extra attention.
“It’s mission delivery,” said Rodgers, a way to help compensate for the fact that Shedd hasn’t been able “to deliver our field trips, our educational programs, even our Family First Saturdays.”
Advertisement
“She was there for two hours,” Rodgers added, “and really had the opportunity to do some things with the penguins. She actually fed sharks. She visited our Caribbean Reef exhibit and talked about things you can do for conservation from your home.”
sajohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @StevenKJohnson


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Coronavirus victims tell their stories to dispel fear, stigma. Experts warn that some minority patie

Coronavirus victims tell their stories to dispel fear, stigma. Experts warn that some minority patients are being blamed for getting sick.

“ A lot of the dialogue that I heard when the numbers were first coming out — that black and @ @ @ @ @ affected by this in terms of deaths from COVID-19 — there was a lot of @ @ @ @ @ particularly about black people not sheltering in place , not respecting social distancing , they @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re supposed to do , ” said Dr. Kerri Lockhart , a pediatrician @ @ @ @ @ , who has rebounded from her bout with coronavirus .
“ There are some people @ @ @ @ @ That narrative is dangerous for a lot of reasons , but for patients , if @ @ @ @ @ feel responsible that they got COVID-19 through some fault of their own , then that @ @ @ @ @ that cloud of people feeling shameful about it .
And that can snowball into a @ @ @ @ @

