Illinois officials reported 673 new known cases of the coronavirus on Thursday, including seven additional deaths. That brings the known statewide total to 2,538 cases and 26 deaths, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said.
This big jump in reported cases comes on the same day Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered Chicago’s entire Lakefront Trail, adjacent parks, The 606 trail and Riverwalk closed until further notice.
Also on Thursday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the “Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund” to support nonprofits and community foundations, which is being led by his sister, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. At the federal level, President Donald Trump approved a major federal disaster declaration for the state of Illinois, which provides additional governmental assistance in dealing with the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the United States now leads the world in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases. According to a running count by Johns Hopkins University, the number of people infected in the U.S. topped 82,000 on Thursday. That’s just ahead of the 81,000 cases in China and 80,000 in Italy. The U.S. Senate has passed an unparalleled $2.2 trillion economic rescue package to help fight the pandemic as reports showed nearly 3.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week.
As the virus continues to spread, the Tribune is keeping a running list of Chicago-area closings and cancellations, tracking cases across the state and asking experts to answer your questions about COVID-19. We also are memorializing those who have died in the Chicago area.
Here are the latest updates Thursday on the coronavirus in the Chicago area and Illinois:
8 p.m.: Confirmed COVID-19 cases at Cook County Jail continue rising
As of 5 p.m., 24 detainees and 9 sheriff’s employees tested positive for the virus, according to a statement from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
As of the same time on Wednesday, there were 17 detainees and four sheriff’s staffers.
There are a total of 63 additional detainees who have been tested after exhibiting flu-like symptoms but are waiting for the results. Of the 89 detainees who were tested, only two tested negative so far, the statement said. — Rosemary Sobol
7:38 p.m.: Illinois small businesses get a lifeline with grants and loans, but will it be enough to withstand coronavirus?
Like many boutique hotel owners in Chicago, Bedderman Lodging is in crisis mode.
The Chicago-based company has shuttered the 21-room Wheelhouse Hotel near Wrigley Field and the 52-room FieldHouse Jones Hotel on Chicago’s Near North Side, amid single-digit-percentage occupancy. The closures, forced by the coronavirus pandemic, come just three weeks after a tornado in Tennessee devastated the company’s hotel in Nashville.
“It’s been a nonstop parade of horribles for the past few weeks,” said Robby Baum, one of the company’s owners.
Bedderman Lodging is among the many small businesses frantically hunting for stimulus dollars — at the city, state and federal levels — to stay afloat long enough to reopen when the COVID-19 spread subsides.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday unveiled more than $90 million in new emergency assistance dollars, mostly focused on businesses outside Chicago. The package includes $14 million in emergency grants for the hospitality industry, which many of the city’s bars, restaurants and hotels are lining up to try to win via a lottery.
Stimulus dollars are more likely to buy businesses a little extra time than they are to save them outright, business owners and industry groups say. And while a massive federal stimulus package passed by the Senate Wednesday appears poised for approval, it’s yet to be seen how much Illinois businesses will benefit. Read more here. —Ryan Ori, Lauren Zumbach, Corilyn Shropshire and Abdel Jimenez
7:35 p.m.: Some Chicagoans report lengthy delays on coronavirus test results
After spiking a fever and suffering an intense cough, Stuart Nissenbaum said he was tested for the coronavirus at a local drive-thru screening site on March 18.
Yet over a week later, the 28-year-old from north suburban Long Grove said he’s still waiting for test results.
“I still have nothing,” said Nissenbaum, who has quarantined himself in his bedroom to avoid the possibility of infecting his older parents, who live in the same home. “I have literally been locked in one room of my house, not knowing if I have it, so I don’t give it to them.”
Nissenbaum is one of several Chicago-area patients who described lengthy waits — sometimes eight days or longer — to learn if they’ve contracted the highly contagious new virus. Read more here. —Angie Leventis Lourgos, Lisa Schencker and Hal Dardick
7:06 p.m.: Rush University Medical Center converting lobby into triage center for non-coronavirus patients
In an effort to prepare for an influx of patients, Rush University Medical Center is converting its main lobby into a triage center for non-coronavirus patients.
The lobby, known as the Brennan Pavilion, is expected to be fully converted and open to patients not presenting coronavirus symptoms starting Friday, hospital spokesman Charlie Jolie said.
“We are preparing for the next stage,” Jolie said.
