chicagotribune--2020-04-30--Column: COVID-19 is upending sacred ‘homegoing’ services for black families

Friends and family traveling from near and far to celebrate and console is a hallmark of African American funerals .
@ @ @ @ @ the end of slavery , reconnecting families splintered by forced separation and , then , @ @ @ @ @ .
A 2016 article by Tiffany Stanley in The Atlantic said that after slavery and @ @ @ @ @ lost their lives prematurely , “ homegoings ” offered black Americans the respect in death @ @ @ @ @ always receive in life .

A funeral is held at Doty Nash funeral home in Chicago on April 24, 2020, for Joseph R. James, who contracted COVID-19. Only 10 people were permitted in the chapel for the service. The funeral home instituted spacing, occupancy and other rules in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
In the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak that has taken more than 1,600 lives in Cook County in seven weeks, it feels like a blessing that I was able to attend my grandmother Rosie Lee’s funeral surrounded by family and friends before social distancing became a grim reality.
At her funeral on March 6 — two weeks before the state’s stay-at-home order went into effect — I had the chance to reconnect with relatives I hadn’t seen or spoken with in years, making plans for our first family reunion in more than a decade. The passing of such a powerful presence in my life was made much easier by the support of my big extended family.
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The families affected by COVID-19 haven’t been as lucky. The outbreak, which has been devastating to the area’s African American communities, has also been hugely disruptive to our funeral traditions.
Friends and family traveling from near and far to celebrate and console is a hallmark of African American funerals. The tradition was strengthened after the end of slavery, reconnecting families splintered by forced separation and, then, later, the Great Migration. A 2016 article by Tiffany Stanley in The Atlantic said that after slavery and Jim Crow, when many lost their lives prematurely, “homegoings” offered black Americans the respect in death that they didn’t always receive in life.
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Now, social distancing and a state stay-at-home order have meant churches are closed to funeral services, while funeral homes and cemeteries strictly enforce the number of mourners allowed inside. At a recent burial at the Oak Woods Cemetery, only four members of a family were allowed inside its sprawling 183-acre grounds at a time.
Another despairing theme I’ve encountered repeatedly while interviewing families of COVID-19 victims is how many weren’t able to speak with their ailing loved ones before they died. Many died alone in intensive care units, with the lucky ones maybe able to say farewell by phone. Relatives aren’t allowed inside a quarantined area.
Linda Veasley-Payne, who lost her mother and grandmother to the virus days apart, said her last memory of her mother was seeing her rushed to a hospital. Eight days later, her mother was gone. “It has been really hard because when the ambulance took her on March 31, that’s the last time we saw her,” Veasley-Payne tearfully recalled.
Anthony McLaurin, whose mother Christine, 86, died in isolation from the virus at a suburban hospital on March 25, said the lack of a funeral devastated his large, grieving family that includes nine siblings, along with dozens of grandchildren.
Instead of having a large family funeral that would have allowed them to begin healing, Christine McLaurin was quietly cremated. “She was well respected and loved. She meant everything to the family,” said McLaurin, 53. “All of our hearts are broken. Because of (COVID-19), you really can’t have a funeral and family get-togethers and you can’t do what you usually do when somebody passes.”
At the 73-year-old A.A. Rayner and Sons — one of the South Side’s oldest black funeral businesses — director Charles S. Childs Jr. said relatives of coronavirus victims are often themselves quarantined, creating another set of problems for organizing a solemn gathering that may include family members traveling from other states. Some families seek to stall funeral arrangements until after their self-imposed quarantine ends, while others are fearful of passing it to loved ones attending the memorial.
“It’s very nerve-wracking for family members who have lost somebody, who are told to stay home and are nervous about the possible spread to other family members,” Childs said. “Some families who are in quarantine are terribly shaken by this.”
The Rev. Marshall Hatch, who lost his older sister Rhoda Hatch on April 4, said social distancing has even changed small ways family members typically comfort one another. After receiving news of his sister’s death, Hatch recalled not being able to physically console his siblings as he broke the grim news.
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“We can’t touch each other, we had to stand a distance apart,” Hatch recalled. “It was the most difficult time to be social distancing. People were crying, looking at each other, and during a time of prayer you can’t hold hands.”
Hatch’s family forewent a traditional funeral, opting instead for a drive to the cemetery. “In our family, we have that issue of people that can’t come out at all ... and we can’t really have that many people in one spot,” he said. “Nobody can have that kind of closure that we’re accustomed to.”
Hatch said he worried that by not properly grieving, family members would suffer “trauma, the psychological and emotional trauma. In our family, we’ve had tensions that I’ve never seen before.”
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To address these concerns, some operators, like the Doty Nash funeral home on South Stony Island Avenue, have begun hosting virtual services where relatives can watch via the internet.
That innovation recently helped the out-of-state relatives of one of its clients who opted to watch the funeral broadcast after officials in North Carolina informed them they would have to undergo a 14-day quarantine if they left the state.
“Family members from seven states tuned into that service, said Vera Hudson, co-owner of Doty Nash. “There’s so many news stories about people contracting this disease at a funeral or a church that people were happy to be with the family through the internet.”
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Hudson said being able to view services online offers a compromise for relatives who may be worried about being exposed, but who seek the acceptance of death that a funeral can bring.
“If this were me or someone in my family ... and I could not be at the funeral, I would feel cheated,” Hudson said. “We always say here that funerals are not for the dead, they’re for the living. They’re here to help you move on and grieve.”
wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy


chicagotribune--2020-04-30--As commuters stay home, Metra has been forced to cut service again. One line will have just 1 inboun

As commuters stay home, Metra has been forced to cut service again. One line will have just 1 inbound and 1 outbound run per day.

The cuts come on top of cuts already made to Metra ’ s weekday schedule last month .
The new @ @ @ @ @ metrarail.com .
The Heritage Corridor currently has three inbound and four outbound trains , while @ @ @ @ @ trains in each direction .
The SouthWest Service has 10 trains in each direction .

A person rides the Metra Electric District line, May 11, 2021, in Chicago. With some coronavirus pandemic restrictions lifted, some people may be returning to public transit. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Faced with an ongoing ridership slump due to the coronavirus pandemic, Metra is sharply cutting service on its three least busy lines starting Monday.
On the Heritage Corridor, which runs between Union Station and Joliet, and the North Central Service, which goes between Union Station and Antioch, the schedule will be reduced to one inbound trip in the morning and one outbound trip in the evening, Metra said in a news release on Wednesday.
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On the SouthWest Service, which runs between Union Station and Manhattan, Illinois, there will be two inbound trips in the morning and two outbound trips in the evening, Metra said.
The cuts come on top of cuts already made to Metra’s weekday schedule last month. The new schedules can be viewed at metrarail.com. The Heritage Corridor currently has three inbound and four outbound trains, while the North Central has seven trains in each direction. The SouthWest Service has 10 trains in each direction.
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A few passengers ride a mostly empty train on the Metra Electric District line on April 15, 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
“We are trying to find the balance between providing service for essential workers while stemming the huge losses we are seeing in fare revenue and sales taxes, our two major sources of operating funding," Metra CEO Jim Derwinski, said in a statement. "We are being forced to make some tough decisions.”
During its board meeting earlier this month, Metra revealed that it would lose more than $500 million in fares and sales taxes collected by local governments in 2020 and 2021 due to the crisis, which knocked ridership down by 97%. The railroad expects about $480 million in federal relief aid.
Metra said that the temporary schedule reductions that will take effect Monday will save about $470,000 a month in labor and fuel costs. No furloughs or layoffs are planned, said Metra spokesman Michael Gillis.
All transit agencies have been hit hard by the stay-at-home order. But Metra is suffering more than the CTA and Pace because the railroad is almost totally dependent on commuters, while people also use CTA and Pace for grocery trips and other travel.
The three Metra lines being cut have been seeing a total of a little more than 220 riders per day. Metra said that even with the cuts, there will be enough cars for riders to practice social distancing.
Last month, Metra cut its weekday service in half in response to declining ridership. Both the Pace suburban bus service and the South Shore Line, which goes between downtown Chicago and northwest Indiana, have also cut service. CTA has not cut service, with officials saying the transit agency is necessary to serve essential workers and others dependent on the system.
mwisniewski@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-01--Daywatch: Modified stay-at-home order begins, public health leaders say contact tracing system isn’t

Daywatch: Modified stay-at-home order begins, public health leaders say contact tracing system isn’t ready and your quarantine culture guide

The cultural landscape has shifted over the past six weeks , with Americans obsessing over the gentle , slow-moving “ @ @ @ @ @ songs by the gun-toting , sequin-draped , would-be pop star at the center of the @ @ @ @ @ : Murder , Mayhem and Madness.
” We ’ re embracing decisive leaders ( Lori @ @ @ @ @ with ever more creative memes , as well as baking bread , sewing face masks @ @ @ @ @ our windows .