South Holland resident Ledgure Herron Jr. got out of COVID-19 quarantine Wednesday. The 51-year-old pastor said he was admitted to University of Chicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey the first week in April. He remembers having a cough, but no fever. He remembers getting oxygen and he uses terms like “terrible” and “overwhelming to the mind” when referring to his illness.
“While I was ill, I had to stop watching breaking news because it was about to break me,” Herron said. “All we see are the numbers going up. We’re not seeing people who made it. People need to know that people are surviving it. They made it, and I can make it.”
Advertisement
Nicole-Chelsey Howard, 38, of Chicago, likened enduring COVID-19 to “having a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week asthma attack.”
“Some points of the day, I just cried,” said the 15-year medical assistant who tested positive in March. “I’ve never felt that much pain. I have sleep apnea, but I couldn’t sleep with my machine because I felt my breathing was already restricted and putting this mask on my face was making it worse. So I barely slept. It was definitely an experience that I hope I don’t have to deal with again.”
Advertisement
Nicole-Chelsey Howard tested positive for COVID-19 in March and recently returned to work. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Howard and Herron shared their coronavirus experiences with family members and friends in hopes that the more others know about people living with the virus, the less fear will surround the condition. With Gov. J.B. Pritzker extending Illinois’ order through May, fear and anxiety around COVID-19 continue to mount as many questions remain on curbing the spread, antibodies and addressing health disparities. But with such uncertainty, is stigma growing as we’re in the throes of our coping with this new illness?
Celeste Watkins-Hayes, a professor of sociology and African American studies at Northwestern University, said just as people with preexisting conditions are more likely to have negative outcomes with COVID-19, people experiencing preexisting stigmas are more likely to be deeply stigmatized in the age of COVID-19.
“A lot of the dialogue that I heard when the numbers were first coming out — that black and brown people were being disproportionately affected by this in terms of deaths from COVID-19 — there was a lot of blame of black people, particularly about black people not sheltering in place, not respecting social distancing, they’re not doing what they’re supposed to do,” said Dr. Kerri Lockhart, a pediatrician at Rush University Medical Center, who has rebounded from her bout with coronavirus. “There are some people who are victim blaming. That narrative is dangerous for a lot of reasons, but for patients, if they internalize that and they feel responsible that they got COVID-19 through some fault of their own, then that’s when you start that cloud of people feeling shameful about it. And that can snowball into a place of stigma.”
Ledgure Herron Jr., 51, is on self-quarantine at his home in South Holland on April 20, 2020. He is recovering after he and his mother were diagnosed with COVID-19. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
According to Watkins-Hayes, author of “Remaking a Life: How Women With HIV/AIDs Confront Inequality,” people may find themselves stigmatized on the basis of COVID-19 and statuses like race or class. She said that given the widespread impact of the highly contagious coronavirus, one would think that the stigma would be minimized, but assumptions about groups are influencing beliefs about the disease.
“Part of the concern with COVID is this notion of who is ‘contaminated’ — that’s kind of the underlying assumption as we think about spread,” she said. “We wrongly thought about people living with HIV as ‘contaminated’; and racist ideas generate false beliefs that certain social groups are ‘contaminated’ as we look at rhetoric directed towards African Americans, Latinxs and Asians. The ways in which we assign assumptions of purity on the basis of race, class, gender and sexuality, when you bring COVID into it, it increases the likelihood that ‘contaminated,’ ‘impurity’ and ‘dangerous’ gets tracked along the lines and fissures that we already have in society.”
To get ahead of coronavirus becoming stigmatized, Watkins-Hayes recommends that people tell their stories of testing positive for COVID-19 and getting through it.
“It’s really easy to stigmatize when you have an abstract notion of the people most affected and you’re allowed to fill in the blanks of who you think they are and what their motivations might be,” she said. “To the degree that we can hear the stories from people who are grappling with this and we can see their humanity, their challenges and resilience ... that’s very humanizing, and that’s a way to fight stigma. And when we see groups that are disproportionately impacted, we must understand how historical and contemporary inequities are driving the numbers that we see.”
Watkins-Hayes said other ideas to stave off coronavirus stigma include: storytellers linking their experiences with a call to action; and making sure infrastructure is accessible to everyone. Environment and institutions that don’t act like islands can decrease the disparity gap, Watkins-Hayes added. So can getting more information into the communities, Lockhart said.
Advertisement
Shelly Fuerte, of Andersonville, agreed. Still quarantined after testing positive, the tour manager said the way she’s been getting through her illness with her husband (who also tested positive for COVID-19) is via the internet and people sharing their stories.
“It’s where we have gleaned any hope or understanding,” she said. “People need to know the middle ground and how to deal with it. We’re still not sure how to come out of this.”
AIDS Foundation of Chicago will be hosting a Virtual Advocacy Day April 29, so advocates, community members, and local and state representatives can not only communicate clear needs, but also make direct asks for responsive action for communities of color and all people living with, and vulnerable to, HIV, both during and beyond the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think the collective power has to come from advocacy — definitely through physicians and public health professionals and lawmakers and policymakers — where we are making concerted efforts to come together,” Lockhart said.
“Some points of the day, I just cried,” said Nicole-Chelsey Howard, seen at her home in Chicago on April 18, 2020. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Aisha Davis, AIDS Foundation of Chicago’s director of policy, agrees.
“With coronavirus, we’re seeing everyone being hit: white people, black people, Asian people, Latinx people,” she said. “The fact that everyone is getting hit means that it’s easier to appeal to the empathy of folks who are in power who sometimes have an easier way of distancing themselves from certain conversations. I don’t think that we’ll be able to avoid stigma completely ... but I do think we have a unique opportunity to try to flatten the curve of stigma as well as the curve of COVID-19 if we remember to discuss this as something that is not unique to any community, that is not indicative of a flaw in morality or ethics or responsibility.”
Advertisement
Until then, coronavirus stories will continue to come out in hopes that stigma will be minimized, said Herron.
“I told my friends this is not a scene from ‘The Color Purple’ when the old man said: ‘I hear she’s got the nasty women’s disease,’” he said. “This ain’t nothing that you did. It’s attacking the rich, the poor, the blacks, the whites, the homeless, the educated. It is nondiscriminatory.”
“In the midst of COVID, I know there’s a lot of anxiety,” Lockhart said. “My hope is we get more information into the communities, so there is what I hope is a little less fear and people can move through this pandemic with knowledge and feeling safe, using evidence-based practices to keep themselves and their families healthy.”
drockett@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Column: Trump has a ‘Nobel’ idea to cure COVID-19, so please pay attention to this wounded narcissis

Column: Trump has a ‘Nobel’ idea to cure COVID-19, so please pay attention to this wounded narcissist

The Washington Post analyzed hours of transcripts from these briefings and found this : “ Over the past three weeks @ @ @ @ @ more than 13 hours of Trump — including two hours spent on attacks and 45 @ @ @ @ @ administration , but just 4½ minutes expressing condolences for coronavirus victims .
He spent twice @ @ @ @ @ unproven antimalarial drug that was the object of a Food and Drug Administration warning Friday @ @ @ @ @ false or misleading in nearly a quarter of his prepared comments or answers to questions @ @ @ @ @ ”