The area has been transformed into a clinical area with nursing stations and screens. It also has chairs, beds and waiting rooms. Read more here. —Jessica Villagomez
6:15 p.m.: Chicago hotel donates its rooms to medical workers
The Sophy Hyde Park plans to close to the public Friday and open — free of charge — to University of Chicago Medical Center staff responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
The boutique property that opened less than two years ago at 1411 E. 53rd St. is donating its guest rooms to doctors, nurses and other medical workers at the South Side hospital, which is roughly a mile away from the hotel.
“This will be a place for staff to rest and relax between long shifts,” hotel spokeswoman Gayle Conran said, noting that room reservations will be handled by the medical center. —Lori Rackl
5:59 p.m.: CPD now has 10 confirmed COVID-19 cases, officials say
The Chicago Police Department has now had 10 of its members diagnosed with COVID-19, officials said Thursday.
The latest cases are that of a patrol officer, the 10th Chicago cop reported to have contracted the disease, and a civilian crime analyst, said Anthony Guglielmi, a police spokesman. No further details about their conditions or how they may have contracted the disease were immediately available.
The department first disclosed last week that officers were beginning to test positive for the coronavirus.
On Wednesday, interim Superintendent Charlie Beck said the department has taken steps to clean police stations and squad cars more regularly as a precaution against the disease.
He said police stations have enhanced social distancing by arranging for citizens who visit them to interact with officers from six feet away. Roll calls were also starting to be conducted in rooms with under 10 officers at a time, Beck said. —Jeremy Gorner
5:45 p.m.: Real ID deadline extended until Oct. 1, 2021
Because of disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans will have an additional year to obtain a Real ID, the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday.
The new deadline will be Oct. 1, 2021, at which point individuals will need a Real ID to board domestic flights or enter federal buildings, such as courthouses. Read more here. —Antonia Ayres-Brown
5:04 p.m.: Illinois golf courses shut down after a reversal from state officials
State officials have reversed course and decided to shut down golf courses in Illinois.
The governor’s office revised its stay-at-home executive order Thursday. While restaurants and liquor stores can remain open, recreational sports businesses — including golf courses — are “not considered essential businesses.” Read more here. —Teddy Greenstein
4:57 p.m.: Chicago alderman says she’s in self-imposed quarantine after staff member tested positive for the coronavirus
Southeast Side Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza is in a self-imposed quarantine after one of her employees tested positive for the coronavirus, she said Thursday.
The staffer’s husband also tested positive and is hospitalized, Sadlowski Garza said, underscoring the need for people to stay home and follow public health orders from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
“Everybody is committed to doing whatever we can to make sure we keep people alive and (not) getting this thing. Everybody by next week is probably going to know somebody who has this thing. You have to stay home,” Garza said. “We have to work together to make sure our neighbors are not put at risk, that nobody is put at risk, and we all have to play our part here. We have to keep people safe. All of us need to be leaders right now to make sure we keep our community safe from this thing.”
Garza, who represents the 10th ward and is also the progressive caucus chair, said her staff began working remotely on March 13.
Garza said she learned over the weekend that her employee’s husband had been hospitalized. Both the worker and her husband tested positive for COVID-19, Garza said.
“We’re following the protocol that we’re pushing the public, that if you’ve been in contact with anybody who is positive you should stay home,” Garza said. “If you have symptoms stay home.”
Garza said she hasn’t been tested and is not feeling ill, but another employee is feeling sick. Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
4:45 p.m.: R. Kelly seeking to exit federal custody in Chicago due to coronavirus fears
Embattled singer R. Kelly is once again asking a federal judge to release him on bond pending trial on sexual abuse allegations, this time alleging unsanitary conditions at the federal jail in Chicago leave him at risk to contract COVID-19.
In a motion filed Thursday, Kelly, who has been held without bond since his arrest in on federal charges in July, said “social distancing” practices recommended by U.S. health officials “are simply impossible” in the close quarters of the Metropolitan Correctional Center, Chicago’s high-rise federal jail in the Loop.
Although the U.S. Bureau of Prisons has not reported any confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the MCC, Kelly’s attorneys said in the 18-page motion that inmates who have reported “flu-like symptoms” are being quietly quarantined and that guards are not wearing protective gear to prevent possible infection.
“No matter what steps they take, the sanitation will be substandard, the risk of an internal pandemic at the MCC is great, and if one does get sick jail healthcare is notoriously substandard,” Kelly’s lawyer, Steven Greenberg, wrote. “Imagine how poor it will be given the overall lack of resources at even the best hospitals. … Requiring people to reside in a custodial jail setting is tantamount to making them drink poison.”
