chicagotribune--2020-07-03--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 869 new known COVID-19 cases reported as Lightfoot orders anyone co

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 869 new known COVID-19 cases reported as Lightfoot orders anyone coming to Chicago from states where virus is surging to quarantine

The order , which will go into effect on Monday , does not apply to people who are at the airport for a connecting flight or driving through the city on their way elsewhere , city officials said .
The city of Chicago will also shut down bars that aren ’ t following social distancing guidelines and increase patrols in “ problem areas , ” Lightfoot and other officials told liquor license holders on a conference call ahead of the Fourth of July weekend .
” If you squander this opportunity we will shut you down and you will not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the call , according to two sources .
Illinois health officials Thursday reported 869 new known cases of COVID-19 and 36 additional confirmed fatalities , bringing the total number of known cases to 144,882 and the confirmed death toll to 6,987 .
8:24 p.m. : No apparent COVID-19 spread from George Floyd protests ; Chicago and Cook officials keep wary watch on reopening Protests in Chicago and the suburbs over the Minnesota death of George Floyd as a police officer knelt on his neck so far have caused no identifiable uptick in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County officials said this week .
But they also noted that cases have been leveling off in Chicago and the suburbs , and increasing slightly statewide .
Those trends came not only in the wake of the protests , but also as testing expanded across the state and stay-at-home orders were relaxed , making it tough to know precisely why the numbers changed , they said .
“ I would use caution to pin that to protests , ” said Dr. Jennifer Layden , chief medical officer for the Chicago Department of Public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we were seeing the protests , we also were gradually coming out of shelter in place , meaning more people are going back to work , there was opening up of restaurants and stores , ( and ) we were seeing small gatherings .
...
So , if we saw an uptick , it would be very difficult to know if it was related to protests or social gatherings that people are having in their home.
” Read more here .
— Hal Dardick 7:44 p.m. : Bars and restaurants find themselves at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s going to be a tough weekend ’ Ahead of a summer holiday weekend that , in normal times , would mean packed patios and crowded bars , restaurant and bar owners are facing fines of up to $ 10,000 if COVID-19 restrictions are flouted .
It ’ s a tough line to toe for businesses just barely scraping by after nearly three months of being closed due to the pandemic .
In Pilsen , La Vaca Margarita Bar has been open for outdoor dining for a few weeks , converting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tables spaced 6 feet apart .
Read more here .
— Josh Noel , Louisa Chu , Adam Lukach , Gregory Pratt and Grace Wong The Chicago Cubs are expanding their efforts in the battle against the coronavirus by inviting the families of uniformed personnel to participate in testing .
Cubs President Theo Epstein said Thursday the wives of several players have been through the testing process .
Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy revealed Wednesday that he spent 30 days quarantined after testing positive and wanted to share his experience with players and their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mark Gonzales 5:23 p.m. : Lightfoot orders anyone coming to Chicago from states where COVID-19 is surging to quarantine for 14 days The city ordered the quarantine for anyone who has spent more than 24 hours in the following states before arriving in Chicago : Alabama , Arkansas , Arizona , California , Florida , Georgia , Idaho , Louisiana , Mississippi , North Carolina , Nevada , South Carolina , Tennessee , Texas and Utah .
The order , which will go into effect on Monday , does not apply to people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ connecting flight or driving through the city on their way elsewhere , city officials said .
” Like every action we have taken in response to the COVID-19 crisis , this decision was difficult but necessary in order to ensure the continued health and safety of Chicago ’ s residents and businesses , ” Lightfoot said in a statement .
Anyone violating the order could face fines of $ 100 to $ 500 per day , up to a maximum $ 7,000 , the city said.Under the order , “ quarantine means staying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for 14 days before doing any activities outside of the home or dwelling , ” the city said .
The order by Lightfoot mirrors a similar measure taken in New York City .
It was unclear how the city plans to monitor or enforce the order.With neighboring Indiana and other states pausing their reopening plans or even moving backward as new cases of the coronavirus surge , officials in Chicago and Illinois said Wednesday they have no plans to alter loosened rules that took effect statewide last week .
Lightfoot previously said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ not hesitate ” to take action if they see an upward swing .
Read more here .
— Gregory Pratt 4:23 p.m. : Hurricane Harbor may reopen soon , but Six Flags Great America still questionable Six Flags ’ Hurricane Harbor water parks in Gurnee and Rockford may be reopening soon , though a reopening for Six Flags Great America remains less certain .
More than a month has passed since Six Flags laid out how it thought it could reopen as safely as possible considering the ongoing pandemic , but its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as do all amusement parks , trampoline parks and indoor playgrounds .
Six Flags has received word from the Governor ’ s Office that its two water parks are allowed to begin opening , spokeswoman Caitlin Kepple said .
An opening date has not yet been set .
” Our full-time team is now back on property and working to implement our comprehensive reopening safety plan so that we can welcome guests to Hurricane Harbor Chicago and Hurricane Harbor Rockford soon , ” she said in an email .
Read more here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Of the COVID-19 pregnancy cases reported in Illinois , Black and Latina women make up over 70 % The young woman ’ s doctors at St. Anthony Hospital in Little Village were just learning more about the coronavirus as it hit Illinois in the spring , and they wanted to monitor the baby ’ s growth .
But her insurance did not initially approve the growth ultrasound , her doctors said .
So they had to wait to schedule a scan to check her baby .
This delayed their ability to assess @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When she delivered in June , she was diagnosed with preeclampsia — high blood pressure in pregnancy that can lead to serious , or even fatal , complications for both mom and baby .
The baby was born small .
The mom and her baby , whose names were not shared for privacy reasons , are doing well now , said Flores and her doctors .
The coronavirus has amplified the challenges pregnant women face .
And even more so for Black and Latina women , who might be disproportionately affected by COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Control and Prevention data , and who experience extra burdens of not only implicit racism within the health care industry , but also socioeconomic factors that can impact their ability to access care .
Read more here .
— Alison Bowen 3:32 p.m. : Chili Davis , the former Cubs hitting coach , will work remotely when the Mets open camp because of COVID-19 concerns The New York Post was first to report that Davis , 60 , won ’ t be on site at Citi Field for the beginning of practices because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was the Cubs hitting coach in 2018 but was fired nine days after the Rockies beat the Cubs in the National League wild-card game .
Read more here .
— Mike Fitzpatrick Illinois health officials Thursday reported 869 new known cases of COVID-19 and 36 additional confirmed fatalities , bringing the total number of known cases to 144,882 and the confirmed death toll to 6,987 .
A southern Illinois judge on Thursday declared Gov .
J.B. Pritzker ’ s orders aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 to be void , saying state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extend disaster proclamations beyond 30 days.Pritzker first declared a statewide disaster because of the pandemic on March 9 and has issued extensions every 30 days .
The implications of Clay County Circuit Judge Michael Mchaney ’ s order , which stemmed from a lawsuit filed by state Rep. Darren Bailey , were not immediately clear .
The state is in the fourth phase of Pritzker ’ s reopening plans and continues to be under a number or restrictions , including on crowd sizes and on how businesses can operate .
The Clay County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legal battle that has raised the profile of Bailey , a Xenia Republican who is running for a state Senate seat in the November election .
Bailey has drawn personal rebukes from the governor and was kicked off the House floor in a bipartisan vote during the General Assembly ’ s special session in May for violating a rule requiring lawmakers to wear masks .
McHaney previously ruled in Bailey ’ s favor , exempting him personally from Pritzker ’ s stay-at-home order .
Bailey later withdrew and refiled his lawsuit , bringing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The governor ’ s office attempted to move the case court , but a federal judge in southern Illinois sent it back to Clay County.
” This is a victory for freedom .
This is a victory for the people of Illinois , ” Bailey said Thursday outside the courthouse , where he was greeted by supporters , some of whom wore T-shirts that read “ My governor is an idiot ” on the front and “ Fire Pritzker ” on the back but none of whom appeared to be wearing the face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order .
Pritzker spokeswoman Emily Bittner downplayed the significance of the ruling in a statement.
” Every other court — both state and federal — that has considered these exact issues has agreed with the administration that executive orders protecting Illinoisans ’ health and safety are well within the governor ’ s constitutional authority , ” Bittner said .
“ This includes a federal court decision earlier today.
” The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in north suburban Skokie will reopen to visitors July 15 — with free admission for the day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at any one time .
The museum , devoted to the subject of the Holocaust in mission but in practice embracing a wide range of subjects and exhibits having to do with tolerance and human rights , also has announced an extension of the popular current “ Notorious RBG : The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