President Donald Trump after signing the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on April 24, 2020. (OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)
Ladies and gentlemen, I realize we’re in the midst of a deadly global pandemic, but please pay attention to our very dumb president.
On Sunday, as more than 1,000 Americans died of COVID-19, Donald Trump sent the following three tweets:
Advertisement
“When will all of the ‘reporters’ who have received Noble Prizes for their work on Russia, Russia, Russia, only to have been proven totally wrong (and, in fact, it was the other side who committed the crimes), be turning back their cherished ‘Nobles’ so that they can be given….”
“....to the REAL REPORTERS & JOURNALISTS who got it right. I can give the Committee a very comprehensive list. When will the Noble Committee DEMAND the Prizes back, especially since they were gotten under fraud? The reporters and Lamestream Media knew the truth all along….”
Advertisement
“....Lawsuits should be brought against all, including the Fake News Organizations, to rectify this terrible injustice. For all of the great lawyers out there, do we have any takers? When will the Noble Committee Act? Better be fast!”
Let’s see, where to begin? The entire tweet thread sounds like a person loosely tethered to reality ate the comments section of a right-wing conspiracy theory website and vomited it back up onto the internet. The prizes are “Nobel,” not “Noble.” And journalists don’t win Nobel Prizes, they win Pulitzers, or as Trump might spell them, “Putzlickers.”
Also, “they were gotten under fraud” isn’t even remotely correct English and the “Noble Committee Act” sounds like legislation requiring all committees to be noble.
Those tweets were posted Sunday morning but not deleted until early evening. After deleting them, Trump took time away from not working to send arguably the most pathetic tweet in human history, claiming the earlier misspellings of “Noble” were “sarcasm.”
That’s the same excuse he used for his White House briefing room ramblings about disinfectants being used to rid the body of coronavirus. You know, the “sarcastic” ramblings that required the company that manufactures Lysol to issue a statement reminding consumers not to ingest Lysol.
The point here is that Trump is having a rough time handling the isolation of the coronavirus shutdown and desperately needs people to stop paying attention to the thousands of Americans dying from the virus and instead look at him and say he is a very good and smart boy.
To garner the nation’s attention, Trump has been saying and tweeting very bad and not-smart things, stomping about on Twitter and in the White House briefing room like a cranky, red-faced 4-year-old whose ice cream cone — which he didn’t deserve in the first place — just fell on the ground.
Try not to think too hard about the logic behind the president’s approach, because there is none. Just pay attention to him. Please. It might get him to briefly shut up.
Advertisement
Attention to Trump is like oxygen to the rest of us. He can’t live without it, and since the coronavirus has made his frothy political rallies impossible and limited his ability to go anywhere to be adored, he has sought attention during daily White House coronavirus briefings.
What should have been sober, informative sessions aimed at reassuring a worried nation quickly became a Trump-centric reality show best titled “The Howl of the Wounded Narcissist.”
The Washington Post analyzed hours of transcripts from these briefings and found this: “Over the past three weeks, the tally comes to more than 13 hours of Trump — including two hours spent on attacks and 45 minutes praising himself and his administration, but just 4½ minutes expressing condolences for coronavirus victims. He spent twice as much time promoting an unproven antimalarial drug that was the object of a Food and Drug Administration warning Friday. Trump also said something false or misleading in nearly a quarter of his prepared comments or answers to questions, the analysis shows.”
The briefings have been a gift to Trump’s Democratic presidential rival. Former Vice President Joe Biden followed Trump’s disinfectant rant by tweeting: “I can’t believe I have to say this, but please don’t drink bleach.” That slogan alone could be enough for him to win.
With sagging poll numbers in several swing states, there’s now talk of either curtailing the coronavirus briefings or keeping Trump away from them and letting the adults do the talking.
On Saturday, the president appeared ready to take his ball and go home, tweeting: “What is the purpose of having White House News Conferences when the Lamestream Media asks nothing but hostile questions, & then refuses to report the truth or facts accurately. They get record ratings, & the American people get nothing but Fake News. Not worth the time & effort!”
Advertisement
But by Sunday, Trump was back on Twitter and, to borrow from Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are,” roaring his terrible roars and gnashing his terrible teeth and rolling his terrible eyes and showing his terrible claws. And there was no point in the rest of us saying, “BE STILL!”
It wouldn’t work. He needs his attention.
So if everyone can please acknowledge our very dumb president, even for a bit, just so he feels seen. Let’s lie and tell him he’s doing a perfect job managing a virus he said might be gone by April: “It looks like by April, you know in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away.”
For those keeping track, the virus has not gone away, miraculously or otherwise, and has already claimed more than 55,000 American lives.
Let’s pat him on the head and tell him he’s the smartest and most “Nobel” president America has ever had.
And then let’s get back to navigating this crisis, while the captain remains below deck endlessly gazing at himself in the mirror.
Advertisement
rhuppke@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-04-27--Farmers markets will open in Chicago area, but most are delayed and are adopting distancing rules