Greenberg said that if Kelly is allowed bond, he would live at the Roosevelt Collection Lofts, a large South Loop apartment complex, with girlfriend Joycelyn Savage, who until last year had lived with Kelly at the Trump Tower.
Even if U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber granted the request, however, Kelly would still need to convince a federal judge in New York to release him from a no-bond order on charges brought there. Kelly’s attorneys filed a nearly identical motion in his New York case on Thursday.
As of Thursday, the Bureau of Prisons was reporting that 10 federal inmates and eight staff members have been infected with coronavirus nationwide, but none of those cases was in Illinois. Read more here. —Jason Meisner
4:13 p.m.: Pritzker suspends transfers from county jails into state prisons
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has suspended transfers from the state’s county jails into Illinois prisons, effective at 5 p.m. Thursday.
“It is critical to limit any increases in the number of inmates in (Illinois Dept. of Corrections) facilities,” Pritzker states in the new order.
More than 37,000 people are in custody in Illinois prisons, and may be “especially vulnerable” to contracting the virus due to their close contact with each other, Pritzker noted. The same is true of county jails, where detainees are held pretrial before being transferred to prison facilities upon sentencing.
Through April 7, only “limited essential transfers” from jails to prisons will be allowed.
Officials with a state sheriff’s association objected, saying Pritzker’s order shifted the burden unfairly onto county jails.
“Local sheriffs across the state believe this policy further puts every county across Illinois at higher risk, jeopardizes the safety of inmates and correctional officers, and requires local government to burden additional costs,” said Jim Kaitschuk, Executive Director of the Illinois Sheriffs Association. —Megan Crepeau
4:07 p.m.: Chicago-area residents tell us how they plan to spend their coronavirus emergency stimulus money
Chicagoans watching as political leaders in Washington hash out details of a massive $2 trillion stimulus bill can count on at least one thing, regardless of what the subsidies and bailouts are for industries: A lot of regular Americans are going to get some cash out of the deal.
It appears direct payments to individual taxpayers will top out at $1,200 for those making up to $75,000, twice that for couples, with additional money for each dependent child.
Several Chicago-area residents said they hoped to save the money for expenses down the road, or even seed money for a farm, while some said, after layoffs, they will use it for expenses. Here’s how else the plan to spend the money.
4:07 p.m.: 2 new known COVID-19 cases reported among staff at Willowbrook nursing home
Two more staff members at a Willowbrook nursing home tested positive for coronavirus, and 48 new known cases were discovered in DuPage County, health officials announced Thursday.
That made 182 known cases of COVID-19 total county-wide. There were 49 cases at Chateau Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, including one death previously reported, according to the DuPage County Health Department.
Only 41 of the nursing home patients counted toward the county total since cases are identified by the county of residence. The number of cases continues to rise as testing becomes more available, officials said.
The age of the victims statewide ranged from less than 1 to 99.
Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have the highest risk populations because of their age and underlying medical conditions, county health officials said in a statement.
They discouraged testing for people who are mildly sick or not sick. They urged those who are sick to stay home except to get medical care. —Robert McCoppin
3:52 p.m.: Chicagoans get emergency alert announcing lakefront closure
An emergency alert was sent out Thursday afternoon to cellphones in Chicago announcing the closure of the Chicago lakefront, including beaches and other popular hangout spots like the Riverwalk and the 606 trail.
Not all phones received the alert at the same time, and some users were not able to open the link to https://www.chicago.gov/coronavirus embedded in the message, because there was no space between the end of the URL and Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s name. The Federal Communications Commission says Wireless Emergency Alerts can be sent out by government authorities. Alerts are free.
Here’s the full message:
“Effective immediately Chicago lakefront, adjacent parks & beaches, 606 Trail and Riverwalk are closed to the public until further notice, when it is determined this degree of social distancing is no longer required for the safety of Chicago residents. Do your part: Stay Home. Save Lives. More info at https://www.chicago.gov/coronavirus -Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot
3:38 p.m.: Chicago chefs and owners say Illinois’ grant and loan programs are a great start — but restaurants will close without more
Chicago chefs and restaurateurs are reacting mostly favorably Thursday to the state’s Hospitality Emergency Grant Program and the Illinois Small Business Emergency Loan Fund, both announced Wednesday. But while they agree that the help is welcome and needed, they say that the industry — and especially furloughed workers — need more. Read more here. —Phil Vettel
3:31 p.m.: Crestwood giving families $100 worth of vouchers for meals at restaurants
In a bid to help stimulate business for village restaurants impacted by the coronavirus, Crestwood will offer vouchers totaling $100 to all village households that can be redeemed for meals.