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Good morning, Chicago. Here’s the coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
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Illinois officials on Thursday announced 2,563 more known cases of COVID-19 and 141 additional deaths, bringing the total case count to 52,918 and the death toll to 2,355 statewide since the start of the outbreak
In the U.S., nearly 63,000 people have died and over 1 million people have been infected as of Thursday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University
Confirmed infections globally topped 3.2 million, and has killed more than 230,000, according to Johns Hopkins University on Thursday
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Rosetta Miller puts a mask on Kanijah, 8, and other grandchildren as Leo High School faculty and staff members distribute meals and giving away 1,000 masks for families in Chicago on April 29, 2020. The meals and masks were donated by a relief fund created by Leo alumni and Big Shoulders Fund. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)
With his modified stay-at-home order taking effect Friday, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker is facing multiple legal challenges to the cornerstone of his coronavirus response and political pressure from Republicans in more conservative corners of the state to reopen the economy more quickly.
Pritzker signed a new executive order Thursday that extends his directive for people to remain at home as much as possible through May 29, with changes including a requirement that people older than 2 wear face coverings in public when they can’t maintain a safe distance from others.
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New Illinois rules about wearing a face mask in public start May 1. Here’s everything to know.
Dr. John Schneider, an infectious disease specialist affiliated with the University of Chicago, works at an office at the Howard Brown Heath clinic in Chicago on April 30, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
One of the key conditions Gov. J.B. Pritzker says must be met before Illinois can lift its stay-at-home order is a comprehensive way to track, warn and quarantine everyone who has had significant contact with newly diagnosed COVID-19 patients.
Time for states to reopen their economy? Political divisions emerge as Midwest governors weigh coronavirus cases vs. unemployment
Andrew Luzwick, 17, plans to attend Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University in the fall — even if in-person classes haven't resumed yet. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
With Friday’s long-awaited senior decision day fast approaching, Lori Filby sat across from her son Ian at the kitchen table in their Elk Grove Village home for a heart-to-heart talk about the teen’s hopes to attend Illinois State University as an education major in the fall.
A vaping device seen Oct. 2, 2019, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Doctors couldn’t figure out why a young man, recently hospitalized in an intensive care unit, was experiencing a severe course of COVID-19, given his age.
It led Dr. Clara Schroedl, a pulmonologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to ask his family, does he vape?
A still from Netflix's "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness." (Netflix/Courtesy of Netflix)
The cultural landscape has shifted over the past six weeks, with Americans obsessing over the gentle, slow-moving “Animal Crossing” and lip-syncing songs by the gun-toting, sequin-draped, would-be pop star at the center of the Netflix documentary “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.” We’re embracing decisive leaders (Lori Lightfoot, Andrew Cuomo) with ever more creative memes, as well as baking bread, sewing face masks and putting teddy bears in our windows.


chicagotribune--2020-05-01--Closed for months, historic space observatory once again has a bright future after U. of C. donation

The facility was the home of the university ’ s astronomy and astrophysics department from its opening until the department @ @ @ @ @ in the 1960s .
In addition to Sagan and Hubble , two Nobel laureates worked @ @ @ @ @ who received the 1971 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his study of electronic structure and @ @ @ @ @ Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar , who received the 1983 prize in physics for his studies of the @ @ @ @ @ stars .
Albert Einstein also visited Yerkes .

The 40-inch refractor telescope towers over people during a tour of Yerkes Observatory on June 30, 2018, in Williams Bay, Wis. The University of Chicago, which owns the observatory and surrounding acres of land along Geneva Lake, has announced it plans to sell the facility, which was built in 1897. (Courtney Pedroza / Chicago Tribune)
Yerkes Observatory, the birthplace of modern astrophysics where Carl Sagan, Edwin Hubble and a pair of Nobel laureates studied galaxies, stars and black holes, is one step closer to a new life.
Shuttered for months after the University of Chicago determined the observatory and its telescopes no longer served a modern research role, the university on Friday will transfer ownership of the historic building and picturesque grounds to a nonprofit foundation that plans to refurbish and refresh the facility.
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The university is donating the observatory, several telescopes used to study outer space and 49 acres of surrounding grounds in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, near Geneva Lake about 90 miles northwest of Chicago, to the Yerkes Future Foundation. The foundation plans to eventually reopen the observatory for research, educational programs, public tours and events.
The university, which has owned the observatory since 1897, also will donate an undisclosed amount of money to the foundation. The university and the foundation also agreed to several long-term loans of U. of C.'s astronomical equipment, including a collection of glass plates, books, pamphlets and other artifacts.
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The future of Yerkes has been in doubt for several years, especially after U. of C. closed the observatory’s doors in October 2018. The university has said the former home of groundbreaking research no longer made sense from a cost and research standpoint, turning its focus instead to the Magellan and Giant Magellan telescopes in Chile and other research spots across the globe and in space.
The facility was the home of the university’s astronomy and astrophysics department from its opening until the department began relocating to Hyde Park in the 1960s. In addition to Sagan and Hubble, two Nobel laureates worked there: Gerhard Herzberg, who received the 1971 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his study of electronic structure and geometry of molecules, and Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, who received the 1983 prize in physics for his studies of the structure and evolution of the stars. Albert Einstein also visited Yerkes.
Negotiations with the foundation, a collection of Williams Bay residents and retired business leaders took place over several months.
“I’ve always thought and believed that this would happen,” said foundation President Dianna Colman, a Harvard MBA who worked in corporate finance.
The foundation plans to complete brick work, refinishing of the observatory’s wood floors and refurbishing the telescopes once it takes ownership of the property, Colman said. The building’s main feature is what is touted as the world’s largest refractor telescope — with a 40-inch lens, 63-foot tube and total weight of 20 tons.
“There’s a lot of work to do to make it beautiful again,” Colman said. The foundation also plans work on the surrounding land, “to make sure the grace and beauty of the grounds complements the iconic nature of the building itself.”
The foundation will employ the university’s longtime building and grounds supervisor and hopes to hire additional staff once more money is raised in the coming months, Colman said.
The foundation has applied for a permits with the village of Williams Bay in order to use the building for research, education and public events. It also needs approval for parking at the site.
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Colman said she hopes the observatory will attract researchers from colleges and universities across the Midwest and the country, host seminars and speakers and become a collaborative place for the sharing of ideas. The foundation already has received requests from photographers and architecture students who are interested in exploring there.
“You can’t limit the thought pattern right now,” Colman said. “We want to make it a more vibrant place than it’s been over the last few years.”
David Fithian, University of Chicago’s executive vice president who led the transfer process for the university, said turning over the observatory to the foundation provides an appropriate new chapter for Yerkes.
“We are delighted that this process is concluding in a way that brings long-term benefits to the Williams Bay community and future visitors to Yerkes, while serving the future of astronomy and astrophysics research and education at the University of Chicago,” Fithian said in a statement.
There are still a few loose ends in Williams Bay, a town of about 2,500, where residents have resisted several of the university’s plans for the property over concerns about new construction and the density of building projects, especially along the treasured shoreline. The village is about 6 miles west of the town of Lake Geneva, a popular destination spot for many Illinois residents.
The university maintains control of property on the shore of Geneva Lake, which it intends to sell. U. of C. has filed a petition with the village to receive permission to rezone the lakefront property into three single-family residential lots. That plan has not yet been approved by the plan commission or the village board.
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A public hearing on the university’s petition will be scheduled at a later date, village administrator Jim Weiss said. Because of limitations caused by coronavirus, the village is working to ensure a virtual meeting can accommodate the large number of public guests and comments Weiss said he expects.
If the lakefront plan is approved, the university intends to send part of the proceeds from the sale to the foundation.
In terms of the foundation’s takeover of the property, Weiss said the village is looking forward to working with it on its future plans.
“I personally think it’s a wonderful opportunity,” Weiss said.
Colman said she has heard from many in town directly and via social media about the ownership transfer. Most of the reaction to the news about the observatory, she said, has been positive and simple: “How can I help?”