Only a handful of markets usually open by early May , but this season 95th Street on the South Side @ @ @ @ @ be among them .
“ We typically open on the first Sunday in May , @ @ @ @ @ executive director of the 95th Street Business Association , by email .
“ We have @ @ @ @ @ not open in May .
I ’ m hoping we will be able to host @ @ @ @ @ , but we don ’ t know yet .
We are going to see how @ @ @ @ @ ”

The outdoor farmers market season in Chicago traditionally kicks off on the first Saturday of May at Green City Market. The crown jewel of organic produce transforms a grassy corner of Lincoln Park into a see-and-be-seen event with chefs and lakeside residents mingling among ramps and rhubarb. It’s more a community gathering than simply a means to gather food.
Not this year. Although Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared farmers markets among essential businesses in his original stay-at-home order, opening day for Green City Market, and most farmers markets around Chicago and surrounding suburbs, have been postponed due to the pandemic.
Advertisement
“Right now we are hoping for the end of May with social distancing and other precautions,” said Melissa Flynn, executive director of Green City, by email. “I am waiting on answers from DCASE and the Chicago Park District.”
The coronavirus uncertainty rule holds some exceptions when it comes to farmers markets. Two openings in the suburbs mark the calendar on May 2. Social distancing, though, will revert the events from raucous gatherings with dogs, baby strollers, musicians, flowers and crafts back to a focus on the food.
Advertisement
Daley Plaza farmers market, seen last year on opening day, May 9, 2019, is usually busy with Loop area workers shopping the stalls. But this year the opening of city markets has been delayed, and social distancing rules are likely to create a starker scene once they do open. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events issues farmers market permits in the city of Chicago and runs 12 of its own markets too. Among them are the City Market at Daley Plaza, the longest running farmers market in Chicago, and the Maxwell Street Market, with a history that dates back over 100 years to the late 19th century.
But DCASE has canceled all city-run markets until further notice, communications director Christine Carrino said by email. “We are considering multiple scenarios for the Chicago City Markets season and various measures (masks, 6-foot tape lines, online/advance ordering) to encourage social distancing and protect the safety of our customers and vendors,” said Carrino.
On May 2, the downtown Evanston and Palatine farmers markets will open. Each has detailed health and safety plans in place. Don’t expect a social event or to squeeze any produce, heirloom or otherwise.
The downtown Evanston farmers market, shown in 2015, will space vendors 9 feet apart and ask customers to stand 6 feet away from stalls. (Bridget O'Shea, Pioneer Press)
“My biggest issue is to prioritize the health and safety of not only our community and our customers, but our vendors who are really, really scared about coming into a big city,” said Myra Gorman, market manager, by phone. Evanston holds three farmers markets, but the Saturday downtown event is by far the biggest. “The beast,” as Gorman calls it, sees 5,000 to 7,000 people on a normal day.
“The market will be in a large ‘square’ with a designated entrance and exit,” wrote Gorman on the market Facebook page. The line will wrap around the outside of the square with social distancing of 6 feet per person. “We will be letting people in as people exit.”
You should know the basic coronavirus moves by now: Stay 6 feet back, wait your turn, walk this way. At farmers markets, just add in a few new steps. You point and choose. Farmers will bag and ring up your choices. Everybody in, then out.
“Yesterday my assistant and I walked the footprint of the square,” said Gorman. They will publish a map each week online, because vendors may change, so people can plan ahead.
In Palatine, the farmers market will only offer food items. “We won’t have the flower or soap vendors,” said Marg Buer, market founder, by phone. “It’s essential for people to get food.”
Advertisement
Each vendor will have a tent and a table with an empty parking space on either side at the Metra train station lot. “Parking places are 9 feet across,” said Buer. “Each vendor will be asked to have a chalk or tape mark 6 feet back from their table so the customers are not close to the product.”
“Our market has been a very social place to come on a Saturday morning with music and people bringing their dogs for treats, but it’s going to be different,” she added.
“It’s definitely still going to be a destination, but it’s going to be ‘I’m going to get this, this, this and that; then I’m out of here,’” Buer said, laughing.
After a winter drive-up market for the past two months, twice a month with only five vendors, Palatine market organizers wondered if they could do the same during the regular market. “No, we couldn’t,” said Buer. “In an Illinois Farmers Market Association webinar someone said at their market people were lined up in their cars for two hours. It’s not efficient timewise.”
“The biggest source of information and guidance is from ILFMA,” said Buer.
Green City Market in Chicago has postponed opening until late May. In the meantime, the market is offering a virtual shopping experience, with home delivery, with the bags packaged at an undisclosed location. (Green City Market)
