The death toll from the new coronavirus in Illinois continues to swell, with state officials on Thursday announcing 16 more deaths and 715 additional known cases. There have now been 157 deaths related to COVID-19 statewide and 7,695 known cases.
Earlier in the day, officials announced a Chicago police officer stricken with COVID-19 had died, making him the first cop in the department to lose their life to the disease.
Meanwhile, health experts say a wave of additional cases is likely in the coming weeks or months, but exactly when that wave will hit — and how big it will be — remains a matter of debate. Here are some projections.
On Thursday morning, it was announced that more than 178,000 Illinois residents applied for unemployment insurance benefits last week. The surge in jobless claims comes as many struggle to file for benefits in Illinois, as the state’s computer systems have been overwhelmed.
Nationally, a record-breaking almost 6.65 million people applied for unemployment benefits for the week ending March 28, according to Thursday’s report from the Labor Department. That figure for last week is on top of 3.3 million claims reported for the previous week.
As the virus continues to spread, the Tribune is keeping a running list of Chicago-area closings and cancellations, asking experts to answer your questions about COVID-19, tracking cases across the state and memorializing those who have died in the Chicago area.
Here are the latest updates Thursday on the new coronavirus in the Chicago area and Illinois:
8 p.m. Lawsuit: Public safety officer ‘forced’ to stop working after wearing mask during hospital shift
A hospital public safety officer worried he would endanger his 65-year-old mother and who went against workplace policy by wearing a protective facemask filed a lawsuit Thursday, alleging he was forced to stop working.
On March 10, the day after Marvell Moody wore the mask at Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest, his supervisor “chastised” him, but Moody pushed back, telling them he believed the policy was unsafe, according to a statement from law firm, Blake Horwitz.
Moody told staffers that he is a caregiver for his mom, who is 65, and who has had two lung surgeries last year. He “feared that he would contract COVID-19 and spread it to his mother, who’s health conditions make her a high-risk individual,” the statement said.
The hospital “constructively discharged” Moody by not allowing him to wear it, the firm said.
Late last month, Blake Horwitz handled a similar suit, for a nurse named Lauri Mazurkiewicz, who sued Northwestern Memorial Hospital late last month, saying she was fired after warning fellow employees the masks provided by the hospital would not properly protect them against the coronavirus. — Rosemary Sobol
7:43 p.m.: Pritzker enlists Illinois celebrities to encourage residents to stay home
Saying he’s “nearly exhausted every avenue available” to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a celebrity-filled promotional campaign to encourage Illinois residents to abide by his order to continue hunkering down at home throughout April.
The launch of “All in Illinois” — which features videos from notable people with Illinois connections such as actor and comedian Jane Lynch and three-time Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee — came on the same day Pritzker announced the recently closed Westlake Hospital in west suburban Melrose Park will reopen as a facility dedicated to COVID-19 patients. Read more here. —Dan Petrella
7:19 p.m.: American Airlines expands flight cuts into summer amid ‘record low’ demand
American Airlines is canceling flights in the peak summer travel season amid restrictions on travel and “record low” demand from passengers during the coronavirus pandemic, the airline said Thursday.
American is reducing capacity on international flights by more than 60% compared with last summer, after slashing capacity by 80% to 90% in April and May. It’s also pushing back new routes expected to launch this summer to 2021, including one connecting Chicago and Krakow, Poland, expected to begin flying in May. Read more here. —Lauren Zumbach
7:15 p.m.: U. of I. financial hit from coronavirus ‘significant and growing’
Illinois’ largest public university expects it will cost $37 million to provide room and board refunds to students who left campus early because of the coronavirus outbreak — and additional reimbursements might be on the way.
While the University of Illinois System also projects that canceled events and postponed medical treatments could cost the school $17 million and $15 million, respectively, the refunds for students represent the single largest expense, according to Avijit Ghosh, chief financial officer and comptroller.