The village has earmarked $500,000 in village budget surpluses to offer “a little stimulus plan,” with 27 restaurants participating, Mayor Lou Presta said Thursday. Read more here. —Mike Nolan
2:55 p.m.: UIC engineers pitch in to ease shortage of protective gear for health workers: A face shield that can be made in 20 seconds
As coronavirus cases continued to soar last weekend, Dylan Lynch got an urgent call from the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center: It desperately needed protective gear for workers who might be exposed to patients with the highly contagious and sometimes fatal disease.
By Monday, Lynch and two others came up with some help for a shortage that is plaguing hospitals across the country: a face shield made from thin plastic that could be manufactured at UIC’s Engineering Makerspace in 20 seconds.
“We can turn them out almost as fast as we can move,” said Lynch, assistant director of the Makerspace, a campus facility outfitted with 3D printers, laser cutters, and milling and scanning equipment for engineering students to build prototypes or manufacture products. Read more here. —Sophie Sherry
2:35 p.m.: 673 new known cases, 7 additional deaths in Illinois
Illinois officials reported 673 new known cases of the coronavirus statewide on Thursday, including seven additional deaths. That brings the total statewide known case count to 2,538, and 26 coronavirus-related deaths, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said.
To people disregarding social distancing guidance, Ezike said, “I’m begging you to think of your fellow man, woman and child. The interconnectedness between all of us is so clear.”
A day after higher temperatures led people statewide to get outdoors, in sometimes crowded parks and trails, Gov. J.B. Pritzker had harsh words for people who continue to congregate.
People flouting social distancing guidance to host parties and play basketball games in parks are “spitting in the face” of health care workers “who are risking everything so that you can survive.”
2:35 p.m.: ‘Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund’ to support nonprofits and community foundations
Pritzker on Thursday announced the “Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund” to support nonprofits and community foundations statewide, which is being led by his sister Penny Pritzker, he said.
The response fund has already raised nearly $22 million, the governor said.
The money raised by the fund will be distributed statewide to organizations who are providing services in response to the public health crisis including interim housing and shelter, utility and financial assistance, emergency food and supplies and primary health care services. —Jamie Munks
2:34 p.m.: Trump approves federal disaster declaration for Illinois
President Donald Trump on Thursday approved a major federal disaster declaration for the state of Illinois which provides additional governmental assistance in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump’s action came a day after Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth sent a letter in support of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s request for a major federal disaster declaration. The state requested Individual Assistance for all 102 counties.
Through Individual Assistance under a federal declaration, residents would be eligible to participate in such programs as Disaster Unemployment Assistance, Disaster Legal Services, Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program, Individuals and Household Program Assistance, Mass Care and Emergency Assistance, and Voluntary Agency Coordination, the senators said.
In his announcement, Trump said his action made federal funding available for Crisis Counseling for affected individuals in all areas in the State of Illinois. Read more here. — Rick Pearson
2:28 p.m.: North Shore communities have highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Lake County, new data shows
Newly released data from the Lake County Health Department shows the North Shore as having the highest concentration of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county.
Both Lake Forest and Highland Park have the most confirmed cases, according to the health department, which broke down the county’s total number of confirmed coronavirus cases by municipality in a new interactive map on its website.
Lake Forest and Highland Park each have between 20 to 24 confirmed cases as of Thursday morning.
The third highest community is neighboring Deerfield, which has between 15 and 19 confirmed cases, followed by Libertyville in central Lake County with 10 to 14 cases. Read more here. —James T. Norman
2:22 p.m.: Illinois State Police alter uniform in response to coronavirus
Illinois State troopers aren’t going to be wearing their distinctive hats, or their ties, to help slow the spread of coronavirus, according to the agency, which tweeted about the development Thursday afternoon.
1:20 p.m.: CPS Board of Education backs $75 million coronavirus fund
The Chicago Board of Education has given district leaders the ability to spend up to $75 million by June 30 to address spending needs that have arisen because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The money is intended for items like extra pay for emergency workers and food service staff members as the district continues to give away and deliver food to families in need. Other spending will be to help provide electronic devices to students who don’t have access to e-learning materials during the school shutdown prompted by COVID-19.