” The exhibit about the Supreme Court justice and her popularity now will run through Jan. 3 , 2021 .
Before the closure , said museum marketing vice president Marcy Larson , “ ‘ RBG @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the most popular we ’ ve ever had.
” 1:22 p.m. : Brookfield Zoo has reopened , and the animals might outnumber the humans Brookfield Zoo is reopening this week , albeit slowly , with lions and tigers and zoo members first .
The zoo ’ s gates swung open Wednesday for those holding seasonal memberships , with the general public to follow July 8 .
Tickets are being sold at reduced capacity , with timed admissions and only in advance .
On a hot and sunny first morning with temperatures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those admissions were just a trickle , with whole tree-lined boulevards inside the park free from strollers , crowds , humans of any kind .
If you ’ ve ever wanted to feel like it was just you and the animals , this is your chance .
But be warned not all exhibits are open yet .
Visitors will not be able to enter any of the indoor habitats — so still closed are the primate houses , the dolphins and aquatic shows , and all of the indoor bird and aviary exhibits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the zoo ’ s 216 acres of grounds — including the lions , tigers and big cats , bears , hoofed animals such as bison and zebra , kangaroos and more .
The city of Chicago will shut down bars that aren ’ t following social distancing guidelines and increase patrols in “ problem areas , ” Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other officials told liquor license holders on a conference call ahead of the Fourth of July weekend .
” If you squander this opportunity we will shut you down and you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lightfoot said on the call , according to two sources .
” Obviously the mayor has been very careful about reopening because of the virus and we don ’ t want to go backwards .
It ’ s everyone ’ s best interests to follow the rules , ” Martino said .
“ A couple bad operators can set us back .
We ’ re hoping to make the mayor proud this weekend.
” On the call , the city said that the Chicago Police Department and Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” with potential for immediate closure orders and citations of up to $ 10,000 each on bar owners that aren ’ t following rules .
12:23 p.m. : Horses stand idle and clowns call it quits as the coronavirus cancels Illinois rodeos .
‘ This is the first time ever that we won ’ t have a rodeo.
’ These aren ’ t riding horses , waiting for someone to take them out for a trot .
These are rodeo horses , bred for their ability to buck riders off in less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mafia Witch is the queen bee in the bunch , with her witchy-white mane blowing in the wind .
She was the 2016 world champion bareback horse .
There ’ s her son , a blonde called Capone ; another bareback bronc , the copper-colored mare named Angel Heart , and Shaken Not Stirred , a light brown saddle bronc who bucks his riders out of the saddle .
Summer is usually the busiest time of year for the horses , who travel from rodeo to rodeo , throwing off riders and entertaining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to death because this is the first time ever that we won ’ t have a rodeo , ” said Calzavara , owner of Big Hat Rodeo .
10:25 a.m. : Alabama college students held coronavirus parties and whoever got virus first won cash prize , officials say Several college students in an Alabama city organized “ COVID-19 ” parties as a contest to see who would get the virus first , officials said .
McKinstry said party organizers purposely invited guests who tested positive for COVID-19 .
She said the students put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID first would get the cash .
10:20 a.m. : Bars and nightclubs are becoming dangerous hot spots for COVID-19 , health experts warn' When the bars in Michigan reopened in June , Tony Hild forgot about face masks , social distancing and caution and headed out to Harper ’ s Restaurant and Brewpub , a popular spot in the college town of East Lansing .
There was a line out the door .
Inside were 200 people dancing , drinking and shouting over the music .
“ It was just so crowded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ This is going against everything I ’ m told not to do , ’ ” said Hild , 23 , a college student .
“ But I didn ’ t think I was going to get it.
” As people eager for a night out flood back into public after months of confinement , public health experts say that college-town bars , nightclubs and corner taverns are becoming dangerous new hot spots for the coronavirus , seeding infections in thousands of mostly young adults and adding to surging cases nationwide .
Louisiana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases to bars in the Tigerland nightlife district in Baton Rouge .
Minnesota has traced 328 recent cases to bars across the state .
And in East Lansing , home to Michigan State University , nearly 140 cases have been linked to Harper ’ s , Hild included .
He came down with a sore throat , chest pains and fatigue , and by then — more than a week later — he had already visited four other restaurants .
10:18 a.m. : For some suburban theaters , reopening not feasible with fraction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are starting to slowly welcome patrons back , others are finding it ’ s not feasible to open under the state ’ s Phase 4 guidelines .
Among those is the Tivoli Theatre in downtown Downers Grove , part of the family-owned Classic Cinemas movie theaters .
The historic 1,012-seat theater had planned to open June 26 , but was caught off guard when the guidelines issued June 22 in Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan allowed for a lower audience capacity than anticipated .
Per the state ’ s guidelines , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50 guests OR 50 % of overall theater or performance space capacity.
” ” We can open , but ... because ( the Tivoli ) only has a single screen , that would be 50 people per show time and there ’ s no way we can make that work financially , ” said Chris Johnson , CEO of Classic Cinemas .
10 a.m. : Wrigley Field rooftops reach agreement with city to open for Cubs games , rooftop manager says The city of Chicago has approved rooftops around Wrigley Field opening at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to the general manager of a rooftop venue .
” I was sort of planning for this period , ” said Brown in an interview .
“ The game hadn ’ t even begun till this past weekend , ” when phase four of the state ’ s reopening plan allowed clubs to reopen at 25 % occupancy .
7:05 a.m. : Chicago to focus on ticketing bar , restaurant violations of COVID-19 guidelines over July 4 weekend Chicago ’ s Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Department on Thursday “ will begin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guidelines for phase four of the state ’ s coronavirus reopening plan , especially at bars and restaurants , according to a news release from the mayor ’ s office .
The city has focused on reaching out and educating businesses up to this point , but this weekend expects to focus on writing tickets up to $ 10,000 “ related to social distancing , capacity limits and face coverings , ” according to the release .
City inspectors also are now able to immediately order the close of businesses they believe are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guidelines , according to the release .
Among the rules under the city ’ s version of phase four : customers must practice social distancing and use face coverings ; bars and restaurants have to keep to 25 % of indoor capacity or 50 people ; alcohol sales end at 11 p.m. ; and lines outside must be managed .
Since phase three of COVID-19 reopening began June 3 , the city has issued 59 warnings or notices to correct and 9 citations , after 377 investigations of violations .
6 a.m. : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new CTU contract if economy tanked .
Then COVID-19 hit , damaging CPS budget for years .
After the Chicago Board of Education approved an expensive new teachers ’ contract last fall following a bitter strike , Mayor Lori Lightfoot dismissed as “ 100 % wrong ” the notion that the school district could have trouble affording the deal if there was an economic downturn .
Then came COVID-19 , stay-at-home orders and a resulting recession that has hammered public finances across the country .
Now , the financial fault lines that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Public Schools officials try to put together a new spending plan in the coming weeks .
There are short-term problems : The state , which has its own financial woes , did not include extra education funding in its new budget that CPS was counting on to help pay for the teacher contract .
And property tax collections the district is heavily relying on could decline because people and businesses might not have the wherewithal to pay their bills .
Over the longer haul , the school district faces the double-whammy prospect of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ higher pension contribution costs triggered by the economic downturn , budget analysts said .
6 a.m. : You think the first half of 2020 was unpredictable ?
Wait until the second half .
The first six months of 2020 have been , shall we say , a lot : a whipsaw presidential primary , a worldwide pandemic , economic collapse and massive , sometimes violent protests over police brutality and racial injustice .
If little of that was predictable , imagine how volatile the next six months might be .
While COVID-19 cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contrast to other areas of the country , nearly all plans for major events remain subject to change .
But as it stands , schools will return to in-person instruction , some safety net benefits related to the pandemic will cease and the Chicago Bears will start their season by playing the Detroit Lions at noon on Sept. 13 .
That ’ s the plan , anyway .
As 2020 has amply demonstrated , who knows how things will actually shake out ?
Here are some things to look forward to in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ five things that happened Wednesday related to coronavirus in Illinois : As other states reverse course amid COVID-19 surge , Illinois and Chicago officials said they ’ re watching metrics but have no plans yet to tighten restrictions .
Illinois will open more small-business development centers , including 5 in Chicago , to help COVID-19 recovery Brookfield Zoo reopening at reduced capacity — right now there may be more animals outside than people .
McDonald ’ s plan to reopen dining rooms has been put on hold as COVID-19 cases surge in parts @ @ @