chicagotribune--2020-05-01--Take your mind off the coronavirus and celebrate National Pet Month with these top dog breeds for ap

Take your mind off the coronavirus and celebrate National Pet Month with these top dog breeds for apartment residents

May is National Pet Month , and the American Kennel Club ( AKC ) has a list of the best @ @ @ @ @ with high energy that don ’ t require lots of outdoor playtime .
To aid @ @ @ @ @ Bissell Pet Foundation is running an Empty the Shelters promotion .
People can adopt a @ @ @ @ @ and the foundation will sponsor the remainder of the adoption fees .
( The reduced @ @ @ @ @ .
All adoptions will be facilitated by appointment only . )

The bichon frise is thought to be playful, curious and peppy. (Getty Images)
Looking for avenues to make staying at home more fun? As the number of known COVID-19 cases increases, we can make our homes a bit more comforting by adopting a dog to share our space.
May is National Pet Month, and the American Kennel Club (AKC) has a list of the best canines for apartments — breeds with high energy that don’t require lots of outdoor playtime. To aid in this endeavor, the Bissell Pet Foundation is running an Empty the Shelters promotion. People can adopt a pet for $25, and the foundation will sponsor the remainder of the adoption fees. (The reduced adoption fees run May 9-17. All adoptions will be facilitated by appointment only.)
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According to the AKC, these breeds are but a handful of the varieties that work well in small living quarters. Get ready for the cuteness.
Cavalier King Charles spaniel
(Getty Images)
This breed is known to live for 12 to 15 years and is affectionate, gentle and graceful.
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Shih tzu
(Getty Images)
This breed’s temperament is affectionate, playful and outgoing, and it lives 10 to 18 years.
Chihuahua
(Getty Images)
Averaging 5 to 8 inches tall, this breed lives 14 to 16 years and is considered sassy, graceful and charming.
Bulldog
(Getty Images)
This canine breed’s temperament is friendly, courageous and calm. Its life expectancy ranges from eight to 10 years.
Keeshond
(Getty Images)
This breed’s life expectancy is 12 to 15 years, and it is considered friendly, lively and outgoing.
Pug
(Getty Images)
Pugs may be considered a bit mischievous, but they are also charming and loving. Their life expectancy is 13 to 15 years.
Greyhound
(Getty Images)
This noble breed of dog is gentle and independent, and it tends to live 10 to 13 years.
Whippet
(Getty Images)
This breed is affectionate, playful and calm, per the AKC, and it lives 12 to 15 years.
American Eskimo dog
(Getty Images)
This breed comes in toy, mini and standard sizes; it’s 9 to 19 inches tall and is considered playful, perky and smart.
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Bichon frise
(Getty Images)
This fluffy breed is thought to be playful, curious and peppy. The canine’s life expectancy is 14 to 15 years, according to the AKC.
Australian terrier
(Getty Images)
This dog breed’s temperament is said to be affectionate, courageous and spirited. Its life expectancy is 11 to 15 years.
Affenpinscher
(NBCUniversal)
This breed’s temperament is considered funny, fearless and confident, and it lives 12 to 15 years.
drockett@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-01--Mask sewing project among Chicago refugee groups leads to new career goal: ‘This is my job’

Just weeks ago , Muyumba , 48 , had never made a face mask but now she ’ s gotten @ @ @ @ @ minutes , five minutes for cutting and the rest spent sewing .
Her husband helps @ @ @ @ @ Muyumba , a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo who spent time in Namibia @ @ @ @ @ Sewing Studio group .
put together by RefugeeOne , which has made 1,000 masks to @ @ @ @ @ groups .

Sandra Muyumba makes cloth masks in her West Rogers Park apartment in Chicago on April 28, 2020. Muyumba, a refugee from Democratic Republic of Congo is among RefugeeOne’s Sewing Studio group which has made 1,000 masks to be donated to community groups. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
From her dining room table in the city’s West Rogers Park neighborhood, Sandra Muyumba some nights doesn’t even want to sleep because of how focused she’s become on making face masks.
Just weeks ago, Muyumba, 48, had never made a face mask, but now she’s gotten the technique down to 20 minutes, five minutes for cutting and the rest spent sewing. Her husband helps her iron the masks. Muyumba, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo who spent time in Namibia, is part of the Sewing Studio group put together by RefugeeOne, which has made 1,000 masks to be donated to various community groups.
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“I’m starting a bit late, not early in the morning because I need to do the house chores,” Muyumba said by phone about her routine. “I cook, then I cannot stand up to do anything. I have to sit and do my work.”
RefugeeOne, a resettlement agency based in Chicago, got a grant from a local church to undertake the project, said Jims Porter, a spokesman for the organization. They’ve delivered masks to groups such as Selfhelp Home and other local organizations, Porter said. Annie Kaufman, manager of the Sewing Studio, said last week they expected to finish the project by that week, although the studio was also working on other projects related to masks.
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Sandra Muyumba with some of the cloth masks she has made in her West Rogers Park apartment. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
The group’s effort comes as Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s modified stay-at-home order went into effect Friday, requiring anyone older than 2 years old to wear a face mask or covering while inside stores. The order didn’t specify if runners or those walking for exercise will have to wear one but states that individuals will be required to wear a mask “in a public place where they can’t maintain a 6-foot social distance."
Other organizations that work with refugees have also started making masks. Rebecca Hamlin Green, social enterprise coordinator for Catholic Charities, said their existing Loom program, which helps refugee women sell handmade products, has pivoted to making masks. Those masks are being distributed to seniors in Catholic Charities programs.
Daily life for refugees has been upended during the pandemic. Some are working on the front lines while others are navigating unemployment. Advocates say while refugees are often seen as the most protected group of immigrants, they are more at risk of receiving fewer resources than they have in the past.
At RefugeeOne’s Sewing Studio, the women had the option of getting paid $1 per mask, although some opted to not get paid. Porter said the money was not meant to be a full-time living wage but a reward for doing the classwork, which could translate into a new job skill.
“Even before the stay-at-home order, this income was a huge boost for our sewers,” Kaufman said.
Some of the studio’s participants had never worked before joining the Sewing Studio, Porter said. It helps them gain independence by learning a skill and doing things such as riding the CTA when the group met in person. Now, RefugeeOne workers deliver materials to the women and pick up the masks.
“It’s very empowering,” Porter said about the studio. “It’s a really good picture of how resettlement should work.”
For Muyumba, the opportunity came just after the factory she worked at temporarily shuttered because of concerns surrounding COVID-19. She saw a news segment about people making masks for others and was intrigued. She had done some tailoring work before she came to the U.S. and figured she could easily learn how to make a mask.
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Muyumba learned about the project because she and her family were already in contact with RefugeeOne as the agency tried to help the family navigate unemployment. RefugeeOne gave her a sewing machine to make the masks.
While the work has helped her pass the time at home, it has also made her think about shifting her career goals after the pandemic.
“This is my job,” she said. “I need to continue, maybe I can get the opportunity to get a job in the fabric (industry). I’m very interested in doing it.”
emalagon@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-01--Gov. Pritzker says coronavirus contact tracing is a key to reopening Illinois. Public health leaders

Gov. Pritzker says coronavirus contact tracing is a key to reopening Illinois. Public health leaders concede the system isn’t ready yet.