“It’s not like we have this $75 million slush find sitting there,” board member Lucino Sotelo said. “We still have to find a way to make this work, which will force us to make some tough decisions later on.” Read more here. —Hannah Leone
1:14 p.m.: Lightfoot officially closes Lakefront Trail, parks, The 606 trail and Riverwalk
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has ordered Chicago’s entire Lakefront Trail, adjacent parks, The 606 trail and Riverwalk closed, the latest sweeping measure taken by the city to curb the rapidly spreading coronavirus.
Invoking the current crisis in New York City, Lightfoot sounded the alarm on what she said could be exponential spikes in hospitalizations over the coming weeks without drastic measures.
“We could be expecting upward of 40,000 hospitalizations in the coming weeks,” Lightfoot said, noting it would “break our health care system.”
“That is why, if you don’t act responsibly and stay at home like you have been ordered to do, we are headed for a situation like we are seeing play out catastrophically every day in New York,” Lightfoot said. Read more here.
1:06 p.m.: Pastor at Christ Our Savior parish in South Holland hospitalized with COVID-19
The pastor at Christ Our Savior parish in South Holland is hospitalized and undergoing treatment after testing positive for COVID-19, the Archdiocese of Chicago said in a statement to parishioners.
The Rev. Gosbert Rwezahura, who was tapped last year to lead the unified Christ Our Savior, was diagnosed last week and remained hospitalized as of Tuesday, according to an update on the church’s website. Read more here. —Zak Koeske
12:48 p.m.: $2 trillion stimulus bill includes $4.9 billion for Illinois, senators say
The $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill passed by the Senate includes $4.9 billion in direct assistance to Illinois’ state and local governments, Democratic U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth said Thursday.
The measure, which awaits final House action, would give Illinois state government $2.7 billion, while providing $2.2 billion to local governments, according to estimates from the National Conference of State Legislatures.
In addition, the Illinois senators said state health care providers and hospitals are projected to get “billions of dollars” from a national pool of $100 billion for dealing with the coronavirus.
The grant funding is available for non-reimbursable COVID-19 expenditures and lost revenues, such as cancelled procedures, and includes both future costs and costs already incurred.
The bill also provides for increased Medicare payments to hospitals and expands telehealth services.
Of the $4.3 billion allocated nationally for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, $1.5 billion is devoted to state and local health departments. Durbin and Duckworth said the funding, which includes test kit supplies, would provide an estimated $16 million for the Illinois Department of Public Health and an additional $9 million for the Chicago Department of Public Health.
The state will also get a share of $10 billion in increased Airport Improvement Program grants to help airports in the state continue to operate and pay for additional costs related to the coronavirus response.
Of $25 billion in federal transit formula funding to keep public transit operating, Illinois transit agencies will receive an estimated $1.6 billion in federal transit funding including $800 million for the CTA, over $400 million for Metra, and more than $100 million for Pace.
The bill also includes $1.4 billion nationally to sustain up to 20,000 members of the National Guard under the direction of the governors of each state, including Illinois, for the next six months in order to support state and local response efforts.
The legislation also creates a national pool of $400 million for states to help prepare for the 2020 election cycle, including an estimated $13.9 million for Illinois. The money includes efforts to increase the ability to vote by mail, expand early voting and online registration and adding voting facilities and more poll workers to increase the safety of voting in-person.
Additionally, Durbin and Duckworth said the measure includes $31.9 million in federal grant program funding for Illinois law enforcement to buy personal protective equipment and allow fire departments in the state to apply for assistance from a $100 million national fund to buy personal protective equipment. —Rick Pearson
12:47 p.m.: Cook County relief package includes fine and fee waivers, deferred tax collections
In an effort to help businesses struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced a relief package Thursday that will defer tax collections and waive a series of fines and fees for all county businesses.
“We hope this can provide some breathing room for businesses that are struggling. We recognize that you are worried about rent, about payroll, about mounting bills,” Preckwinkle said at a press conference Thursday. “You should not be worried that the tax collector is coming after you as well.”
Under the relief package, the due date for filing all home rule taxes in Cook County will be extended until May 1. The series of measures also extends Cook County liquor licenses expiring in April through July, and postpones or suspends various fees under the transportation and highways, environmental sustainability, revenue, building and zoning, and public health departments, Preckwinkle said.
Cook County Chief Financial Officer Ammar Rizki said the measures will temporarily free up at least $30 million in cash flow for businesses during the current public health crisis. Business owners can use money that they otherwise would have owed in home rule taxes to “cover payroll, rent, or just to keep the lights on.