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The Fulton Market area of Chicago is no longer the ghost town it was during the depths of the COVID-19 virus pandemic shutdown. As restrictions on restaurants are eased, a worker takes a woman's temperature before she can enter Federales restaurant on Morgan Street on July 1, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
People coming to Chicago from 15 states experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases must self-quarantine for 14 days upon entering the city beginning next week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced late Thursday afternoon.
The order, which will go into effect on Monday, does not apply to people who are at the airport for a connecting flight or driving through the city on their way elsewhere, city officials said.
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The city of Chicago will also shut down bars that aren’t following social distancing guidelines and increase patrols in “problem areas,” Lightfoot and other officials told liquor license holders on a conference call ahead of the Fourth of July weekend.
”If you squander this opportunity we will shut you down and you will not reopen anytime soon,” Lightfoot said on the call, according to two sources.
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Illinois health officials Thursday reported 869 new known cases of COVID-19 and 36 additional confirmed fatalities, bringing the total number of known cases to 144,882 and the confirmed death toll to 6,987.
[ How to assess your COVID-19 risk when going out in public: Use this chart ]
[ Phase four of Illinois’s COVID-19 reopening: Settle in, folks, we may be here a while ]
[ Illinois enters phase 4 of reopening plan. Here’s a guide to what’s allowed. ]
[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code: Search for your neighborhood ]
Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
8:24 p.m.: No apparent COVID-19 spread from George Floyd protests; Chicago and Cook officials keep wary watch on reopening
Protests in Chicago and the suburbs over the Minnesota death of George Floyd as a police officer knelt on his neck so far have caused no identifiable uptick in COVID-19 cases, city and suburban Cook County officials said this week.
But they also noted that cases have been leveling off in Chicago and the suburbs, and increasing slightly statewide. Those trends came not only in the wake of the protests, but also as testing expanded across the state and stay-at-home orders were relaxed, making it tough to know precisely why the numbers changed, they said.
“I would use caution to pin that to protests,” said Dr. Jennifer Layden, chief medical officer for the Chicago Department of Public Health. “At a similar time we were seeing the protests, we also were gradually coming out of shelter in place, meaning more people are going back to work, there was opening up of restaurants and stores, (and) we were seeing small gatherings. ... So, if we saw an uptick, it would be very difficult to know if it was related to protests or social gatherings that people are having in their home.” Read more here. — Hal Dardick
7:44 p.m.: Bars and restaurants find themselves at coronavirus crossroads for July Fourth: ‘It’s going to be a tough weekend’
Ahead of a summer holiday weekend that, in normal times, would mean packed patios and crowded bars, restaurant and bar owners are facing fines of up to $10,000 if COVID-19 restrictions are flouted.
It’s a tough line to toe for businesses just barely scraping by after nearly three months of being closed due to the pandemic. In Pilsen, La Vaca Margarita Bar has been open for outdoor dining for a few weeks, converting its parking lot into a patio with tables spaced 6 feet apart. Read more here. — Josh Noel, Louisa Chu, Adam Lukach, Gregory Pratt and Grace Wong
5:46 p.m.: Chicago Cubs expand COVID-19 testing to the families of players and coaches
The Chicago Cubs are expanding their efforts in the battle against the coronavirus by inviting the families of uniformed personnel to participate in testing.
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Cubs President Theo Epstein said Thursday the wives of several players have been through the testing process. Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy revealed Wednesday that he spent 30 days quarantined after testing positive and wanted to share his experience with players and their families. Read more here. — Mark Gonzales
5:23 p.m.: Lightfoot orders anyone coming to Chicago from states where COVID-19 is surging to quarantine for 14 days
People coming to Chicago from 15 states experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases must self-quarantine for 14 days upon entering the city beginning next week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced late Thursday afternoon.
The city ordered the quarantine for anyone who has spent more than 24 hours in the following states before arriving in Chicago: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
The order, which will go into effect on Monday, does not apply to people who are at the airport for a connecting flight or driving through the city on their way elsewhere, city officials said.
”Like every action we have taken in response to the COVID-19 crisis, this decision was difficult but necessary in order to ensure the continued health and safety of Chicago’s residents and businesses,” Lightfoot said in a statement.
Anyone violating the order could face fines of $100 to $500 per day, up to a maximum $7,000, the city said.Under the order, “quarantine means staying at a single designated home or dwelling for 14 days before doing any activities outside of the home or dwelling,” the city said.
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The order by Lightfoot mirrors a similar measure taken in New York City. It was unclear how the city plans to monitor or enforce the order.With neighboring Indiana and other states pausing their reopening plans or even moving backward as new cases of the coronavirus surge, officials in Chicago and Illinois said Wednesday they have no plans to alter loosened rules that took effect statewide last week.
Lightfoot previously said the city tracks its data closely and will “not hesitate” to take action if they see an upward swing. Read more here. — Gregory Pratt
4:23 p.m.: Hurricane Harbor may reopen soon, but Six Flags Great America still questionable
Six Flags’ Hurricane Harbor water parks in Gurnee and Rockford may be reopening soon, though a reopening for Six Flags Great America remains less certain.
More than a month has passed since Six Flags laid out how it thought it could reopen as safely as possible considering the ongoing pandemic, but its Gurnee-based amusement and water parks remain closed, as do all amusement parks, trampoline parks and indoor playgrounds.
Six Flags has received word from the Governor’s Office that its two water parks are allowed to begin opening, spokeswoman Caitlin Kepple said. An opening date has not yet been set.
”Our full-time team is now back on property and working to implement our comprehensive reopening safety plan so that we can welcome guests to Hurricane Harbor Chicago and Hurricane Harbor Rockford soon,” she said in an email. Read more here. — Emily K. Coleman
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4:21 p.m.: Of the COVID-19 pregnancy cases reported in Illinois, Black and Latina women make up over 70%
At around 25 weeks pregnant with her first child, a 21-year-old Hispanic woman became infected with COVID-19.
The young woman’s doctors at St. Anthony Hospital in Little Village were just learning more about the coronavirus as it hit Illinois in the spring, and they wanted to monitor the baby’s growth.
But her insurance did not initially approve the growth ultrasound, her doctors said. So they had to wait to schedule a scan to check her baby. This delayed their ability to assess the pregnancy and created extra stress.
“There were a lot of barriers for her,” said Margarita Flores, a St. Anthony midwife who helped treat her.
When she delivered in June, she was diagnosed with preeclampsia — high blood pressure in pregnancy that can lead to serious, or even fatal, complications for both mom and baby. The baby was born small.
The mom and her baby, whose names were not shared for privacy reasons, are doing well now, said Flores and her doctors.
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The coronavirus has amplified the challenges pregnant women face. And even more so for Black and Latina women, who might be disproportionately affected by COVID-19, according to recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, and who experience extra burdens of not only implicit racism within the health care industry, but also socioeconomic factors that can impact their ability to access care. Read more here. — Alison Bowen
3:32 p.m.: Chili Davis, the former Cubs hitting coach, will work remotely when the Mets open camp because of COVID-19 concerns
Former Chicago Cubs hitting coach Chili Davis will keep working remotely when the New York Mets open summer training camp Friday.
The New York Post was first to report that Davis, 60, won’t be on site at Citi Field for the beginning of practices because of concerns about the coronavirus.
“The timeline for him to join us is uncertain yet,” Mets manager Luis Rojas said on a video call Thursday.
The Post, citing unidentified sources in its report, said Davis does not have the virus.
Davis was the Cubs hitting coach in 2018 but was fired nine days after the Rockies beat the Cubs in the National League wild-card game. Read more here. — Mike Fitzpatrick
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2:31 p.m.: 869 new known COVID-19 cases, 36 additional deaths
Illinois health officials Thursday reported 869 new known cases of COVID-19 and 36 additional confirmed fatalities, bringing the total number of known cases to 144,882 and the confirmed death toll to 6,987.
—Chicago Tribune staff
1:44 p.m., (Updated 5:43 p.m.): Federal judge denies GOP request to prevent Pritzker’s crowd limit rule from applying to political gatherings
A southern Illinois judge on Thursday declared Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s orders aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 to be void, saying state law doesn’t allow governors to extend disaster proclamations beyond 30 days.Pritzker first declared a statewide disaster because of the pandemic on March 9 and has issued extensions every 30 days.
The implications of Clay County Circuit Judge Michael Mchaney’s order, which stemmed from a lawsuit filed by state Rep. Darren Bailey, were not immediately clear. The state is in the fourth phase of Pritzker’s reopening plans and continues to be under a number or restrictions, including on crowd sizes and on how businesses can operate.
The ruling came hours after U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis denied the Illinois Republican Party’s request to temporarily block Pritzker’s limit on gatherings from applying to political parties.
The Clay County ruling is the latest twist in a legal battle that has raised the profile of Bailey, a Xenia Republican who is running for a state Senate seat in the November election.
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Bailey has drawn personal rebukes from the governor and was kicked off the House floor in a bipartisan vote during the General Assembly’s special session in May for violating a rule requiring lawmakers to wear masks.
McHaney previously ruled in Bailey’s favor, exempting him personally from Pritzker’s stay-at-home order. Bailey later withdrew and refiled his lawsuit, bringing the case back before the judge. The governor’s office attempted to move the case court, but a federal judge in southern Illinois sent it back to Clay County.”
This is a victory for freedom. This is a victory for the people of Illinois,” Bailey said Thursday outside the courthouse, where he was greeted by supporters, some of whom wore T-shirts that read “My governor is an idiot” on the front and “Fire Pritzker” on the back but none of whom appeared to be wearing the face coverings required under Pritzker’s executive order.
Pritzker spokeswoman Emily Bittner downplayed the significance of the ruling in a statement.”Every other court — both state and federal — that has considered these exact issues has agreed with the administration that executive orders protecting Illinoisans’ health and safety are well within the governor’s constitutional authority,” Bittner said. “This includes a federal court decision earlier today.”
The Illinois attorney general’s office is expected to appeal the ruling in state court. Read more here. —Dan Petrella
1:24 p.m.: Illinois Holocaust Museum reopens July 15 in Skokie
The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in north suburban Skokie will reopen to visitors July 15 — with free admission for the day and limits on the number of visitors at any one time. The museum, devoted to the subject of the Holocaust in mission but in practice embracing a wide range of subjects and exhibits having to do with tolerance and human rights, also has announced an extension of the popular current “Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.”
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The exhibit about the Supreme Court justice and her popularity now will run through Jan. 3, 2021. Before the closure, said museum marketing vice president Marcy Larson, “‘RBG’ had been on track to be one of the most popular we’ve ever had.”