“ At the very first hint of somebody being ill , they need to immediately be put into isolation , @ @ @ @ @ their test results , ” said Dr. Rachel Rubin , the county public health department @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Even if they did a test that went off to a lab , @ @ @ @ @ wait that two days to 10 days of getting that result , because in that @ @ @ @ @ just beginning to get sick is when they are infecting everybody around them .
”

One of the key conditions Gov. J.B. Pritzker says must be met before Illinois can lift its stay-at-home order is a comprehensive way to track, warn and quarantine everyone who has had significant contact with newly diagnosed COVID-19 patients.
“Contact tracing is one of the most critical tools that we have to reduce our spread rate, speed up our diagnoses and seek to halt outbreaks before they happen,” the governor said Friday during his daily briefing.
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But state, Chicago and Cook County public health leaders concede they’re not yet ready to fully roll out a coronavirus contact tracing system. The big problems to solve? Finding enough workers and putting technology in place.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, cited estimates that there need to be 30 contact tracers for every 100,000 people. That means more than 3,800 interviewers to handle the data, sleuthing and legwork necessary to trace contacts on the unprecedented scale needed during a pandemic caused by such a virulent disease.
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The city can’t say how many people it has on the job, with officials noting there are people working on it from different divisions within the Chicago Department of Public Health and its health care allies.
Dr. John Schneider, an infectious disease specialist affiliated with the University of Chicago, works at an office at the Howard Brown Health clinic in Chicago on April 30, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
The county, meanwhile, says it has 29 people devoted to the effort but will need at least 300 to cover more than 2 million residents spread over 700 square miles of suburban Cook.
And so state public health officials say the goal is for “some portion” of the program to be in place by late May, the current expiration date on Pritzker’s stay-at-home order.
“We don’t necessarily have to have all of it by then,” said Dr. Wayne Duffus, the acting state epidemiologist. The priority will be “critical areas,” including nursing homes, long-term care facilities, prisons and jails, he said.
Beyond that, the state is working on a standardized hiring process, an online training program and a computer app to help track cases and contacts, Duffus said. The bulk of public health system work in Illinois is done at the local level, so the state envisions its role as being “an operations manager" for contact tracing at the 97 county and regional health departments.
Pritzker on Friday estimated the cost of the effort at $80 million.
National experts agree that contact tracing is essential if states are to avoid another surge in COVID-19 cases and an overwhelming flood of patients into hospitals.
Tools are limited to slow the virus’s spread before the nation develops therapies and a vaccine, but social distancing remains effective, said Anita Cicero, deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
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“But as communities and economies need to relax some of those social distancing restrictions, testing and tracing the cases is the tool that we have right now that will be effective," she added. “And if communities aren’t able to isolate the sick and quarantine those who are exposed, then rapid community spread is probably likely to increase again, which would bring us back to requiring the strict physical distancing measures.”
What is contact tracing?
Contact tracing in the U.S. dates back to at least the early 20th century, when it was used to limit the spread of communicable diseases such as smallpox and tuberculosis. Since then, it’s been employed to control other scourges, including sexually transmitted diseases, measles and Ebola.
The practice has been credited with limiting the spread of COVID-19 in other countries that quickly turned to the approach. That includes South Korea and Singapore, where the government used digital surveillance and enforcement methods that likely would meet stiff resistance here from privacy and freedom advocates.
“So many diseases are highly communicable," said Dr. Jennifer Layden, chief medical officer for the Chicago Department of Public Health. "So contact investigations are part of the public health bread and butter.”
Here’s how it works: When a confirmed case of COVID-19 is reported to the state, a contact tracer tracks down the sick person, or their relatives when the person is too ill to talk or has died from the disease.
The interviewer tells them the patient should be isolated at home until they no longer are believed to be contagious. Sometimes, if the person doesn’t have the capability to isolate on their own, they refer them to social service agencies that can help find alternative housing and delivery of food, medicine or health care services.
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The interviewer tries to determine who the patient had contact with up to two weeks prior to symptom onset. In some cases, a person may have no symptoms at all, making that calculation more difficult.
The tracers then track down those contacts and attempt to speak with them. They suggest precautions to avoid spreading the disease and ask them to quarantine at home for two weeks from the time of contact with the infected person, or if they are sick, until they have fully recovered.
Ideally, the tracers also would track down the contacts of everyone who is presumptively diagnosed with COVID-19, given that person could be spreading SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes the disease — before a test confirms they actually have it, experts said.
“At the very first hint of somebody being ill, they need to immediately be put into isolation, even while they are awaiting their test results,” said Dr. Rachel Rubin, the county public health department’s senior medical officer. “Even if they did a test that went off to a lab, they can’t even wait that two days to 10 days of getting that result, because in that intervening time when they are just beginning to get sick is when they are infecting everybody around them.”
Tracing work takes time, requires empathy and social skills, and can be emotionally taxing.
“We’re asking people to kind of recount stories that they have probably already told other physicians before, and sometimes we’re asking family members to recount how their loved ones died,” said Dr. Chen Wang, a preventive medicine fellow for the county health department who has been tracking down cases for a couple of months.
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"I’ve had cases where I called the phone number of that person who has passed away and I speak with their spouse. And their wife says, ‘This was my husband I had been with for 60 years, and the longest time we every spent apart were those days that he was in the hospital.’ And now the surviving spouse is back in their home alone.”
Despite the anxiety that can be involved, nearly everyone is cooperative with the efforts, Wang added.
“People recognize that we’re all in this together, and everyone has something that they can contribute,” she said.
Efforts underway
Pritzker and Illinois officials have looked to Massachusetts’ partnership with global health nonprofit Partners In Health as a model. That northeastern state — with a little more than half the population of Illinois but more COVID-19 cases and deaths, is deploying 1,000 contact workers. Johns Hopkins experts say even that likely won’t be enough.
Duffus, acting state epidemiologist, said one particular aspect of the Massachusetts program that he would like to implement in Illinois is the use of resource coordinators. Those workers are tasked with making sure people who test positive for COVID-19 have the food, medications and services they need to be able to self-isolate.
“A resource coordinator is going to be crucial to the success of this because we can ask people to do things, but if their needs are not met, it’s going to be very difficult for them,” he said.
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Not all of the contact tracers would need a background in medicine or public health, Duffus said. They should be hired locally because they will have an easier time establishing trust with the people who they call, he added.
The state also is looking at the use of technology to help with case tracking, with the possibility of an online application that would let people enter their symptoms and contacts so that workers can follow those leads.
Illinois has been without a permanent state epidemiologist since Layden resigned at the end of February to become the city’s chief medical officer. Duffus, a senior medical adviser in the Division of Global HIV and TB at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, arrived April 5. At the time, the state had reported more than 11,000 known cases of COVID-19 and 274 deaths.
Ezike said that there was no downtime because Illinois’ public health department was covered by epidemiologists who have been CDC-trained and are longtime infectious disease experts.
Chicago has been doing some contact tracing since the initial outbreak. But it has had to pick and choose what to focus on because of limited resources.
“Certainly congregate settings where we’re seeing a high level of spread, and that would be long-term care facilities, public shelters, jails, those outbreaks that are reported to us … in a workplace are priorities,” Layden said.
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“But we are really striving to get to a point — I mean where there’s review of the data and there’s investigation into every case — to the point where we are thoroughly investigating all the contacts is something we are striving to do,” she said.
The city is working to build partnerships with community health workers, students and others to expand the ranks of contact tracers, so when cases eventually decline they can work to prevent another flare-up, Layden added.
Like the state, Chicago is searching for ways that technology might make the job easier and more efficient. While rolling out the Chi COVID Coach app, Dr. Allison Arwady, the city’s public health commissioner, said city officials were looking at the possibility of using it to help track contacts and send warnings to contacts via text when someone contracts the virus.
Cook County has focused its 29 contact tracers on nursing homes and group homes, as well as hospitalized patients, said Rubin, the health department’s senior medical officer.
When the surge starts to decline, the program will need to expand, she added. Rubin also said testing is not yet as widespread, quick and accurate as necessary to detect cases early, when a patient may be most contagious. And there needs to be a more thorough system for reporting test results to the state because not all health care providers are doing that, she said.
“Once we reach a point where we can start doing more contact tracing, we really will need to ramp it up, because we want to stop that next surge ... from being as high and as steep,” Rubin said.
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A ‘near miss’
A Johns Hopkins study concluded the nation needs about 100,000 contact tracers, with more than 3,800 in Illinois. But Crystal Watson, the report’s lead author, warned that “we also shouldn’t delay in conducting tracing until we have a perfect testing system.”
In Chicago, Howard Brown Health has been doing contact tracing from the start.
It was a natural for the nonprofit organization, which serves the LGBTQ community and other groups that face health care disparities. For many years, the organization has been contact tracing for sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS, said Dr. John Schneider, an infectious disease specialist affiliated with the University of Chicago.
Since early March, Howard Brown Health has interviewed about 300 people with COVID-19 and reached out to as many as 1,200 of their contacts. Schneider makes many of those calls, and described one situation that he described as “a near miss" where intervention may have come too late.
He was talking to a woman who had COVID-19 and lived at home with her husband, son and daughter. Everyone but the daughter had become sick, so they sent her to live with relatives, including her grandparents. By the time she was tested — and found to be infected with the virus despite having no symptoms — the disease already had spread to others in her temporary home.
"If I could have gotten to her three days earlier ... then I could have said, ‘The daughter needs to stay home, keep her in a different room if asymptomatic, that’s fine, but no one should be going to the grandparents right now,’” Schneider said.
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The case illustrates the need for doing contact tracing from the very moment of diagnosis, possibly at the lab where the person went for the test.
Like the governor and the experts, Schneider believes contact tracing will be crucial to prevent or limit future outbreaks after the number of cases in the current surge diminishes.
“We’re entering a phase where it’s really important, because then it starts to become more manageable, and then it has implications for keeping things open, keeping families healthy," he said.
hdardick@chicagotribune.com
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-01--Could vaping make coronavirus worse? Doctors aren’t sure but still urge quitting. ‘What better time

Could vaping make coronavirus worse? Doctors aren’t sure but still urge quitting. ‘What better time than now?’