“In general, the (financial) impact is broad, significant and ongoing,” Ghosh said Thursday during a virtual meeting with the board of trustees’ executive committee. “We have incurred a significant amount of … expenses as we have converted academic programs to online education and remote teaching and adapted everybody to remote work.”
The outlook, which Ghosh stressed should only serve as an initial estimate, offers the first glimpse of the pandemic’s financial toll on higher education in Illinois. One area school, MacMurray College in Jacksonville, has already announced it will close for good, in part because of economic strain from the crisis. Read more here. —Elyssa Cherney
7:13 p.m.: ‘Lollapalooza is on schedule’ for now, Lightfoot says
The widespread coronavirus pandemic has upended most plans for the foreseeable future — with a statewide stay-at-home order in place through the end of April, bars and restaurants closed to dine-in patrons and a growing number of events either canceled or delayed.
But officials still haven’t pulled the plug on the summer mega-concert Lollapalooza, which is still months off on the horizon.
“Lollapalooza is on schedule,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. “It’s our hope and expectation that it will go forward, but we will deal with the circumstances when we are much closer to that time.” Read more here. —Chicago Tribune staff
6:47 p.m.: 15 Will County heath workers test positive
Will County Health Department closed its doors Monday after a staffer tested positive for the coronavirus; four days later a total of 15 employees had tested positive. Read more here.
6:11 p.m.: DuPage County reports 45 new known coronavirus cases, including six at long-term care facilities
Forty-five new known coronavirus cases were reported in DuPage County Thursday, bringing the total to 438, including six new cases at long-term care facilities.
No new deaths were reported in DuPage, where 13 people with the virus have died. No more cases were recorded at Chateau Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Willowbrook, where an outbreak of 49 cases has resulted in six deaths.
However, the new cases involved three additional long-term care facilities, making a total of 16 cases at six such facilities other than Chateau, according to the DuPage County Health Department.
The number of known cases at long-term care facilities in DuPage has steadily increased this week as has the number of facilities at which new known cases have been reported. –Robert McCoppin
6:11 p.m.: City IDs Chicago parking enforcement officer who died from coronavirus
The Lightfoot administration on Thursday identified the first city employee who died from the coronavirus, saying he was a parking enforcement aide who had been with the city for 15 years.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Revall Burke’s death from the virus on Wednesday, but did not name him or provide any personal details.
On Thursday, city Comptroller Reshna Soni described Burke as a dedicated public servant who had a deep knowledge of the municipal code.
“On behalf of the Department of Finance team, I want to express our deepest condolences to the entire Burke family and to all of his loved ones,” Soni said in a statement.
Lightfoot said on Wednesday that Burke’s death was a reminder that those stricken by the virus “are not mere statistics.”
“They are people whose lives have been forever changed and a network of people connected by crisis who need us to do everything that we can every day to save lives,” the mayor said.
The information about Burke came hours after Lightfoot announced Thursday that a Chicago police officer, 50-year-old Marco DiFranco, was the first member of that department to die from the virus. Read more here. —John Byrne
5:53 p.m.: City Colleges workers say they were told a colleague had bronchitis. Then they learned she later died of COVID-19.
On a recent Zoom conference call, workers from the business office at Chicago’s Wilbur Wright College noticed one of their colleagues was absent.
When they asked where she was, administrators replied that she had been hospitalized with bronchitis, according to unions for the college’s faculty and staff. Even before City Colleges employees were required to work remotely to slow the spread of COVID-19, the co-worker, a longtime bursar at the campus in Dunning, had come down with a cough and was asked to go home, they said.
Thursday, the unions had tough questions for City Colleges leaders after learning their 71-year-old colleague died Monday of complications from coronavirus and chastised administrators for failing to alert workers about the diagnosis. Read more here. —Elyssa Cherney
5:47 p.m.: Facing a hit that could be worse than Great Recession, Pritzker and lawmakers look to craft a post-pandemic budget
With large portions of the Illinois’ economy grinding to a halt as a result of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, the chronically fiscally challenged state has yet to come up with a plan for filling the holes the ongoing public health crisis is certain to blow in this year’s budget.