Read more here. —Doug George
1:22 p.m.: Brookfield Zoo has reopened, and the animals might outnumber the humans
Brookfield Zoo is reopening this week, albeit slowly, with lions and tigers and zoo members first. The zoo’s gates swung open Wednesday for those holding seasonal memberships, with the general public to follow July 8. Tickets are being sold at reduced capacity, with timed admissions and only in advance.
On a hot and sunny first morning with temperatures edging their way towards 90 degrees, those admissions were just a trickle, with whole tree-lined boulevards inside the park free from strollers, crowds, humans of any kind. If you’ve ever wanted to feel like it was just you and the animals, this is your chance.
But be warned not all exhibits are open yet. Visitors will not be able to enter any of the indoor habitats — so still closed are the primate houses, the dolphins and aquatic shows, and all of the indoor bird and aviary exhibits. But that leaves a lot open in the zoo’s 216 acres of grounds — including the lions, tigers and big cats, bears, hoofed animals such as bison and zebra, kangaroos and more.
Read more here. —Doug George
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1:21 p.m.: Mayor Lori Lightfoot, city officials threaten to shut down bars that don’t follow social distancing guidelines
The city of Chicago will shut down bars that aren’t following social distancing guidelines and increase patrols in “problem areas,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other officials told liquor license holders on a conference call ahead of the Fourth of July weekend.
”If you squander this opportunity we will shut you down and you will not reopen anytime soon,” Lightfoot said on the call, according to two sources.
Maureen Martino, executive director of the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce, said the message from the mayor was clear and stern.
”Obviously the mayor has been very careful about reopening because of the virus and we don’t want to go backwards. It’s everyone’s best interests to follow the rules,” Martino said. “A couple bad operators can set us back. We’re hoping to make the mayor proud this weekend.”
On the call, the city said that the Chicago Police Department and Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Department would be proactively canvassing “problems areas,” with potential for immediate closure orders and citations of up to $10,000 each on bar owners that aren’t following rules.
A PowerPoint slide with that message said: “The time for education is over.”
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Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
12:23 p.m.: Horses stand idle and clowns call it quits as the coronavirus cancels Illinois rodeos. ‘This is the first time ever that we won’t have a rodeo.’
Forty horses are crowded around Lenora Calzavara, their breath hot and their tails swishing.
These aren’t riding horses, waiting for someone to take them out for a trot. These are rodeo horses, bred for their ability to buck riders off in less than eight seconds.
A horse named Mafia Witch is the queen bee in the bunch, with her witchy-white mane blowing in the wind. She was the 2016 world champion bareback horse.
There’s her son, a blonde called Capone; another bareback bronc, the copper-colored mare named Angel Heart, and Shaken Not Stirred, a light brown saddle bronc who bucks his riders out of the saddle.
Summer is usually the busiest time of year for the horses, who travel from rodeo to rodeo, throwing off riders and entertaining crowds.
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But for months, the horses haven’t done much besides graze on Calzavara’s pasture in Harvard, Illinois.
”They are all bored to death because this is the first time ever that we won’t have a rodeo,” said Calzavara, owner of Big Hat Rodeo.
Read more here. —Ally Marotti
10:25 a.m.: Alabama college students held coronavirus parties and whoever got virus first won cash prize, officials say
Several college students in an Alabama city organized “COVID-19” parties as a contest to see who would get the virus first, officials said.
Tuscaloosa City Councilor Sonya McKinstry said students hosted the parties to intentionally infect each other with the new coronavirus, news outlets reported.
McKinstry said party organizers purposely invited guests who tested positive for COVID-19. She said the students put money in a pot and whoever got COVID first would get the cash.
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“It makes no sense,” McKinstry said. “They’re intentionally doing it.”
Read more here. —Associated Press
10:20 a.m.: Bars and nightclubs are becoming dangerous hot spots for COVID-19, health experts warn'
When the bars in Michigan reopened in June, Tony Hild forgot about face masks, social distancing and caution and headed out to Harper’s Restaurant and Brewpub, a popular spot in the college town of East Lansing. There was a line out the door. Inside were 200 people dancing, drinking and shouting over the music.
“It was just so crowded, and I’m like, ‘This is going against everything I’m told not to do,’” said Hild, 23, a college student. “But I didn’t think I was going to get it.”
As people eager for a night out flood back into public after months of confinement, public health experts say that college-town bars, nightclubs and corner taverns are becoming dangerous new hot spots for the coronavirus, seeding infections in thousands of mostly young adults and adding to surging cases nationwide.
Louisiana health officials tied at least 100 coronavirus cases to bars in the Tigerland nightlife district in Baton Rouge. Minnesota has traced 328 recent cases to bars across the state.
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And in East Lansing, home to Michigan State University, nearly 140 cases have been linked to Harper’s, Hild included. He came down with a sore throat, chest pains and fatigue, and by then — more than a week later — he had already visited four other restaurants.
Read more here. —The New York Times
10:18 a.m.: For some suburban theaters, reopening not feasible with fraction of audience capacity
As some entertainment venues are starting to slowly welcome patrons back, others are finding it’s not feasible to open under the state’s Phase 4 guidelines.
Among those is the Tivoli Theatre in downtown Downers Grove, part of the family-owned Classic Cinemas movie theaters. The historic 1,012-seat theater had planned to open June 26, but was caught off guard when the guidelines issued June 22 in Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan allowed for a lower audience capacity than anticipated. Per the state’s guidelines, theaters should operate “at lesser of 50 guests OR 50% of overall theater or performance space capacity.”
”We can open, but ... because (the Tivoli) only has a single screen, that would be 50 people per show time and there’s no way we can make that work financially,” said Chris Johnson, CEO of Classic Cinemas.
“It doesn’t mean we won’t reopen at some point, it just makes it extremely challenging.”'
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Read more here. —Kathy Cichon
10 a.m.: Wrigley Field rooftops reach agreement with city to open for Cubs games, rooftop manager says
The city of Chicago has approved rooftops around Wrigley Field opening at 25 percent capacity for Cubs games, according to the general manager of a rooftop venue.
"We can open our rooftop," said Freddy Fagenholz, general manager of Murphy's Rooftop.
Fagenholz said he received a call from the city Wednesday that their license was approved with safety restrictions related to COVID-19.
Read more here. —Madeline Buckley
9:15 a.m.: What’s it like as COVID-19 Phase 4 allows jazz clubs like Andy’s to reopen
When Chicago guitarist Andy Brown headed out for his gig Wednesday night at Andy’s Jazz Club, he realized he’d forgotten something.
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”I was so excited as I walked out of my house, I was halfway to my garage when I realized” what he had left behind, Brown told the audience during his first set. ”My guitar.”
So he rushed back inside to get it.That’s what happens when you haven’t played a concert gig in 3-1/2 months.
But Brown and his bandmates – pianist Jeremy Kahn and bassist Joe Policastro – clearly have been practicing during the shutdown, judging by their exuberant performance at Andy’s, which reopened last weekend. Each instrumentalist packed so much melodic content and rhythmic drive into their solos, it sounded as if they were unleashing a torrent of pent-up musicality. Which, of course, they were.
”I was sort of planning for this period,” said Brown in an interview. “The game hadn’t even begun till this past weekend,” when phase four of the state’s reopening plan allowed clubs to reopen at 25% occupancy.
Read more here. —Howard Reich
7:05 a.m.: Chicago to focus on ticketing bar, restaurant violations of COVID-19 guidelines over July 4 weekend
Chicago’s Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Department on Thursday “will begin ramping up its enforcement” of health guidelines for phase four of the state’s coronavirus reopening plan, especially at bars and restaurants, according to a news release from the mayor’s office.
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The city has focused on reaching out and educating businesses up to this point, but this weekend expects to focus on writing tickets up to $10,000 “related to social distancing, capacity limits and face coverings,” according to the release.
City inspectors also are now able to immediately order the close of businesses they believe are committing “egregious” violations of the guidelines, according to the release.
Among the rules under the city’s version of phase four: customers must practice social distancing and use face coverings; bars and restaurants have to keep to 25% of indoor capacity or 50 people; alcohol sales end at 11 p.m.; and lines outside must be managed.
The city’s encouraging anyone who sees violations to call 311.
Since phase three of COVID-19 reopening began June 3, the city has issued 59 warnings or notices to correct and 9 citations, after 377 investigations of violations.
—Chicago Tribune staff
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6 a.m.: Lightfoot dismissed questions about ability to afford new CTU contract if economy tanked. Then COVID-19 hit, damaging CPS budget for years.
After the Chicago Board of Education approved an expensive new teachers’ contract last fall following a bitter strike, Mayor Lori Lightfoot dismissed as “100% wrong” the notion that the school district could have trouble affording the deal if there was an economic downturn.
Then came COVID-19, stay-at-home orders and a resulting recession that has hammered public finances across the country. Now, the financial fault lines that the Tribune identified have been breached as Chicago Public Schools officials try to put together a new spending plan in the coming weeks.
There are short-term problems: The state, which has its own financial woes, did not include extra education funding in its new budget that CPS was counting on to help pay for the teacher contract. And property tax collections the district is heavily relying on could decline because people and businesses might not have the wherewithal to pay their bills.
Over the longer haul, the school district faces the double-whammy prospect of further erosion in property tax collections and higher pension contribution costs triggered by the economic downturn, budget analysts said.
Read more here. —Hal Dardick and Hannah Leone
6 a.m.: You think the first half of 2020 was unpredictable? Wait until the second half.
The first six months of 2020 have been, shall we say, a lot: a whipsaw presidential primary, a worldwide pandemic, economic collapse and massive, sometimes violent protests over police brutality and racial injustice.
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If little of that was predictable, imagine how volatile the next six months might be.
While COVID-19 cases are decreasing in Illinois, a sharp contrast to other areas of the country, nearly all plans for major events remain subject to change. But as it stands, schools will return to in-person instruction, some safety net benefits related to the pandemic will cease and the Chicago Bears will start their season by playing the Detroit Lions at noon on Sept. 13.
That’s the plan, anyway. As 2020 has amply demonstrated, who knows how things will actually shake out? Here are some things to look forward to in the second half of 2020.
Read more here. —John Keilman, Madeline Buckley
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here are five things that happened Wednesday related to coronavirus in Illinois:
As other states reverse course amid COVID-19 surge, Illinois and Chicago officials said they’re watching metrics but have no plans yet to tighten restrictions.
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Illinois will open more small-business development centers, including 5 in Chicago, to help COVID-19 recovery
Brookfield Zoo reopening at reduced capacity — right now there may be more animals outside than people.
McDonald’s plan to reopen dining rooms has been put on hold as COVID-19 cases surge in parts of U.S.
Taste of Chicago To-Go details announced.