Schroedl said it ’ s also hard to know the effects vaping could have on COVID-19 because doctors don ’ @ @ @ @ @ when taking medical histories .
However , the recent EVALI outbreak , which ended up @ @ @ @ @ in black market , marijuana-filled vaping devices , has prompted many doctors to ask their @ @ @ @ @ as they would smoking , she said .

Doctors couldn’t figure out why a young man, recently hospitalized in an intensive care unit, was experiencing a severe course of COVID-19, given his age.
It led Dr. Clara Schroedl, a pulmonologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to ask his family, does he vape?
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He didn’t, Schroedl said, but it’s a question on the minds of those who treat respiratory conditions, who recall the rash of teens and young adults across the country who vaped and were struggling to breathe requiring hospitalization last summer and fall.
“We just got through the EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping product use associated lung injury) epidemic in this country, so it’s high on people’s minds,” Schroedl said.
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But like so many things associated with COVID-19, physicians don’t know if vaping, meaning use of nicotine or marijuana e-cigarettes, could make a person more susceptible to the coronavirus, or exacerbate the symptoms.
“Large-scale epidemiological studies on outcomes of people who vape ... are not available,” Schroedl said, and “should be done.”
When word of the coronavirus pandemic in China made its way to the U.S., it was described as a disease that mostly affected the elderly. That message continued earlier this year as COVID-19 spread into Europe and as the U.S. saw its first cases.
But Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows U.S. COVID-19-related hospitalizations aren’t sparing the young. The most recent reports show a little more than half of hospitalizations are Americans younger than 65. About 22 percent are younger than 50. As with many aspects of COVID-19, doctors aren’t sure why.
It could be a number of reasons, including Americans’ obesity rates or other underlying conditions, or that younger people aren’t staying home because they work more essential jobs than the elderly, Schroedl said. But could vaping, a trend more prevalent among younger Americans compared with other countries, be another?
It’s hard to say because of the lack of data, Schroedl said, but there are studies that show vaping can harm lungs, and specifically immune system function in the lungs.
“If anything is causing damage or tissue damage in the lungs ... you do worry,” she said. “Potentially the outcome (of COVID-19) could be more severe.”
Schroedl also pointed to data out of China that showed smoking tobacco cigarettes could lead to more severe cases of the coronavirus. That could be from existing lung damage from smoking, she said, or it could be that smokers are more likely to have other underlying conditions, like heart or lung disease.
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But due to the respiratory nature of the virus, doctors are worried about patients with already damaged lungs.
“As a pulmonologist, what we’re telling patients ... with preexisting lung disease is that they could be more susceptible and could get more severe infection when they get COVID,” said Dr. Renea Jablonski, a pulmonologist at the University of Chicago Medical Center. “But it’s not fully proven yet.”
Schroedl said it’s also hard to know the effects vaping could have on COVID-19 because doctors don’t always ask about it when taking medical histories. However, the recent EVALI outbreak, which ended up being tied to ingredients found in black market, marijuana-filled vaping devices, has prompted many doctors to ask their patients about vaping habits just as they would smoking, she said.
Without more information, it’s important to take any action that could prevent this virus, Schroedl said.
“It’s a great opportunity to quit smoking or vaping,” she said. “That’s one thing you have control over. What better time than now?”
Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said vaping is too new of a trend to have all the data needed, but “I haven’t talked to an epidemiologist, a pulmonologist or a pediatrician who isn’t concerned.”
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He also pointed to a statement earlier this month from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which in part warned that because the coronavirus attacks the lungs, its effects could be worse on those who smoke tobacco or marijuana or vape.
“If you’re a young person using these products, you need to recognize this potential increase in vulnerability means you’re facing risk now, not five years or 10 years from now,” Myers said.
And due to the state’s stay-at-home orders, many young people find themselves at home with their parents, away from any pressures from their peers, Myers added.
That could mean many parents “might be learning their kids vape for the first time,” he said. “My hope is that we’re going to see parents support their kids in quitting using e-cigarettes, and kids supporting parents in quitting cigarettes and e-cigarettes.”
kthayer@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-01--It’s college decision day for high school seniors. But will families commit without assurances campu

It’s college decision day for high school seniors. But will families commit without assurances campuses will reopen in the fall?

“ Not being able to go at all , having to stay here , inside ... that would just put @ @ @ @ @ ” Turner said .
“ I ’ ve been ready to get out on my @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve been wanting to do for the longest , and the fact that I @ @ @ @ @ to kind of sucks .
Having the college experiences , you only get them once @ @ @ @ @ dying .
”

