COVID-19 in Illinois updates: Here’s what’s happening this weekend - Chicago Tribune

Illinois reported 36 new deaths from COVID-19 Wednesday as well as 980 new confirmed cases. The total of new confirmed cases is the highest in more than a month, since 1,156 new cases were announced June 5.

Also on Wednesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker called for a national mask mandate, a national containment strategy for COVID-19 and additional federal aid for states to offset large revenue losses created by the pandemic in testimony before a Congressional committee.

Here’s what’s happening Wednesday regarding COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:

5:37 p.m.: Chicago History Museum reopens July 10 with free tickets

The Chicago History Museum will reopen its doors to the public July 10 and will offer free admission through the end of the month, the North Side museum announced Wednesday.

As Chicago’s principal home devoted to the city’s past and stories, its building on the edge of Lincoln Park has been shut by the COVID-19 pandemic since mid-March. It will reopen at reduced capacity, with timed entries and a maximum of 275 visitors at a time, and following the State of Illinois Phase 4 guidelines for museums.

5:20 p.m.: The retail bankruptcies and store closings just keep coming. For some merchants, the pandemic was ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back.’

Many of America’s storied retailers already were facing big challenges, but the COVID-19 pandemic has hastened difficult decisions that will mean job losses and empty storefronts in the Chicago area and elsewhere.

Stay-at-home orders, layoffs and furloughs dented consumer spending that is only now coming back in fits and starts. U.S. retail and food service sales rose an estimated 17.7% in May compared with April, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Still, many consumers are dealing with the economic fallout of the pandemic and worries about venturing into stores, especially as an increase in new COVID-19 cases nationwide has led some states to slow their reopening plans.

Chains with deep roots are filing bankruptcy. Others have sped up plans to close underperforming stores. And unlike in past retail reckonings, the list of tenants that might be interested in filling those spaces, like medical offices and fitness facilities, likely has shrunk, given economic concerns as well as social-distancing rules.

4:56 p.m.: Cook County to start dividing up ‘much-needed’ $51 million in federal CARES Act funding to suburbs hardest hit by coronavirus pandemic

Cook County suburbs will receive about $51 million in federal aid under a formula that officials say will prioritize areas with the direst financial and public health needs, board President Toni Preckwinkle announced Wednesday.

More than 100 cities, towns and villages will receive a slice of the money, which makes up 12% of the total $429 million coronavirus relief fund given to Cook County under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Preckwinkle said at a news conference in west suburban Berwyn.

When announcing what she called “much-needed relief” to local governments, Preckwinkle stressed that racial equity surrounding the coronavirus response was paramount — a common theme during her messaging since the pandemic started. The county worked with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning to devise an “equitable funding formula” that considers a municipality’s immediate needs, median income and public health statistics, she said.

“As we know, COVID-19 is having a disproportionate impact on Black and brown communities,” Preckwinkle said. “This approach is designed to ensure these dollars are going to communities most impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.”

4:50 p.m.: Lake County warns COVID-19 cases climbing among young adults, teenagers

The number of COVID-19 cases is climbing among Lake County teenagers and young adults even as the county’s overall totals have held steady, the Lake County Health Department warned Wednesday.

Two Lake County high schools – Lake Zurich and Vernon Hills – have reported cases among participants in their summer athletic programs, leading Lake Zurich High School to suspend its athletic camps until further notice and ask participants in three of the camps to self-quarantine for 14 days, according to the Lake County Health Department.

The Lake County Health Department has found during its investigations into positive cases across the county that “many young people who attended social gatherings with their friends have become infected with COVID-19,” Dr. Sana Ahmed, the department’s medical epidemiologist, said in a news release.

For much of the pandemic locally, those under 30 had fewer cases per 10,000 people compared to the overall population, but that began to change in mid-June, Lake County data shows.

On May 8, when coronavirus cases were at a high countywide, the seven-day rolling average was 2.71 per 10,000 Lake County residents. For those under 30, the number was lower: 1.97 per 10,000.

The two averages began to converge around mid-June as the number of new cases fell, hitting a low around June 21, the data shows. At that point, the seven-day average was 0.49 per 10,000 residents and 0.43 per 10,000 residents under 30.

The rate for under 30 surpassed the overall population on June 25 and since then the gap has grown. As of Tuesday, the seven-day average was 0.62 per 10,000 for those under 30 compared to 0.81 for the overall population.

3:27 p.m.: Loyola, U. of C. make plans for students coming from high-risk states to quarantine under city order

Loyola University Chicago is preparing lists of students who will need to quarantine when arriving on campus this fall, President Jo Ann Rooney said at a Wednesday webinar.