chicagotribune--2020-07-03--Downstate judge voids Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s coronavirus orders; state to appeal

“ This is a victory for freedom .
This is a victory for the people of Illinois , ” Bailey @ @ @ @ @ , where he was greeted by supporters , some of whom wore T-shirts that read @ @ @ @ @ an idiot ” on the front and “ Fire Pritzker ” on the back .
@ @ @ @ @ be wearing the face coverings required under Pritzker ’ s executive order .

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during his daily coronavirus pandemic briefing at the Illinois State Capitol on May 20, 2020, in Springfield. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
A southern Illinois judge on Thursday declared void Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s orders aimed at slowing the spread of the new coronavirus, saying state law doesn’t allow governors to extend disaster proclamations beyond 30 days or restrict the activities of residents and businesses by executive order.
Pritzker first declared a statewide disaster because of COVID-19 on March 9 and has issued extensions every 30 days. Those proclamations have been the legal basis for the governor’s stay-at-home order and restrictions in each phase of his “Restore Illinois” reopening plan.
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The immediate implications of Clay County Circuit Judge Michael McHaney’s order, which stemmed from a lawsuit filed by state Rep. Darren Bailey, were not clear.
The state is in the fourth phase of Pritzker’s reopening plan, which includes a number of restrictions, such as a limit on crowd sizes and stricter regulations on businesses.
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“That’s gone as we stand here right now,” said Bailey’s attorney, Thomas DeVore.
The Illinois attorney general’s office, which is expected to appeal, had no immediate comment.
The ruling came hours after U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis denied the Illinois Republican Party’s request to temporarily block Pritzker’s limit on gatherings from applying to political parties.
The Clay County ruling is the latest twist in a legal battle that has raised the profile of Bailey, a Xenia Republican who is running for a state Senate seat in the November election.
Bailey has drawn personal rebukes from the governor and was kicked off the House floor in a bipartisan vote during the General Assembly’s special session in May for violating a rule requiring lawmakers to wear masks.
McHaney previously ruled in Bailey’s favor, exempting him personally from Pritzker’s stay-at-home order. Bailey later withdrew and refiled his lawsuit, bringing the case back before the judge. The governor’s office attempted to move the case to federal court, but a federal judge in southern Illinois sent it back to Clay County.
“This is a victory for freedom. This is a victory for the people of Illinois,” Bailey said Thursday outside the courthouse, where he was greeted by supporters, some of whom wore T-shirts that read, “My governor is an idiot” on the front and “Fire Pritzker” on the back. None of them appeared to be wearing the face coverings required under Pritzker’s executive order.
Pritzker spokeswoman Emily Bittner downplayed the significance of the ruling in a statement.
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“Every other court — both state and federal — that has considered these exact issues has agreed with the administration that executive orders protecting Illinoisans’ health and safety are well within the governor’s constitutional authority,” Bittner said. “This includes a federal court decision earlier today.”
DeVore said those rulings were largely preliminary and did not deal directly with the governor’s authority under Illinois law and the state constitution.
The Clay County ruling is not final and did not include an injunction barring the state from enforcing Pritzker’s phase four rules, Bittner said.
In the federal lawsuit filed last month, the state Republican Party and three local GOP organizations allege that Pritzker’s executive order capping the size of gatherings violates the party’s First and 14th Amendment rights.
The Republican groups are asking the court to exempt political parties from the limits and seeking permission to hold in-person events without size restrictions in the run-up to the November election.
They also sought a preliminary order barring enforcement of the rule, arguing that there was an urgent need to allow gatherings including a Fourth of July picnic planned by the Will County Republican Central Committee, one of the groups suing the first-term Democratic governor.
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Judge Ellis wrote in a 21-page ruling issued Thursday that the GOP groups “have not shown how this exemption is a plain invasion of their constitutional rights” and denied their request for a temporary restraining order.
“Plaintiffs ask that they be allowed to gather — without limitation — despite the advice of medical experts and the current rise in infections,” Ellis wrote. “The risks in doing so are too great.”
The GOP lawsuit also challenges the governor’s authority to extend disaster proclamations beyond 30 days, but that wasn’t part of the request for immediate action, so Ellis’ ruling didn’t address the issue.
Ellis’ decision marked the latest court ruling to provide legal backing for the steps the governor has taken to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
Republicans have vowed to appeal.
“We are disappointed with today’s results and obviously disagree with the ruling,” Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider said in a statement. “Our fight to secure our First Amendment right is not over, however.”
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At issue is whether Pritzker’s executive orders limiting gatherings violate the First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly and the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause.
Republicans argue that the governor’s limits on gatherings discriminate based on the content of speech. They note he’s granted an exemption for religious groups and also participated in a protest with hundreds of other people in south suburban Matteson last month in response to the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd.
“Political parties are for political expression what churches are for religious expression: the corporate manifestation of speech and interaction within a community of shared belief,” the lawsuit state. “Political parties’ events and rallies are also like protest rallies and marches. And like churches and marches, political parties operate in a world where time matters; the 2020 election is only months away.”
Ellis ruled that while allowing religious gatherings to operate under a different set of rules does create a “content-based restriction,” allowing them to continue while urging adherence to safety guidelines “is indeed the least restrictive means” to protect both the free exercise of religion and public health.
“The Constitution does not accord a political party the same express protections as it provides to religion,” Ellis wrote.
She added: “Allowing Plaintiffs to gather would open the floodgates to challenges from other groups that find in-person gatherings most effective. It would also require that the Court turn a blind eye to the increase in infections across a high majority of states, which as of July 1, 2020 includes Illinois.”
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State officials on Thursday announced 869 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 36 additional fatalities, bringing the number of known cases to 144,882 cases and the death toll to 6,987 statewide since the pandemic began.
The seven-day rolling average of new cases, which health officials look at to smooth day-to-day fluctuations in the numbers, has been on the rise in Illinois over the past two weeks, but the number of people being tested also is increasing, which can lead to higher numbers. The percentage of tests returning positive results, meanwhile, has remained relatively stable, hovering between 2% and 3% on a seven-day average.
Pritzker’s initial statewide stay-at-home order took effect March 21 and ended May 29, when the state entered phase three of his “Restore Illinois” reopening plan. The state moved into phase four last Friday, which raised the cap on in-person gatherings to 50 people from 10 and loosened other restrictions.
The governor’s orders largely have been upheld so far in the face of legal challenges by churches and religious organizations, businesses and Republican lawmakers.
The U.S. Supreme Court even weighed in, declining to take action on behalf of two Chicago-area churches that sought to overturn a previous executive order that placed the 10-person limit on religious gatherings. However, that ruling came after Pritzker lifted the size limit on religious gatherings in favor of safety guidelines from the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals later ruled that the limit on religious gatherings did not discriminate or violate the First Amendment.
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dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-03--No apparent COVID-19 spread from George Floyd protests; Chicago and Cook officials keep wary watch o