Karen Ann Cullotta, Hannah Leone, Elyssa Cherney

With Friday’s long-awaited senior decision day fast approaching, Lori Filby sat across from her son Ian at the kitchen table in their Elk Grove Village home for a heart-to-heart talk about the teen’s hopes to attend Illinois State University as an education major in the fall.
“We visited ISU for a second time, right before the campus closed in March, and Ian decided that was where he wanted to go next fall, so we sent in our deposit,” said Filby, whose son attends Conant High School in Hoffman Estates. "Now, if it turns out there’s going to be only e-learning at ISU in the fall, we’ll have to talk about it, as maybe Harper (community college) makes more sense for his freshman year.”
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After COVID-19 closures quashed end-of-high-school rites of passage like prom and graduation, senior decision day on May 1 — when most colleges require students to commit — feels more like indecision day this year. Many seniors and their parents struggle with an uncertain future amid public health and financial crises with no end in sight.
Andrew Luzwick, 17, plans to attend Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University in the fall. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Decision day has always been fraught with anxiety, as students worry about selecting the right school. But the pandemic has added a new layer of unpredictability, as families wonder if their preferred school’s campus will reopen in the fall, and if not, whether to save money and have their student enroll in online classes at the local community college.
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At New Trier High School, officials are getting scores of emails from parents of graduating seniors who are seeking advice on everything from how to defer enrollment if a campus remains closed in the fall, to whether or not it is wise to pay expensive tuition costs for private and out-of-state universities if students might end up taking their classes online from their laptop at home.
“I think for the parents I’ve talked to, health is the number one concern, and finances is number two, and from what I’m hearing, there are many families whose financial situation and ability to afford paying for their student’s college education has changed because of the pandemic,” Jill Cervantes, chairwoman of the Winnetka high school’s Post High School Counseling Department, said.
“I think a big part of the challenge is it remains unknown what most colleges will look like in the fall," Cervantes added.
Daniel Cates, superintendent of Palatine-based Township High District 211, said decision day has arrived amid a disappointing end of high school for students and looming financial insecurity for their parents.
“Families are really in a compromised position. ... So many heartbreaking losses for these seniors make this a really tough year, and it looks like it could continue into the fall," Cates said, adding that the cost of university tuition could "cause a family to reconsider the investment relative to the rigors of the university classrooms and the college experience. Colleges are trapped, too, with many facing steep financial challenges. I think we could see our community colleges taking on increased enrollments.”
Colleges nationwide are grappling with fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, which is affecting everything from finances to the format of classes. Most students vacated the dorms early and returned home to finish their studies through remote instruction conducted on Zoom, YouTube and other virtual means.
Even the decision timeline for prospective students has been muddled. Some colleges have delayed their deposit deadlines until the summer, or even September, to give students and their families more time to consider their options.
Still, some selective schools — including the University of Chicago, Northwestern University and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — are sticking with the May 1 date.
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Further complicating the decision, colleges cannot guarantee that classes will resume in person or whether students will be allowed to live in communal residence halls when the fall term begins. Some schools are considering putting students up in private apartments off campus or renting hotels rooms to space students out more than usual.
Public universities in Illinois have said they hope to make a determination about fall classes sometime in June or July, based on recommendations from public health experts and the governor’s office about whether it’s safe to convene on campus.
Despite all the uncertainty, Illinois Board of Higher Education Chairman John Atkinson encouraged high school seniors not to give up on college plans.
Speaking Thursday at a virtual board meeting, Atkinson said: "For high school students about to graduate ... college is still an outstanding option. Your path does not need to change. ... We are here for you. Illinois is here for you.”
Maggie Nielsen, a senior at Lane Tech College Prep High School, is sticking with her plan to attend college, not in Illinois but at McGill University in Montreal, though she’s not yet sure when dorms will open, if classes will be in person or when it will be possible to make the international move.
She already applied to the dorms and had to make a down payment, expecting to find out her placement in June.
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One factor in her decision was that McGill draws students from all over the world. At Lane Tech, she found she learned just as much from talking to her peers of different backgrounds as she did in classes, she said.
If classes do start online, she’ll miss the chance to meet other students in person, along with all the freshman traditions and orientation.
“There’s so much to the university experience aside from the academic portion of it, and we will be missing out on that,” Nielsen said. “It’s really frustrating, after missing out on a lot this year.”
One of her friends is going to Arizona State University, which has announced in-person classes will resume in late August, the start of fall semester. Another is going to Yale, which has said it will make decisions about the fall by early July.
Andrew Luzwick, 17, right, with his brothers outside of their Hoffman Estates home, is determined to stick with Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, even if there are no in-person classes in the fall. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
For Shayla Turner, a senior at Chicago’s Sarah Goode STEM Academy, attending DePaul University in the fall depends on whether classes can resume in person. Even with a few scholarships, tuition and housing at the private school will require her to take out loans, she said.
“It’s extremely expensive, and there’s absolutely no point paying for it if it’s (online),” said Turner, 18. “I’d probably take a gap year or even just not go.”
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Turner, who lives with her mom and younger sister in the Ashburn area and hopes one day to teach in Chicago Public Schools, said she is still hoping to double major in education and something creative, or maybe sociology.
“Not being able to go at all, having to stay here, inside ... that would just put a hold on everything,” Turner said. “I’ve been ready to get out on my own and do what I’ve been wanting to do for the longest, and the fact that I’m not being able to kind of sucks. Having the college experiences, you only get them once, but there are people dying.”
Some students, like Nielsen and Hoffman Estates High School senior Andrew Luzwick, 18, are determined to forge ahead with their top choices, even if college classes are held online in the fall.
“My mom has already been telling people, but I will probably officially announce on Instagram Friday that I’ll be going to the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University,” Luzwick said.
The jazz studies major, who was awarded a scholarship, said he’s not sure if he’ll be able to take his classes and live in a dorm at the downtown campus next fall, but he remains optimistic.
“I want to be at Roosevelt, and be a part of the university in the fall, even if classes are only online," Luzwick said, adding, "Then once it reopens, I’ll be 100% a part of it.”
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kculllotta@chicagotribune.com
hleone@chicagotribune.com
echerney@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-01--Time for states to reopen their economy? Political divisions emerge as Midwest governors weigh coron

Time for states to reopen their economy? Political divisions emerge as Midwest governors weigh coronavirus cases vs. unemployment.

In Ohio , DeWine condemned a “ vile ” anti-Semitic sign at a statehouse protest and a GOP state senator @ @ @ @ @ taken by the state ’ s health director to those made by Nazis during the @ @ @ @ @ , Holcomb criticized 200 protesters who marched outside the governor ’ s mansion in Indianapolis @ @ @ @ @ wearing masks or practicing social distancing .
He called the gathering a “ perfect petri @ @ @ @ @ spread ” in a city with one-third of the state ’ s COVID-19 cases .

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chicagotribune--2020-05-01--As stay-at-home order continues, summer camps face uncertainty to the concern of owners, parents and

As stay-at-home order continues, summer camps face uncertainty to the concern of owners, parents and kids

Oakland , California-based Camp Galileo , which offers programs at 11 sites in Chicago and the suburbs , has drawn @ @ @ @ @ its decision not to offer refunds to parents for the canceled programs .
Instead , @ @ @ @ @ for future camps or other programs , though in a statement posted to their site @ @ @ @ @ said it is soliciting feedback from parents “ to determine if the requests for refunds @ @ @ @ @ .
”

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)
Come each June, children would flock to Meredith Rogowski’s arts and crafts camp to make creative projects with colorful balls of yarn, paint, fabric and other materials.
But when Gov. J.B. Pritzker extended the state’s stay-at-home order through most of May, Rogowski reluctantly came to the conclusion to cancel the camp this year, a financial and emotional blow for her, the campers and the employees.
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Camp DIY, which Rogowski directs with a partner, was sold out at both its Evanston and Wilmette locations with more than 300 enrolled. But the start date is too close to the earliest possible end of the stay-at-home order, she said.
Rogowski also faces an uncertain summer with her children as she waits to see whether their park district summer camps will go on, encountering both sides of the reality that summer camps and parents face this year.
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Camp DIY Director Meredith Rogowski, right and Co-Director Khania Lund on April 29, 2020, outside Northminster Presbyterian Church in Evanston, where the summer camp is usually held. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
“It’s stressful for me because right now there’s not a way to see the end of it,” Rogowski said. “I think everyone feels that way.”
Chicago-area summer camps are trying to decide what to do as the state remains shut down at least through May 30. It is putting them in a tough financial position as they figure out whether they can refund families, and survive beyond this year.
And parents with restless kids potentially face more months of trying to juggle child care and work if summer camps become another casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rogowski has applied for government assistance for small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program to keep the camp and its employees from losing money, and hopes to receive the assistance and refund parents. She and her co-director stopped spending money when the stay-at-home order was announced, but they had already spent funds on curriculum, supplies and other pre-summer costs.
“We’re in a tough spot,” she said. “We’re trying to figure out how to provide refunds. Our goal and our hope is to fully refund our families.”
‘I am 100% not okay with this’
One camp that canceled programs is now facing a lawsuit after it informed parents it could not refund the cost of the camp after canceling programs.
Oakland, California-based Camp Galileo, which offers programs at 11 sites in Chicago and the suburbs, has drawn criticism from some parents for its decision not to offer refunds to parents for the canceled programs. Instead, they are offering camp credits for future camps or other programs, though in a statement posted to their site on Monday, the camp said it is soliciting feedback from parents “to determine if the requests for refunds are within our financial means.”
In an Evanston-centric Facebook group, parents voiced displeasure with the policy, with one writing: “I am 100% not okay with this. Is there anything we can do??"
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A class action suit filed on April 23 in federal court in San Francisco alleges that Camp Galileo breached its contract with families who signed up and negligently misrepresented their cancellation policy and ability to hold camp in March and early April.
When the families purchased the camp packages, the terms of purchase came with an agreement that said they could receive a refund if they canceled, according to the suit.
The suit also says Camp Galileo founder and CEO Glen Tripp appeared on a television news segment on March 13 and said camps would be available. In March and early April, camp staff told concerned callers that the cancellation policy was in effect, the suit said.
“In reliance on those representations, Plaintiffs did not cancel their camp sessions and did not request a refund, and in some cases, were induced to purchase camp sessions for the first time,” according to the lawsuit.
Camp Galileo is reviewing the lawsuit and is facing “unprecedented and unforeseen economic challenges as a result of the pandemic,” according to Jessica Berg, a camp spokesperson.
“Our goal is to provide as much value for the dollars that have been entrusted to us without sacrificing the ability of Camp Galileo to operate in future years,” Berg said in a statement.
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In a statement, the camp said it does not have the “the cash on hand” to offer refunds due to preparations that began in September that require expenditures for training, recruiting, technology and equipment.
“We have received a lot of feedback — some supportive, some critical — and are grateful that the majority of our families understand that we are trying to respond to the crisis in a manner that is empathetic to the challenges of our families while also allowing Camp Galileo to survive the pandemic and serve communities for years to come,” the statement read.
‘It’s a tough place to be’
Other camps are waiting and watching, hoping they will be able to offer camp if the state reopens during the summer.
Mad Science of Chicago hasn’t pulled the plug yet, but they are “slowly realizing it may not come to fruition,” said business manager Paige Peavler.
“The feeling is that the governor will probably keep the restrictions, with good reason,” she said. “As scientists, we completely agree.”
The science program also works in local schools during the school year, so it took a hit when the schools closed.
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“If we don’t do any camps, it’s a huge loss to our bottom line,” Peavler said.
They are looking at possible virtual options, surveying parents to see if there is an appetite for that, knowing it would require more time with tablets and computers.
“It’s a tough place to be. We want to keep our teachers involved,” she said. “We miss our kids.”
Other area camps, such as the summer programs at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and the Shedd Aquarium, are still on, as of now.
“We haven’t canceled anything. We haven’t postponed anything,” said Patrick Williams, marketing manager at the nature museum. “But obviously safety is a concern.”
At the North Suburban YMCA, they are hoping to still hold camp for the benefit of the health and wellness of kids in the community, according to Shannon Mundorf, senior director of Arts and Risk Management.
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“Our stance is that we think camp is really important,” Mundorf said.
They are working with the YMCA’s national governing body as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to find ways to keep camp safe, she said. According to a letter to parents, The Y-USA and the American Camping Association are working with the CDC to create “new protocol and best practices for all camps this summer.”
“This is very promising news as it suggests the CDC has not ruled out that camps can operate safely this summer,” according to the letter.
The North Suburban YMCA is preparing to take precautions, such as smaller-than-usual groups and daily screening of staff members, Mundorf said.
Parents potentially face a long summer as the outlook for summer camps remains in question.
Rogowski hasn’t yet heard if her two kids will be able to attend camp, but she feels luckier because her children, in fifth and seventh grade, are older and easier to keep entertained.
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“As a parent, I understand how other parents feel,” she said.
mabuckley@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-01--Column: ‘So long to days of doubt and dread. I promise better days ahead.’ A new TrumPoem.