The university is making efforts to comply with the city’s recent order requiring travelers from 15 states with high rates of coronavirus to self-quarantine for 14 days when entering Chicago. The order applies to students from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. City officials said the list of high-risk states may change with time.

“We’re working that into a timeframe for when those students — if they were planning on living on campus — when they would need to be on campus or even in the city to quarantine during those two weeks prior to any classes starting,” Rooney said.

She said students can quarantine in their dorms or apartments two weeks prior to classes starting, or they can participate in classes online for two weeks before transitioning to their classrooms.

”They would be asked then to join that classroom in an online component, and then be able to join when medically feasible,” Rooney said.

The University of Chicago previously announced that its faculty, staff, students and other community members must adhere to the city’s order if they travel from listed states.

”Members of the University community should therefore build in as much flexibility as possible when making Autumn Quarter travel arrangements,” Provost Ka Yee C. Lee wrote in a Friday email.

Some other Chicago colleges, including University of Illinois at Chicago, DePaul University, Northeastern Illinois University and Illinois Institute of Technology, have not yet announced plans related to the order.

—Sydney Czyzon

2:40 p.m.: Illinois National Guard coronavirus mission to wind down; 980 new known COVID-19 cases, 36 additional deaths reported

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Wednesday that more than 500 Illinois National Guard members will end their missions at 11 state-run testing sites this month, after operating the sites since March and administering more than 200,000 tests.

”They’ve helped us build a groundbreaking testing infrastructure that will continue to make a difference to Illinoisans long after their mission is completed in the coming days,” Pritzker said at a news conference Wednesday. “These citizen soldiers spent months away from their families and their regular civilian jobs to see our state through the worst of this pandemic. What I hope is the worst of this pandemic.”

Roughly 100 National Guard members will remain active through the end of this month to assist with the transition of COVID-19 related missions the Guard has been involved in, according to the Governor’s Office.

After testing sites are turned over to contract staffers, Guard members will quarantine for two weeks, per public health guidance to stem the spread of coronavirus.

The announcement came as the Illinois Department of Public Health on Wednesday announced 980 new known coronavirus cases today and 36 more deaths, raising the statewide totals to 149,432 confirmed cases and 7,099 deaths since the pandemic struck Illinois. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity rate stands at 2.6%.

1:46 p.m.: Which parts of the Chicago area got the most PPP loans? Check out this ZIP code analysis.

Businesses in ZIP code 60062, which encompasses the Chicago suburb of Northbrook, received the greatest number of loans — 1,907 — though the vast majority were small loans of less than $150,000, according to an analysis of data released this week by the Small Business Administration.

12:50 p.m.: Taste of Chicago To-Go launches today — here’s how to take part

Taste of Chicago started Wednesday. You may be forgiven for not noticing.

The city’s premier food and music summer festival was canceled — do we really need to mention why? — for 2020, but it continues through July 12 as “Taste of Chicago To-Go,” a series of restaurant promotions, free community meals and virtual entertainment.

12:28 p.m.: Pritzker calls for national mask mandate and containment strategy in congressional testimony

Gov. J.B. Pritzker called for a national mask mandate, a national containment strategy for COVID-19 and additional federal aid for states to offset large revenue losses created by the pandemic in testimony before a Congressional committee on Wednesday.

Pritzker said a national containment strategy for the highly-contagious COVID-19 should involve additional testing and contact tracing.

”It may even mean national restrictions that will be followed in every state,” Pritzker said, testifying remotely to the U.S. Committee on Homeland Security.

The mask mandate that took effect in Illinois May 1 “aligns with our most significant downward shifts in our infection rate,” Pritzker said. “It’s not too late for the federal government to make an impact. In fact, it’s more important than ever.”

12:11 p.m.: Despite Trump’s push for nation’s schools to reopen this fall, Lightfoot says the decision should be local

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday said the question of whether schools should reopen this fall must be a local decision but she doesn’t put much thought into what President Donald Trump says and added that it’s ironic for a Republican to advocate against individual states’ rights.

”Making some broad declaration at the federal level and ignoring the particular circumstances of a locality, where they are ... what their plans are, eliminating the possibility for some kind of a hybrid model, that doesn’t make any sense,” Lightfoot said.

The city doesn’t know what’s going to happen in September, Lightfoot said.

”We all want to do what’s in the best interests of our children and that’s got to be dictated by the public health guidance,” she said.

10:26 a.m.: State extends deadline on expiring driver’s licenses, vehicle stickers to Nov. 1

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White’s office will extend expiration dates for driver’s licenses, identification cards and license plate stickers an additional month, to Nov. 1.