No apparent COVID-19 spread from George Floyd protests; Chicago and Cook officials keep wary watch on reopening

“ I would use caution to pin that to protests , ” said Dr. Jennifer Layden , chief medical officer @ @ @ @ @ Public Health .
“ At a similar time we were seeing the protests , we @ @ @ @ @ of shelter in place , meaning more people are going back to work , there @ @ @ @ @ and stores , ( and ) we were seeing small gatherings .
...
So , @ @ @ @ @ , it would be very difficult to know if it was related to protests or @ @ @ @ @ having in their home .
”

Police officers guarding the Trump International Hotel & Tower hold back protesters in the Loop on May 30, 2020, during a rally and march to remember the May 25 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Protests in Chicago and the suburbs over the Minnesota death of George Floyd as a police officer knelt on his neck so far have caused no identifiable uptick in COVID-19 cases, city and suburban Cook County officials said this week.
But they also noted that cases have been leveling off in Chicago and the suburbs, and increasing slightly statewide. Those trends came not only in the wake of the protests, but also as testing expanded across the state and stay-at-home orders were relaxed, making it tough to know precisely why the numbers changed, they said.
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“I would use caution to pin that to protests,” said Dr. Jennifer Layden, chief medical officer for the Chicago Department of Public Health. “At a similar time we were seeing the protests, we also were gradually coming out of shelter in place, meaning more people are going back to work, there was opening up of restaurants and stores, (and) we were seeing small gatherings. ... So, if we saw an uptick, it would be very difficult to know if it was related to protests or social gatherings that people are having in their home.”
City data shows that, compared with May, when newly reported cases on some days topped 1,000, the numbers have not risen above 250 in recent weeks. In addition, the number of deaths and percentage of tests coming back positive have declined significantly since May.
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“We saw a nice decline, and more recently a steady number of cases,” Layden said.
The protests occurred in late May. Typically, it takes weeks for confirmed cases to develop and be reported.
Although some people who recently contracted the disease reported being at protests, there’s no clear evidence that they contracted it while taking part, Layden said. But she also cautioned that younger people with mild or no symptoms may not bother getting tested.
It’s still possible that a protest link could emerge, if those who might have caught the disease spread it to others, but it would be tough to know for certain, Layden added.
In suburban Cook County, there are significantly fewer new confirmed daily cases of COVID-19 than when the protests over Floyd’s death occurred.
People observe eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence while sitting in the street at the corner of Ogden and Randolph Street as protesters call for the Chicago Police Department to be defunded during a march out of Union Park on June 5, 2020. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
In late May, the number of new cases each day was hovering above 500, after reaching a high of 771 on April 24. Now, the number of new cases being reported each day averages around 150. That is up slightly from mid-June, when the average was in the 130 range.
“We have not seen a bump in cases related to the protests,” said Dr. Rachel Rubin, one of the county public health department’s two chief medical officers. “This may be because most individuals have been wearing masks and the protests are outside. Transmission is less likely outside than inside as there is more air circulation.”
Layden agreed with that assessment, adding that if people went to protest with a group, but did not mingle with others, they were less at risk of getting COVID-19.
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The observations of city and county public health officials are in keeping with a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a 100-year-old nonprofit economic research organization. It found “no evidence that urban protests reignited COVID-19 case growth during the more than three weeks following protest onset.”
Nevertheless, given that other states are seeing huge upswings in case counts after opening up — albeit often at different points in the COVID-19 trajectory and with a different set of rules — city, county and state officials are keeping a close eye on the local trends. And all say that a negative trend in the data would force them to backtrack on aspects of reopening.
The data they are watching includes daily case counts, deaths, percentage of tests coming back positive, hospitalizations and emergency room visits, Layden said.
“If a signal suggested that most of the recent exposures were occurring because of some specific type of gathering, that may drive any type of decision,” Layden said. “What we do know, from all that we’ve seen not just here but nationwide and worldwide, the largest outbreaks and areas of exposure have been in settings where there’s close, prolonged exposures, and usually in a confined space. More outbreaks have been indoors, rather than outdoors.”
The county public health department — which has jurisdiction over all Cook suburbs except for Evanston, Skokie, Oak Park and Stickney Township — is following the guidelines set by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on how to gradually reopen the economy. Chicago has complied with those same guidelines but has the right to set stricter standards and its own reopening schedule.
Illinois and Chicago have both advanced to the fourth of five stages of reopening, which allows for activities that epidemiologists say makes coronavirus transmission more likely.
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Those activities include indoor dining and drinking, with limitations on capacity and social distancing rules in place. Folks are also required to wear face coverings when they are out in public and unable to keep a safe distance from others.
In announcing the start of phase four late last month, Pritzker said he would not hesitate to again put stricter rules in place if the numbers demand it.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 58 The Fulton Market area of Chicago is no longer the ghost town it was during the depths of the COVID-19 virus pandemic shutdown. As restrictions on restaurants are eased, a worker takes a woman's temperature before she can enter Federales restaurant on Morgan Street on July 1, 2020. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
“If we start to see hospitalizations go up and are unmanageable, we would cut back on elective surgeries,” Pritzker said June 24. “That’s one example of a change we could make, but we’re taking this as it comes.”
And Lightfoot this week said: “We’re looking at this literally every single day, multiple times a day. If we see that we’re heading in the wrong direction, I’m not going to hesitate to take action.”
On Thursday, she warned bar owners that they would be shut down if they didn’t comply with capacity limits designed to limit coronavirus spread. Recent case clusters in other states have been linked to bars and nightclubs.
Layden, meanwhile, asked people not to put down their guard.
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“You can’t speak enough of people really adhering to social distancing and mask wearing and especially as we go into a long weekend, the importance of keeping those important measures in mind,” she said.
hdardick@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-03--Controversy over keeping police in Chicago schools rages on, moves to City Council

Though the Chicago Board of Education voted 4-3 last week not to end the current contract between CPS and CPD @ @ @ @ @ August .
Between now and then , the Board of Education is expected to vote @ @ @ @ @