This is the latest in my occasional TrumPoems chronicling the presidency of Donald J. Trump , based , as always @ @ @ @ @ .

A man walks by a mural featuring likenesses of President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping smooching with face masks in Berlin on April 28, 2020. (John Macdougall/Getty-AFP)
This is the latest in my occasional TrumPoems chronicling the presidency of Donald J. Trump, based, as always, on his own words.
BETTER DAYS AHEAD
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We’re living in a time of plague
It’s called the Wuhan flu
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But, friends, we’re making progress
And it’s no time to be blue.
.
There’s 60,000 people dead?
A million plus infections?
I’ve got some news to cheer you up —
I’ll win the fall elections.
.
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The market’s down and jobs are gone?
Well, I won’t take the blame
The Chinese and the Democrats
Should shoulder all that shame.
.
Now let me take you back in time
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To when this plague began
And show you my tremendous work
(I am my biggest fan.)
.
I saw this virus coming
(I’m the only one who did!)
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I closed off Chinese travel
(I have got the biggest id.)
.
And what did I do after that?
I did tremendous stuff
But even so the Democrats
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Keep whining, “Not enough.”
.
“He hasn’t managed testing!”
“And he’s held up PPE!”
Those governors are whiners
And the biggest is J.B.
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.
His state is such a cesspool
It is very poorly run
And little Lori Lightfoot
Is as uptight as a nun.
.
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You say my hist’ry’s phony?
And that earlier this year
I promised you a miracle —
This flu would disappear?
.
I vowed that I’d control it?
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There was no need for concern?
You can’t believe the news you read
Besides, we live and learn.
.
I’ve held great daily briefings
So tremendous, very long
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Like rallies for a TV crowd
I looked so smart and strong.
.
I sometimes let old Fauci speak
And sometimes Dr. Birx
You say they rolled their eyes at me?
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Well, I say you are jerks.
.
I dissed those fake reporters
How those liars preen and screech
And no I never, ever said
That people should drink bleach.
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.
I made a little joke, my friends,
It’s just my form of wit!
And if some morons drank that stuff?
Then they’re as dumb as (bleep).
.
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I’m glad Mike Pence has been around
To help me with his task
He bravely went to Mayo
And he bravely said, “No mask!”
.
Sure, masks they can be useful
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But they’re ugly on TV
And that is why you’ll never see
A mask that’s worn by me.
.
No president’s worked harder
But the press is never kind
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And now I’m feeling antsy
I’ve got Georgia on my mind.
.
Way down in Dixie country
They’ve gone back to work — yoohoo!
It’s time that all Americans
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Can get a new tattoo.
.
It’s time to open up this land
Cause summer’s coming soon
And all that heat will kill this bug,
I promise you, by June.
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.
Some say I’ve not been calming
And some say I’ve stoked the fire
Some claim I’ve been misleading
And some say I am a liar.
.
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Some wish I were more healing
(Read: They wish I were Barack)
But I’m the man of faith and hope
Obama is a crock.
.
I’m the man who in this time
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And in this place that grieves
Is unafraid to stand up tall
And tweet my daily peeves.
.
Sigh.
.
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I’ve cut back on my briefings now
Which makes me very sad
Advisers say they hurt my polls
And make some people mad.
.
Some say I’ve had a meltdown
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That I’m loveless and adrift
That power is my only friend
My only one true gift.
.
But everything I’ve done is right
I’ve saved a million lives
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The man untied to friendship
Is the braveheart who survives.
.
I am the greatest leader
So don’t listen to the trolls
Don’t listen to the Democrats
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Don’t listen to the polls.
.
I promise better days, my friends,
I see them up ahead
Those sunny days when fear is gone
Along with doubt and dread.
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.
The tunnel’s dark is ending
Up ahead I see the light
The glow of my election
Chicago Tribune Opinion Weekdays Read the latest editorials and commentary curated by the Tribune Opinion team. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >
On a great November night.
.
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I’ll twist the past to suit my needs
The truth will be erased
And I’ll emerge a hero
Not a president disgraced.
mschmich@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-01--Survey says: Illinois residents give Pritzker thumbs-up, Trump thumbs-down in the middle on handling

Survey says: Illinois residents give Pritzker thumbs-up, Trump thumbs-down in the middle on handling of coronavirus crisis

But few Illinoisans had expectations that the state ’ s business economy would reopen soon .
Only 8 % said @ @ @ @ @ and 9 % said within the next two weeks .
Another 18 % said it @ @ @ @ @ four weeks , 20 % said in four to six weeks and 19 % said @ @ @ @ @ .
The largest group , at 27 % , said it should reopen after more @ @ @ @