“The relief package does not include any stipulations that businesses retain a certain portion of their employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re providing the relief broadly. We hope that people will be responsible and compassionate toward their staffs,” Preckwinkle said. —Antonia Ayres-Brown
12:11 p.m.: Highland Park mother sick with COVID-19 for two weeks: ‘I’m going to be too scared to hug my children’
Two weeks ago, Terri Chaseley felt like her lungs were burning.
From there, the symptoms got worse and she was eventually hospitalized and diagnosed with COVID-19. Now the Highland Park mother of three doesn’t know when she’ll be able to leave her bedroom. Read more here. —Elvia Malagón
11:52 a.m.: Coronavirus confirmed at two Lake County nursing homes as countywide cases hit 135
The novel coronavirus has been confirmed at two long-term care facilities in Lake County, one in Lincolnshire and the other in Lake Zurich, according to the Lake County Health Department.
The news came as the Lake County Health Department reported that the number of confirmed cases had hit 135 as of Wednesday afternoon, up 20 from the day before, according to a news release.
Cases at the nursing homes involve three staff members at the Linolnshire center and three residents at the one in Lake Zurich, according to the release.
The release does not identified the long-term care facilities by name and a county spokesman said the Lake County Health Department will not be releasing the names “due to patient privacy restrictions.” Read more here. —Emily Coleman
11:05 a.m.: Nearly 115,000 Illinoisans applied for unemployment benefits last week, more than 10 times previous week’s number
Nearly 115,000 Illinoisans applied for unemployment insurance last week, as those laid off or furloughed amid the new coronavirus pandemic continue to mount.
Unemployment claims are breaking records nationwide as the U.S. economy shuts down in an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. Illinois residents have been ordered to stay at home and nonessential businesses told to close. Nearly every industry has been touched, and many are without work.
Nationwide, nearly 3.3 million people applied for unemployment benefits last week, more than quadruple the previous record set in 1982.
The most recent numbers for Illinois reflect claims filed for the week ending March 21.
That’s up more than 10 times from the previous week, according to a U.S. Department of Labor news release. Read more here. —Ally Marotti
10:07 a.m.: Chicago aldermen say on social media that city’s Lakefront Trail, parks and beaches closed
The city’s Lakefront Trail, parks and beaches are closed, Chicago aldermen said in messages to constituents and social media posts.
Lakefront Ald. Harry Osterman announced the move in an email to constituents.
“This includes parkland east of Marine Drive, as well as Berger Park,” Osterman said. “This order has been put in place to ensure social distancing between individuals and to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.”
North Side Ald. Andre Vasquez, 40th, also put out an advisory on Twitter saying the lakefront is closed starting at 8 a.m. Thursday “due to people disregarding social distancing measures.” Read more here. —Gregory Pratt, John Byrne
9:47 a.m.: Amazon worker in Joliet tests positive for COVID-19
An employee at an Amazon facility in Joliet is in quarantine after testing positive for the new coronavirus.
The employee was last at work on March 18 and has received medical care, according to Amazon.
“We are supporting the individual who is recovering. We are following guidelines from local officials and are taking extreme measures to ensure the safety of employees at our site,” the company said in a statement.
Amazon said it notified other workers at the facility and asked anyone who was in close contact with the person diagnosed with COVID-19 to self-quarantine for 14 days, with pay.
In addition to the worker in Joliet, The Washington Post reported that employees at nine other U.S. warehouses have tested positive for COVID-19.
Controlling the virus’ spread within fulfillment centers will be key to keeping deliveries moving. Amazon already announced plans to hire 100,000 fulfillment center and delivery workers to handle a surge in orders.
Amazon said it consults with health authorities and medical experts on how to handle building closures for deep cleaning, but did not say whether it closed the Joliet facility.
The company said it’s taking other steps to prevent the spread among employees, including cleaning facilities more regularly. Amazon also said it staggered shift and break times to encourage social distancing, stopped screening workers when they leave to help keep people moving and started requiring employees sanitize and clean work stations and vehicles at the start and end of every shift. —Lauren Zumbach
9:34 a.m.: Village health director: Fourth positive COVID-19 case in Oak Park confirmed
A fourth village resident has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, Oak Park public health director Mike Charley announced Wednesday.
According to Charley, the resident is a female in her 20s. Because of privacy laws, no additional information can be released about the resident, Charley said.
Previously, Charley announced a third resident, a female in her 30s, had tested positive for COVID-19 on March 24. Read more here.