Protesters dance and play music outside Chicago Board of Education President Miguel del Valle's home as a virtual school board meeting takes place on June 24, 2020. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
With the $33 million contract between Chicago Public Schools and the city’s Police Department approaching its expiration date, City Council members took part in a heated discussion Thursday about the role of police in schools — and whether they should be there at all.
For five hours, members of a joint committee on public safety and education listened to reports and asked pointed questions about issues surrounding the practice of stationing officers inside schools.
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At the same time, students advocating for an end to the Chicago Police Department contract held their own event on Facebook Live.
Though the Chicago Board of Education voted 4-3 last week not to end the current contract between CPS and CPD, that only runs through August. Between now and then, the Board of Education is expected to vote on a new agreement.,
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Much of the ongoing debate around police in schools has been focused on whether the city should end the program, city Inspector General Joe Ferguson said.
“Last week’s unsuccessful motion before the CPS Board of Education to terminate the existing (school resource officer) contract answers the ‘whether’ question, but only temporarily,” Ferguson told aldermen.
Several aldermen brought up how Local School Councils don’t have the option to take the money that would pay for their officers and spend it on something else.
“To me it’s a bit of a false narrative that we are carrying on here regarding that choice,” 22nd Ward Ald. Michael Rodriguez said.
CPS Chief of Safety and Security Jadine Chou said it’s not an either-or proposition, and just because a school has police doesn’t mean they won’t also get a counselor or social worker.
Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, 33rd, pressed for clarity on whether school-based officers can add students to the city’s controversial gang database.
“CPS does not use the gang database,” Chou said.
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Drawing attention to the need for an overall hearing on the database, Ferguson said from his understanding, school officers do have the capacity to provide information that results in a gang designation.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Barbara West added that as sworn officers, “they do have access to the actual database.”
That question aside, Chou noted that every school in the city has safety challenges, inside or outside the building.
Englewood resident Darlene O’Banner stressed that each school is different and urged decision makers to “talk to the silent students.”
Speakers Thursday included both sides from Kenwood Academy.
In support of school officers, Kenwood Local School Council member Felicia Davis-Fourte said while conversations around defunding police have brought up the effects of bad policing, good officers can help keep schools safe.
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”Defunding as a broad sweeping measure would be a mistake,” Davis-Fourte said.
Ashton Carter, a rising junior at Kenwood, said he does not support removing officers, who have built trust with students. It helps that both of the school’s officers are African American, like the majority of the students, he said.
But Kenwood social studies teacher Dave Stieber said schools would be better served by having more Black educators, not police.
Ana McCullom, a rising senior, said as a Kenwood student who took part in the Facebook Live event, she does not support having police in schools, and there have been serious allegations against officers at her school.
“For decades now, we have demanded counselors not cops, nurses not handcuffs. ... Finally the people in power are starting to listen,” McCullom said.
In 2018, Ferguson’s office published a report detailing issues with the Police Department’s recruitment, selection, placement, training, evaluation, and definition of roles and responsibilities of school-based officers.
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While CPD committed to some changes, they did not address other concerns, Ferguson said, claiming the city used the 2019 consent decree, which includes several paragraphs specific to school-based officers, “as a shield to slow readily achievable reform.”
“CPD indicated that its proposed changes would be implemented as part of the consent decree before the start of the 2019-2020 school year,” Ferguson said. “While that time frame was permitted under the consent decree, CPD’s failure to act more expeditiously left students, teachers, parents and community stakeholders without the protections and assurances of an appropriate school safety program.”
A report released this month by an independent monitor for the consent decree found CPD had made progress but did not meet compliance with requirements supposed to take place last school year, raising outstanding concerns about selection criteria, roles and responsibilities.
hleone@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-04--Home security video captures close-up images of gunman killing companion at point-blank range

WARNING : Video contains graphic content .
In a video provided to the Tribune by a source , a gunman @ @ @ @ @ at point-blank range in Rogers Park .

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chicagotribune--2020-07-04--Coronavirus at Illinois long-term care facilities: 22,833 confirmed cases and 3,856 deaths

The Illinois Department of Public Health is releasing information on COVID-19 tied to long-term care facilities in Illinois .
The @ @ @ @ @ at 614 long-term care facilities in 45 counties .
Of those , 534 facilities have @ @ @ @ @ , defined as a positive test result in the past 28 days .
In all @ @ @ @ @ be tied to long-term care facilities , with 3,856 deaths , as of July 3 @

The Illinois Department of Public Health is releasing information on COVID-19 tied to long-term care facilities in Illinois. The data shows outbreaks have occurred at long-term care facilities in 94 counties. Of those, 1,003 facilities have an “active” outbreak, defined as a positive test result in the past 28 days. In all, 71,103 confirmed cases can be tied to long-term care facilities, with 9,263 deaths, as of Jan. 22.


chicagotribune--2020-07-03--Black rookie Chicago cop says he’s leaving police union over criticism of kneeling officers. ‘The FO

Black rookie Chicago cop says he’s leaving police union over criticism of kneeling officers. ‘The FOP has not been welcoming to folks like me'

Givens , 30 , would be the only active officer in the city without union representation if he follows through @ @ @ @ @ out in an article published this past week at medium.com .
Givens , who is @ @ @ @ @ his action will spur a conversation about what the next generation of policing should look @ @ @ @

Rookie Chicago cop Julius Givens’ open letter of protest to his union boss isn’t your typical act of defiance. It’s not intensely confrontational, quotes a poet laureate and invokes the name of Sir Robert Peel, a British prime minister from the 19th century.
Then comes the punch of the 13th paragraph: “I request, effective immediately or the earliest possible date to terminate my membership, all relations, and communication with the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7. If I require any legal representation with regards to my duties as a police officer I will provide those services independent of Lodge 7 moving forward.”
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Givens, 30, would be the only active officer in the city without union representation if he follows through with his intentions, laid out in an article published this past week at medium.com. Givens, who is Black, said he hopes his action will spur a conversation about what the next generation of policing should look like in Chicago.
Chicago police Officer Julius Givens on July 2, 2020. Givens has informed the police union that he would like to terminate his membership. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)
“I spoke with 22 (Black) officers that have 10-plus years on the job,” Givens told the Tribune. “And the first thing that they told me was, no, the FOP doesn’t represent me and they don’t stand for what I stand for, they aren’t who I am. And that was across the board.
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“The FOP has not been welcoming to folks like me,” he said. “They haven’t been very welcoming to folks like myself, being a Black man, a Black police officer. In its current form, in its current environment, that’s not even something I’m willing to participate in.”
Lodge 7 has no Black officers in leadership posts. The union endorsed Donald Trump in 2016, and the new union chief received a congratulatory tweet from the president, who has been accused of dividing the country by race.
Givens said he finally decided to write the letter after hearing FOP President John Catanzara talk about the protests that followed the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. Some police officers across the country had chosen to kneel with protesters, something that Catanzara was clearly against.
“Any member of Lodge 7 who is going to take a knee and basically side with protesters while they’re in uniform will subject themselves to discipline in the lodge up to and including expulsion from Lodge 7,” Catanzara said during a WGN Radio interview with Bob Sirott on June 10.
A 25-year veteran of the force, Catanzara has been a controversial figure because of his outspoken views, sometimes targeting public officials and posting online comments that critics have called insensitive.
“John,” Givens wrote. “I am bewildered that given your position as the leader of one of the most powerful unions in the United States, that you would respond in such a manner. To hear the cry of the people we serve and ignore it is a crime against humanity.”
Catanzara said he spoke with Givens after the letter was posted. “It’s his choice to go whichever way he wishes,” he emailed. “This seems like part of a bigger plan, which is fine.”
He added that he stands by his comment in the interview. “My stance on kneeling officers has not changed and will not change.”
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Givens’ letter is a rare public critique from a Black Chicago officer about the relationship between minority communities and police — a work in progress since the fallout from the Laquan McDonald slaying. Chicago’s Black officers have lacked a strong social justice voice since the days of the old Afro-American Patrolmen’s League.
The league was born in the fiery late 1960s following Mayor Richard J. Daley’s infamous “shoot-to-kill” order during the riots. Officers Renault Robinson and Edward “Buzz” Palmer founded the upstart group of Black cops to challenge hiring and promotions practices while also pushing for better community relations.
The group filed numerous lawsuits against the department, one leading a federal judge to institute a quota system for hiring. But league members said the gains came at a price as supervisors threatened their jobs and gave them bad assignments.
The number of socially active cops dwindled as league-aligned Black officers retired and few young officers stepped forward. Where Black cops had a strong voice of dissent during the 1970s and 1980s, today they largely have remained silent on social topics that impact them and their communities.
One veteran officer said Black cops still fear retaliation. “There is no Black representation within the department,” said Richard Wooten, a retired 23-year police veteran who praised Givens for taking a stand.
“There’s no meeting of the minds for African American officers where they come together and fight for one another within the department,” he said. “We are literally at the mercy of the department because we don’t have that ‘come together’ scenario.”
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Yet most Black officers face a “double-edged sword” while patrolling communities, Wooten said. “There are going to be a mixture of officers who don’t accept Black officers as equal,” he said. “We’re not totally accepted in our communities because of the disruption that the bad officers have been displaying through the nation. They see all officers as the same.”
Givens, who doesn’t know Wooten, shared his sentiment. “That’s true because you wear the same uniform (as bad officers),” he said, before sharing an anecdote.
A Black man recently yelled, “You’re on the wrong side of the fence,” while Givens was at a stoplight. “And my response is, you’ve got it twisted. If you want any productive change ... not only do you need me on the inside, you need folks who look and act like me on the inside too.”
Dressed in a crisp blue suit jacket, Givens looks more ready for a conference call than roll call. This fall, he plans to start classes at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. He has an eye on moving up the police ranks and has entertained turning his attention toward union leadership — “if I continue to have a job,” he joked.
Raised along with five siblings by a single mom, his family struggled and moved frequently around St. Louis. Still, Givens graduated from a private Catholic high school in an affluent suburb there.
While attending the University of Missouri, he began working as a volunteer firefighter with hopes of coming to Chicago as a first responder. After moving here in 2013, he spent six months delivering Potbelly sandwiches by bicycle while living with two roommates in a studio apartment, according to a 2017 Tribune business article on how millennials struggled to cope following the 2008 recession.
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But his fortunes improved when he took a corporate job in the medical products industry. By the time he learned he’d passed the police exam, he had started his own nonprofit organization that worked with high school students.
Givens, who will be a full-fledged officer by November, acknowledged that he could have left the union in anonymity but that was not the goal. He hoped to cause a stir, something Catanzara took issue with.
“Officer Givens seems to be on his own agenda,” the union chief said in an email. “He has made broad assumptions about the union and me specifically when he has no direct involvement with lodge business.”
Wooten, who served as an advisory member of Civilian Office of Police Accountability and a police accountability task force, also criticized Catanzara’s comments, saying they run counter to the current movement to reform policing. “In this particular day and time, either the FOP is going to be with the movement or against it and the movement says Black lives also matter.”
Wooten hopes Givens fans a flame that will attract other Black officers who are unsatisfied with their union representation and that they will speak out without fear of being disciplined or ostracized.
Givens said he still has to meet with FOP leadership and sign the paperwork terminating his union membership. Where a nonunion officer goes from there is unknown. “Things are still unfolding — the letter was just (published) on Monday. We’re going to see how this unfolds.
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“You don’t walk into the lion’s den and don’t expect to get scratched,” he added. “I’m sure there will be some backlash. ... It’ll come out in many diverse ways, but it’s not going to make everyone happy and that’s OK.”
wlee@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @MidNoirCowboy