President Donald Trump speaks during an event in the East Room of the White House on April 30, 2020, in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker got strong marks from Illinois residents for his stay-at-home-centered handling of the coronavirus outbreak while nearly half disapproved of President Donald Trump’s efforts to address the crisis, according to a new nationwide survey.
The poll, conducted by Harvard, Rutgers and Northeastern universities from April 17-26, also showed Illinois residents are split on whether the federal government has taken the pandemic seriously, and two-thirds think the state is at least a month away from reopening its business economy.
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The COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Public’s Policy Preferences Across States surveyed nearly 23,000 people nationally online, including 596 in Illinois, and said its findings among the state’s residents had an error margin of 4 percentage points.
The survey weighted its state findings based on the demographics of age, race and gender. Of the Illinois participants, 41% identified as Democrats, 30% as Republicans and 24% as independents.
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Of the Illinoisans in the survey, 69% said they approved of Pritzker’s handling of the outbreak, while 14% disapproved. Another 16% had no opinion. In contrast, 39% of Illinois residents approved of Trump’s handling of the pandemic, while 45% disapproved. Another 17% had no opinion.
The survey’s authors said that in every state of the union, residents approved of their own governor’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis at a higher level than they rated that of Trump.
Asked if they trusted Trump to do the right thing to handle the outbreak, 53% of Illinois residents said not too much or not at all, while 47% had at least some trust in the president. Trump’s trust factor was lower than what state residents gave to Congress, 55%; state government, 77%; and likely Democratic presidential nominee former Vice President Joe Biden, with 59%.
The survey’s findings come as Pritzker faces legal and political challenges to his authority, particularly from Republicans representing more rural conservative areas.
His latest order continuing to urge residents to stay at home and requiring face coverings in settings where social distancing cannot be maintained took effect Friday. The survey showed it shouldn’t be too much of an adjustment for most Illinoisans — nearly 6 in 10 people said they had very closely followed the mask recommendation during the last week, while another 2 in 10 said they’d followed it somewhat closely.
The poll also asked Illinois participants how they felt their state and federal governments were reacting to the pandemic.
Three-quarters of Illinoisans said state government was reacting about right, 15% said it was overreacting and 10% said it was not taking the crisis seriously enough. In contrast, 45% of state residents thought the federal government wasn’t taking it seriously enough. Another 48% said they thought Washington was acting about right, and 8% said it was overreacting.
As for Pritzker’s stay-at-home orders, 93% approved of them, including 75% who said they strongly approved. Another 85% approved of requirements that most businesses close.
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But few Illinoisans had expectations that the state’s business economy would reopen soon. Only 8% said it should begin immediately, and 9% said within the next two weeks. Another 18% said it should begin in two to four weeks, 20% said in four to six weeks and 19% said in six to eight weeks. The largest group, at 27%, said it should reopen after more than eight weeks.
Overall, 88% of state residents said they felt well-informed about the steps needed to be taken to protect themselves while only 2% said they were not. Another 10% said they had no opinion about their preparedness.
rap30@aol.com
Twitter @rap30


chicagotribune--2020-05-01--Which Midwest states are reopening economies amid the coronavirus pandemic? Here’s a breakdown

Restrictions : Gatherings of more than 10 people are currently banned .
Bars , non-tribal casinos , theaters , gyms @ @ @ @ @ and tattoo parlors are to remain closed , but could open under a second phase @ @ @ @ @ gatherings of up to 30 people would be allowed .
Community centers , entertainment venues @ @ @ @ @ sports , graduations and summer camps remained banned , but could be allowed by the @ @ @ @ @ on June 1 , when gatherings would be limited to 90 people or fewer .
@ @ @ @ @ to senior centers and nursing homes are restricted .


chicagotribune--2020-05-01--Ravinia cancels entire 2020 summer season due to coronavirus pandemic

In particular , Kauffman grieved for several special events that were to have occurred this summer , including Marin Alsop @ @ @ @ @ Ravinia ’ s chief conductor and curator , a position created for her .
Also @ @ @ @ @ Isaac Stern ’ s 100th birthday ; a third season celebrating the legacy of Leonard @ @ @ @ @ performance of his “ White House Cantata ” ; and several events marking the centennial @ @ @ @ @ 19th Amendment , which secured women ’ s right to vote .

For the first time since 1935, the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park will fall silent.
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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this summer’s festival has been canceled.
“There’s not going to be any Ravinia 2020,” said Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman in an interview Thursday afternoon.
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“No festival, no Ravinia Steans Music Institute, no events of any sort. The safety and health piece — it just really comes down to that.
“To try to figure that out and make it work, without risk? There’s always risk, but all the various pieces of this — it just doesn’t work. And it’s heartbreaking.”
In particular, Kauffman grieved for several special events that were to have occurred this summer, including Marin Alsop’s first appearance as Ravinia’s chief conductor and curator, a position created for her. Also lost: commemorations of violinist Isaac Stern’s 100th birthday; a third season celebrating the legacy of Leonard Bernstein, including a rare performance of his “White House Cantata”; and several events marking the centennial of the Constitution’s 19th Amendment, which secured women’s right to vote.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Ravinia season, from July 10-Aug. 16, also will not happen.
[ Ravinia cancellation will cost Highland Park $1 million in lost taxes, but mayor says it was correct decision ]
Among scheduled pop acts that won’t be taking Ravinia’s stage: Carrie Underwood, Indigo Girls, Diana Ross, Bryan Ferry, Tony Bennett and Gipsy Kings.
“This has moved very quickly,” added Kauffman, who in earlier interviews had said he expected to cancel portions of the season in sequence, as needed.
“This has been a process filled with numbness and shock. It’s more than just we don’t want to do it. When people are in shock, it’s hard to make that decision.”
Kauffman said he and Ravinia colleagues have not yet tabulated the cost of canceling the season. Last year’s budget was $42 million. The market value of Ravinia’s endowment at the end of 2019 was $118.9 million. A virtual fundraiser is being discussed.
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The cancellation comes just as Ravinia is about to enjoy a heightened national profile: On May 15, PBS’ “Great Performances” will broadcast Ravinia’s widely applauded production of Leonard Bernstein’s “Mass,” filmed last summer.
Another irony: Kauffman already had announced that he was stepping down from his Ravinia post at the end of this summer, which was to have been his official farewell. He said he still will be leaving at that time.
Welz Kauffman, CEO and president of Ravinia Festival, in the pavilion in Highland Park on Dec. 14, 2018. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Instead of tending to this summer’s events, he’ll look ahead.
“As much as I can do to put together a terrific 2021, that’s what I’ll focus on in the next months,” said Kauffman.
“That’s been top of mind for me. I want to be able to deliver that to my successor or successors. I want to make sure that’s not completely nailed down, but I’d like my successors to have some” events lined up.
A search is underway for the next Ravinia leader(s), though Kauffman pointed out that the pandemic inevitably has slowed such processes for all arts organizations.
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Ravinia opened in 1904 and was dark during the Depression, from 1932-35. It bills itself as “the oldest music festival in the country” and has long since grown into an internationally admired cultural destination.
“The crisis created by the COVID pandemic has impacted so much of our lives in dramatic ways,” said Ravinia Board Chairman Don Civgin in a statement. “Ravinia will do its part in helping the nation recover, and we will celebrate that recovery with music under the stars next summer (2021).”
Said Kauffman, “It is the right decision. The board voted unanimously, with no misgivings but a lot of heartbreak.
“Now that we’re actually at this place where I’m talking to people (about the cancellation), it’s tough. The toughest part so far was calling Jamie Bernstein,” added Kauffman, referring to Leonard Bernstein’s daughter, who was to have returned to Ravinia as part of the ongoing Bernstein festivities.
“It just really got me. Not only because of who she is, but I couldn’t help thinking what her father would be doing now,” said Kauffman, in light of conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein’s global role as social activist.
“What would he be thinking?
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“Because you know he would be all over this.”
Ticket holders can receive refunds, take vouchers for future performances or turn the ticket value into tax-deductible donations.
For more information, visit www.ravinia.org or phone 847-266-5100.
Howard Reich is a Tribune critic.
hreich@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-05-01--Off-duty firefighter shot while cutting grass on Far South Side; one held

About 6:45 p.m. , a gunman who was running down an alley or gangway near the 9900 block of South @ @ @ @ @ opened fired and hit the fireman , who was cutting grass and speaking with a @ @ @ @ @ Langford said .
Nobody else was shot .

Chicago police process a crime scene in the 9900 block of S. Yale Avenue in Chicago where there was a reported shooting on April 30, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
An off-duty Chicago firefighter who was shot several times while chatting with friends and cutting the lawn on the Far South Side Thursday night fired back at the assailant in self-defense, officials said.
The firefighter, 54, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was stabilized and where his family was gathered at his bedside Thursday night, according to Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford.
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“He had multiple gunshot wounds to his lower extremities," Langford said.
About 6:45 p.m. an assailant ran past the fireman and several of his friends who about talking near an alley or gangway and fired thirteen times at them near the 9900 block of South Yale Avenue in the Fernwood neighborhood, Langford and police said.
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After bullets ripped through the fireman’s ankle, buttocks and right leg, he returned fire in self-defense, but didn’t hit anyone, police said. He was not the intended target.
Patrol officers from the 22nd District who rushed to the scene spotted a suspect and gave chase on foot, eventually taking a 25-year-old man into custody.
Officers retrieved the alleged gunman’s coat and gun in a garbage can near the shooting scene.
The fireman, who holds a valid concealed and carry license, had been cutting the grass around the time of the shooting, Langford said.
He been with the department since 1994 and is assigned to a South Side firehouse, Langford said.
Police have not announced charges as of Friday afternoon.
rsobol@chicagotribune.com