8:33 a.m.: McDonald’s shelves all-day breakfast as it slims down menu amid coronavirus crisis
McDonald’s plans to temporarily slim down its menu during the coronavirus pandemic — and it appears all-day breakfast is on the way out.
The Chicago-based fast-food giant said Wednesday that the temporary removal of some menu items over the next few weeks is meant to simplify operations in its kitchens and for its crew. Since last week, McDonald’s has offered only drive-thru, takeout and delivery at its U.S. restaurants as a growing number of states ordered dining rooms closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
McDonald’s is working with franchisees to “focus on serving our most popular choices” and “will regularly evaluate the situation and look to move back to our regular menu as soon as possible,” Bill Garrett, senior vice president of McDonald’s USA, said in a statement.
In a hint that all-day breakfast will go on hiatus, McDonald’s USA President Joe Erlinger tweeted Wednesday night: “All-day breakfast’s response to this news: I’ll be back.”
McDonald’s launched all-day breakfast in 2015, a move credited for helping to drive the company’s turnaround. Read more here. —Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz
7:40 a.m.: 12 shot in Chicago, the city’s most violent day since stay-at-home order issued
As Chicago’s mayor and top cop upbraided people for flouting a stay-at-home order, the city experienced its most violent day since the directive was issued four days ago, with 12 people shot.
Half of those wounded by gunfire were in the Ogden and Harrison districts on the West Side, traditionally the most violent areas of the city that had been relatively quiet since the stay-at-home order went into effect Saturday evening because of the widening coronavirus outbreak.
Three people were hit in a drive-by shooting in the Englewood District on the South Side. The other shootings were reported in the Grand-Central District on the Northwest Side and the Gresham and Wentworth districts on the South Side.
No more than four people were shot during previous days since the order was issued. There has not been a fatal shooting in Chicago since shortly after midnight Sunday. Read more here. —Alice Yin
6:50 a.m. Lightfoot, other Chicago-area mayors to announce ‘further actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19’
A day after Mayor Lori Lightfoot and interim Police Superintendent warned police would begin ticketing those who defy the state’s stay-at-home order by packing parks, Lightfoot was scheduled to join other area mayors Thursday afternoon to announce “further actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.” Details weren’t immediately released. —Chicago Tribune staff
6:15 a.m. No opening day? MLB airs Cubs Game 7 World Series win, other teams’ memorable games instead
Thursday was supposed to be opening day for much of Major League Baseball. The season has been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak, so MLB is airing memorable games for each of its 30 teams, including the Cubs 2016 World Series Game 7 win. —Associated Press
12:01 a.m. Sen. Durbin says coronavirus stimulus package ‘puts our hospitals and health care professionals first’
Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said a $2.2 trillion federal stimulus package aimed at offsetting some of the economic damage to the nation caused by the coronavirus pandemic “puts our hospitals and health care professionals first.”
The Senate passed the legislation late Wednesday on a 96-0 vote. It heads back to the House for further consideration and a possible vote by Friday.
“Like all compromises, this bill is not perfect,” Durbin said in a statement following Senate passage.
“However, because Senate Democrats insisted on strengthening this bill, we can now say it is a bill that puts our hospitals and health care professionals first,” he said.
Read more here. —Lisa Donovan, Gregory Pratt and Rick Pearson
Breaking coronavirus news
Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Wednesday, March 25
Here’s a recap of coronavirus updates in the Chicago area and Illinois from Wednesday:
Mayor Lori Lightfoot threatened to “shut down our parks and the entire lakefront” if Chicago residents continue to flout Illinois’ stay-at-home order. People who violate the order could be fined up to $500.
State officials announced three more deaths related to the new coronavirus and 330 new cases
The deadline for filing state income tax returns will be extended three months to July 15, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said
Are you an essential worker? Says who? And what if you don’t think your job is worth the coronavirus risk?
Despite the risks, retired Illinois health care providers are answering the call as hospitals battle a pandemic
A retired nurse. A Vietnam veteran. A doting grandfather. We’re chronicling the lives lost to the coronavirus in the Chicago area. Read their stories here.