The extension by an additional month means that anyone with an expired document, including those that expire in July, August and September, don’t need to rush to a driver’s services facility to renew right away, White said in a statement Wednesday.

The Secretary of State’s Office continues to advise Illinois residents to use its online services where possible, including renewing license plate stickers, to lessen customer volumes within facility amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Until July 31, the Secretary of State’s Office is serving only new drivers, those with expired licenses, identification cards and vehicle transactions. Face masks are required in driver’s services facilities and customers are asked to be prepared to wait outside.

—Jamie Munks

9:44 a.m.: Lightfoot marks kickoff of virtual Taste of Chicago amid coronavirus pandemic

Mayor Lori Lightfoot kicked off the city’s Taste of Chicago “to go,” a symbolic and virtual way to keep the popular summer tradition alive.

The mayor peppered her remarks at Grant Park with praise for the resiliency of restaurateurs, saying they had “a very tough go” this year but have continued to pursue their dreams.

Having some sort of Taste of Chicago continue, she said, is about giving people something to look forward despite the changes to life brought by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Shutting down, having nothing, that doesn’t bring hope and inspiration,” she said.

There will be online cooking demonstrations hosted by popular Chicago chefs as part of the Taste.

—Gregory Pratt

7:41 a.m.: For the 1st time since March, fans took in a live sporting event in Chicagoland with the Chicago Dogs home opener: ‘We just wanted to get on with our lives a little bit’

Wearing a hot dog designed calf-length poncho Tuesday night, Danny Schwartz and his family walked into Rosemont’s Impact Field, eager to see live sports for what Schwartz said felt like an eternity.

“I’ve missed it immensely,” said Schwartz, who with Haley Damm brought their 4-year-old son Jackson. “When the opportunity arose to come out here, we jumped at it.”

The family from Barlett was in the crowd of 1,400 fans that watched the first professional sports event in Chicagoland since the Chicago Blackhawks beat the San Jose Sharks at the United Center on March 11. Since then, arenas and stadiums across the nation shuttered amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

As other sports — like the NBA, WNBA, MLS, NWSL and MLB — plot to play again, the Dogs’ season is underway.

6:45 a.m.: Online Taste of Chicago starts today

A coronavirus-era Taste of Chicago kicks off this morning with a parade of food trucks from Buckingham Fountain, online food demonstrations and a list of restaurants to order food from or sample via their food trucks.

This year’s Taste will largely be either online or symbolic, with the city designating a list of restaurants participating in the festival, usually held in Grant Park, but which this year will have takeout food trucks available with special Taste menus.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot was scheduled to kick off the fest Wednesday morning at Buckingham Fountain, followed by a parade of food trucks from participating restaurants.

There will be daily food demonstrations online and other programming. For details check this Tribune story and the Taste’s online home, TasteofChicago.us.

—Chicago Tribune staff

6 a.m.: Chicago students earning stipends through online summer program

This summer, incoming Lane Tech senior Jasmin Aquino is sewing a fanny pack. Enamored with fashion design since childhood, Jasmin finally learned to sew clothing through an After School Matters program in 2017. She’s since made jumpsuits, a floor-length gown, shirts, backpacks, and recently, masks for friends and family to wear during the coronavirus pandemic.

Knowing how serious the virus is and how cautious people need to be, Jasmin said shifting the summer program online offers students like her a chance to earn a bit of money and do something they love from home.

More than 10,000 Chicago teens could earn stipends this summer for participating in After School Matters programs, now in their 30th year. Close to 17,000 applied for a spot in one of more than 500 programs, which began Monday. Summer students earn participation stipends ranging from $336 to $850, depending on the program’s complexity, time commitment and level, such as apprenticeship and internship, said Chief Program Officer Melissa Mister.

Programs are also offered during the school year. Funding for the nonprofit comes from the city and state, the private sector and individual donors. In fiscal year 2019, more than half its revenue came from government grants, according to the organization.

6 a.m.: Demand escalates for pet food pantries during COVID-19 crisis: ‘We didn’t know how we were going to manage’

Chicago animal shelters and pet food pantries have scrambled to provide enough resources for pet owners as demand has escalated as people have lost their jobs and suffered financial strain during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many pet food pantries in the region have shut down, while others looked to new ways of doing things to stay afloat.

Pantries have had to abandon their reliance on volunteers, many of whom have been told to stay at home to adhere to social distancing guidelines and minimize exposure to COVID-19. As a result, fewer workers are picking up more work.

Here are five things that happened Tuesday related to COVID-19.

Free saliva-based COVID-19 tests began at the University of Illinois, but the school won’t say if students are required to take them.

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