chicagotribune--2020-07-03--Parachutist spotted floating among high-rises near lakefront. ‘My immediate reaction was just to gra

Parachutist spotted floating among high-rises near lakefront. ‘My immediate reaction was just to grab my phone.'

McLean said he thinks the jumper might have taken off from the Vista Tower next door .
From there , @ @ @ @ @ around the Aqua Tower ... and then they went in front of Blue Cross Blue @ @ @ @ @ in front of the Mariano ’ s and they landed in Lakeshore East park , @ @ @ @

Michael McLean woke to fireworks outside his Lakeshore East apartment early Friday. Then he saw a parachute float past his window.
“I was kind of in shock for a second, and my immediate reaction was just to grab my phone because I knew people would love to see this,” McLean, 27, said.
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At first I thought I was hallucinating because it was 2:30AM.
But it was a real life BASE jumper! In downtown Chicago!
I didn’t see the initial jump, but it looks like they came from Vista Tower and landed in Lakeshore East park. pic.twitter.com/1XMy1P7fx2 — michael (@cornoisseur) July 3, 2020
McLean said he thinks the jumper might have taken off from the Vista Tower next door. From there, the person “turned left around the Aqua Tower ... and then they went in front of Blue Cross Blue Shield building, they went in front of the Mariano’s and they landed in Lakeshore East park,” McLean said.
Officers responded to a call in the 300 block of Benton Place at 2:40 a.m., according to Chicago police spokesperson Michelle Tannehill. They didn’t find anyone.
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McLean said he thought the person may have been a BASE jumper. They leap from buildings, antennas, bridge spans and other tall places in what is considered one of the most dangerous of extreme sports. Several BASE jumpers have been arrested in Chicago, including one in 2011 and two in 2006.
McLean said he saw the parachutist talk with two bystanders for about five minutes after landing in the park and apparently play a video. Then the person packed up the parachute and left.
McLean said he’s glad the person got away before police arrived. “I’m rooting for him.”


chicagotribune--2020-07-03--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--2020-07-03--Day after judge declares his executive orders void, Gov. J.B. Pritzker urges restaurants, bars to ke

Day after judge declares his executive orders void, Gov. J.B. Pritzker urges restaurants, bars to keep following safety guidelines

“ The virus is not taking the holiday weekend off , and neither can we .
Letting our guard down @ @ @ @ @ face of the progress we ’ ve made over many months , ” Pritzker said @ @ @ @ @ “ We have seen that mitigation measures have worked in our state and we ’ @ @ @ @ @ states rapidly lose ground in the fight against the virus .
”

A day after a southern Illinois judge ruled that Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive orders aimed at slowing the spread of the new coronavirus are void, the Democratic governor and the state’s top health official are urging restaurants and bars and their customers to continue following safety guidelines heading into the Fourth of July weekend.
“The virus is not taking the holiday weekend off, and neither can we. Letting our guard down now would fly in the face of the progress we’ve made over many months,” Pritzker said in a statement Friday. “We have seen that mitigation measures have worked in our state and we’ve seen too many other states rapidly lose ground in the fight against the virus.”
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Those measures include wearing masks in public, maintaining proper social distancing and abiding by capacity limits in restaurants, bars and other businesses.
Under phase four of Pritzker’s reopening plan, which went into effect June 26, restaurants and bars statewide are limited to 25% of normal capacity in standing areas. Capacity in seating areas is based on how many tables can be spaced 6 feet apart.
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Local governments are allowed to enact stricter rules. In Chicago, for example, patrons must be seated, and indoor capacity is limited to 25% or 50 people, whichever is fewer.
State officials noted that there have been numerous outbreaks in other states among younger adults. Some outbreaks have been tied to bars.
“Bars, by design, are social settings where people gather closely together for extended periods of time,” Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ezike Ngozi said in a statement. “Additionally, people often need to raise their voices or shout to be heard, which means droplets from seemingly well but infected individuals could spread further than the recommended 6 feet of distancing.
“All of these factors increase the risk of transmission and can lead to more cases and outbreaks.”
Local liquor control commissioners — generally mayors and village presidents — have the authority to issue cease-and-desist warnings and orders, temporarily suspending an establishment’s liquor license and close its doors for up to seven days, if a business doesn’t comply with the rules, according to the Illinois Liquor Control Commission.
The Illinois State Police also is working with local authorities on enforcement measures, including warnings, fines and potential suspension or revocation of licenses.
The warnings from state officials came the same day the statewide death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 7,000. With 18 more fatalities reported Friday, there have now been 7,005 deaths in Illinois connected to the virus since the pandemic began, according to the Department of Public Health.
Health officials also reported 868 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus, bringing the number of known cases statewide to 145,750. And with the first reported case in Scott County in western Illinois, cases of the coronavirus have now been confirmed in all 102 counties across the state.
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The seven-day rolling average of new cases, which officials look at to smooth out day-to-day fluctuations in the data, has been trending upward in the past two weeks. On Friday, the average for the previous seven days was 780 cases, up from 689 a week earlier and 610 on June 19, according to an analysis of public health data.
But number of tests being reported each day also has been on the rise, and the percentage of screenings detecting the presence of the virus — known as the positivity rate — has remained relatively stable, hovering between 2% and 3% on a seven-day average. As of Thursday, the average was 2.6%.
Clay County Circuit Judge Michael McHaney ruled Thursday that Pritzker exceeded his authority by issuing successive 30-day disaster proclamations related to COVID-19 and restricting the actions of residents and businesses by executive order.
The governor’s office says the rules under phase four of Pritzker’s “Restore Illinois” plan remain in effect because the court’s decision, which came in a lawsuit brought by Republican state Rep. Darren Bailey of Xenia, is not final and the court did not issue an injunction blocking the restrictions. Other courts have upheld the governor’s orders, including on Thursday in a federal lawsuit brought by the Illinois Republican Party.
dpetrella@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-07-03--Illinois coronavirus graphs: 7,005 deaths, 145,750 confirmed cases, 1.7 million tests, 4.31% positiv

Illinois coronavirus graphs: 7,005 deaths, 145,750 confirmed cases, 1.7 million tests, 4.31% positivity rate for northeast region

In Illinois , 2,628 of those deaths , a little over a third , were in Chicago , with 1,990 @ @ @ @ @ .
Among the collar counties , DuPage and Lake have the most coronavirus deaths with @ @ @ @ @ .
Will is lower with 320 , as are Kane with 274 and McHenry with @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus deaths in 59 of the state ’ s 102 counties .

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.