The Illinois Department of Agriculture has posted links to the ILFMA COVID-19 toolkit with guidelines for customers, vendors and managers. “Patrons and workers at farmers markets across the state should adhere to the social distancing guidelines provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health and wear a mask or other face covering as recommended by Gov. Pritzker,” said Krista Lissa, spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Agriculture, by email.
Advertisement
Only a handful of markets usually open by early May, but this season 95th Street on the South Side of Chicago won’t be among them. “We typically open on the first Sunday in May,” said Erin Ross, executive director of the 95th Street Business Association, by email. “We have already announced that we will not open in May. I’m hoping we will be able to host the market later this summer, but we don’t know yet. We are going to see how the next weeks unfold.”
In southwest suburban Orland Park, the decision to open the town’s farmers market on June 4 with food and alcohol vendors followed the White House announcement of the Opening Up America Again plan, but not ILFMA health and safety guidelines.
“The Market at the Park is held at Crescent Park and includes vendors, children’s activities and entertainment,” said Nabeha Zegar, communications manager for Orland Park, by email. The event will have safety measures in place, said Zegar, but provided no details despite multiple requests.
Meanwhile, Green City Market offers a virtual farmers market with home delivery, along with a few other local online markets.
Markets open, opening soon or virtually open
Here are farmers markets and notable street markets that have replied to our inquiries on plans so far, with opening dates when available; all subject to change, listed alphabetically. Tribune will publish an updated markets listing with addresses and hours as more markets open. For markets to come, see below.
61st Street, online marketplace, experimentalstation.org/market
Advertisement
Argyle Night Market, July 9, facebook.com/ArgyleNightMarket
Downtown Evanston Farmers Market, May 2, facebook.com/EvanstonMarkets
Glenwood Sunday Market, June 21, glenwoodsundaymarket.org
Green City Market, end of May, greencitymarket.org
Low-Line Market, June 4, lakeviewchamber.com/low-line-market
McKinley Park, online farmers market, facebook.com/MPFM1
Advertisement
Morton Grove, June 6, facebook.com/MGFarmersMarket
Naperville 95th Street, June, napervilleparks.org/farmersmarket
Naperville, beginning of June, napervillefarmersmarket.com
Naperville St. John’s Episcopal Church, by July 1, facebook.com/Farmers-Market-at-St-Johns-Naperville-Illinois-475877945834701
Oak Park, May 30, oak-park.us/our-community/oak-park-farmers-market
Orland Park, June 4, orlandpark.org/services/recreation/market-at-the-park
Advertisement
Palatine, May 2, palatine.il.us/663/Farmers-Market
Park Ridge, June 6, parkridgefarmersmarket.com
Plant Chicago, online farmers market, plantchicago.org/farmers-market
Portage Park, June 7, friendsofportagepark.org
Skokie, June 7, skokie.org/434/Skokie-Farmers-Market
South Loop, June 11, southloopfarmersmarket.com
Advertisement
Streeterville at MCA, June 2, soarchicago.org/soarfarmersmarket
Urban Growers Collective, open (April 4), freshmoveschi.square.site
Wicker Park, virtual farmers market, wickerparkbucktown.com/farmersmarket/welcome-to-the-wicker-park-farmers-market
To be determined
These markets have not announced plans yet. We list them so that you can keep up via their websites.
18th Ward City Market, chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/markets.html
95th Street, 95thstreetba.org/farmers-market
Advertisement
Andersonville, andersonville.org/eco-andersonville/eco-andersonville-events/andersonvillefarmers-market
Austin Town Hall City Market, chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/markets.html
Bronzeville City Market, chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/markets.html
Daley Plaza, chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/markets.html
Federal Plaza, chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/markets.html
Division Street City Market, chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/markets.html
Advertisement
Englewood City Market, chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/markets.html
Frankfort, villageoffrankfort.com/play/frankfort-market
Independence Park Farmers Market, gipna.org
LaFollette Park City Market, chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/markets.html
Logan Square, logansquarefarmersmarket.org
Loyola Farmers Market, blogs.luc.edu/farmersmarket
Advertisement
Maxwell Street Market, chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/markets.html
Palos Heights, facebook.com/palosheight.parksrec
Printers Row City Market, chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/markets.html
Pullman City Market, chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/markets.html
Ravinia, raviniafarmersmarket.org
Roseland City Market, chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/markets.html
Advertisement
West Humboldt Park Market, chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/markets.html
Wood Street, growinghomeinc.org
If you are a market manager and would like your market listed or updated, please contact us at food@chicagotribune.com.
Chicago Tribune reporters Hannah Herrera Greenspan, Erin Hegarty and Jennifer Johnson with freelance writer Holly Baumbach contributed to this story.