Chicago scored an “A” in social distancing, according to a GPS analysis project, but an expert says: “I need Chicago at an A+. Maybe an A++:
Here are some social distancing tips for joggers, parents, shoppers and transit riders
“Do you have the corona?”: Asians in Chicago worry about damage done after Trump repeatedly called COVID-19 the “Chinese virus”
Jubilant golfers shed their sweatpants, promising to keep their distance, avoid touching the flagstick and pay off bets by Venmo: “We’ll play by the rules — the new rules”
Tuesday, March 24
Here’s a recap of coronavirus updates in the Chicago area and Illinois from Tuesday:
Illinois would have run out of hospital beds if not for the stay-at-home order, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said
State officials announced four more deaths related to the new coronavirus and 250 new cases
Did you know loss of smell is one of the first symptoms of COVID-19? More answers from experts
The face of Chicago’s fight against a pandemic, Dr. Allison Arwady, remains accessible in difficult times
One of Chicago’s biggest hotels will shut down as the coronavirus upends the industry with closures and job losses
Family of Will County man who died from coronavirus: “Realize this is real and very serious”
Midway Airport’s air traffic control tower has reopened
Face masks and thermometers are among the supplies Illinois manufacturers are racing to produce
Mayor Lori Lightfoot warned against misinformation about so-called cures: “Be careful. There’s no cure for coronavirus”
Forget bourbon and gin. In the era of coronavirus, distilleries (and even some breweries) go all in on hand sanitizer. Yes, Malort too
Here’s a look at the empty windows and boarded-up storefronts dotting the Magnificent Mile during the coronavirus shutdown
A nurse said she was fired by Northwestern Memorial Hospital after warning co-workers that face masks being used would not properly protect them against the coronavirus
How much did you pay for hand sanitizer? Illinois consumers file 700 coronavirus price gouging complaints
Think you’re going to find online the frozen vegetables and toilet paper you can’t find in stores? Think again. Here’s why online shopping won’t get you hard-to-find items
The top official at a Willowbrook nursing home with 46 cases of coronavirus — and one death — denied a claim of shortages of staff and supplies
The city announced a variety of financial breaks on transportation, including discounted Divvy memberships and credits for unused CTA passes
Monday, March 23
Here’s a recap of coronavirus updates in the Chicago area and Illinois from Monday:
236 new cases reported in Illinois, as well as 3 more deaths
School time lost to the coronavirus shutdown don’t have to be made up – but how long can that go on?
Just as the need soars for health care workers to fight coronavirus, Chicago-area medical schools are sidelined from seeing patients
In email exchange, Mayor Lori Lightfoot offers to withhold Chicago alderman’s pay to help buy equipment for first responders amid coronavirus outbreak
Pace cuts some service amid continued ridership drop
Lightfoot says Chicago’s ‘stepping up’ without federal help amid coronavirus pandemic
Two COVID-19 cases identified at Cook County Jail as calls increase for early releases
New Illinois National Guard coronavirus testing site for first responders and health care workers reaches capacity after four hours
Chicago homeless shelters get beds at YMCAs to ease coronavirus-related overcrowding
Man charged with aggravated battery for allegedly yelling ‘corona’ and coughing in cop’s face
Chicago plans to rent thousands of hotel rooms for coronavirus isolation in move to preserve space in hospitals
Indiana governor orders residents to stay home due to coronavirus as state reports 7 deaths
Kane County religious school moves to e-learning as sheriff’s deputies prepare to bring the school into compliance with stay-at-home mandate
As campuses empty, officials in college towns worry students will be missed by census
Chicagoans break out their sewing machines to make homemade masks for doctors, nurses
Sunday, March 22
Here’s a recap of coronavirus updates in the Chicago area and Illinois from Sunday:
State officials called for volunteers to step up and serve their communities as nearly 300 new cases and three more deaths were announced in Illinois
Gov. J.B. Pritzker sparked a Twitter spat with President Trump after the governor claimed that the lack of federal action has made it harder and costlier for Illinois to fight the coronavirus outbreak
A Chicago man shares his bout with COVID-19: He’s been suffering through “hell,” but he believes he’s recovering
From baking to online Zumba classes, here’s how Olympic hopefuls are dealing with uncertainty and training interruptions
Saturday, March 21
Here’s a recap of coronavirus updates in the Chicago area and Illinois from Saturday:
Illinois’ stay-at-home order took effect Saturday, while Gov. J.B. Pritzker asked former medical personnel to return and “join the fight”
State officials announced 168 new cases, and one more death. That brought the state’s tally to 753 known cases and six deaths.
Cashiers. Janitors. CTA employees. While much of the public hunkers down at home, some people must still show up for work.
The coronavirus is having a major impact on Chicago organizations assisting those in need. Here’s how you can help.