Pritzker said this week that his administration is trying to estimate how much revenue will be lost and figure out when things might rebound. But making those projections is no easy task as the shape of the pandemic shifts from day to day.
What is for sure is that the budget Pritzker proposed in February for the year beginning July 1 will have to be wholly rewritten. Read more here. —Dan Petrella and Jamie Munks
5:47 p.m.: Are your household cleaning products working to fight coronavirus? The answer depends on how you use them.
With Americans more focused than ever on keeping their homes safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a key to success is knowing the difference between cleaning and disinfecting.
The words aren’t synonymous, rather, they’re more akin to two steps in one process, such as sweeping your floor before mopping it, explained Justin Douglas, CEO of Corvus Janitorial Systems.
“That’s how I explain it when we train new employees,” Douglas said. “Or, I use the example of picking up the clothes off the floor of your kid’s room before you can do anything else. Cleaning and disinfecting aren’t interchangeable words.”
It’s easy to think there’s no wrong way to clean. And while it doesn’t take a microbiologist to do it correctly, a basic understanding of something referred to as “dwell time,” also sometimes called “contact time” or “kill time,” is necessary, Douglas and other experts say. Read more here. —Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas
5:25 p.m. (update): Records shattered as unemployment claims in Illinois top 178,000 and national applications hit 6.6 million
More than 178,000 Illinois residents applied for unemployment insurance benefits last week, as the number of workers who have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic continues to swell.
The surge in jobless claims in Illinois — up about 50% from the 114,000 reported for the week ended March 21 — comes as many struggle to file for benefits. With Illinois unemployment offices closed due to the pandemic, the state’s computer systems have been overwhelmed, and many applicants have had trouble getting through.
The state said last week that additional steps were being taken to handle the “unprecedented volume” of applications, with new hardware infrastructure on the website, and increased call center capacity and staff.
But people who are newly unemployed say they continue to be frustrated by online glitches and trouble getting through by phone. The system went down for more than an hour on Thursday morning, and Gov. J. B. Pritzker acknowledged there weren’t enough people to handle all the claims. Read more here. —Mary Wisniewski
4:39 p.m.: Some may not get their coronavirus stimulus checks until August or later, according to a new memo
The federal government expects to begin making payments to millions of Americans under the new stimulus law in mid-April, but some people without direct deposit information may not get checks until mid-August or later, according to a memo obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. Read more here.
4:15 p.m.: Despite economic havoc from coronavirus, state public pension officials say funds in good shape
Although markets have tumbled since the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state’s pension systems are reassuring retirees that payments will be processed as usual.
“We’ve prepared for an eventuality like this,” said Dave Urbanek, a spokesperson for the Teachers’ Retirement System. “Our top priority is to protect assets, so we’ve been in what we call a ‘defensive posture’ for the last several years.”
Due to TRS’ perennially low-funded status, only 36% of its portfolio has been kept in public equities, which Urbanek said is low for a portfolio of its size. Representatives from the Illinois State Retirement Systems and State Universities Retirement System said their systems also maintained lower-risk investment profiles prior to the public health crisis.
“We tend to out-perform in down or choppy markets, compared to our peers,” said Tim Blair, the executive director of the State Retirement Systems, which oversees pensions to former state employees, judges, and legislators. “And during good times…we don’t realize as much on the upside.”
Blair said it is too early to know how much of a financial loss the state’s systems will incur as a result of COVID-19 — or how the pandemic may affect future funding from the state.
“We haven’t even really had time to get too far into that at this point,” Blair said. Given the portfolio’s over $20 billion in assets going into the pandemic, he said “there’s absolutely no danger whatsoever of missed benefit payments.” —Antonia Ayres-Brown
4:12 p.m.: Indiana closes schools for rest of year
COVID-19 dealt a knockout blow to Hoosier schools Thursday as state leaders announced schools will remain closed for the 2019-2020 school year, leaving graduation ceremonies and other cherished events in jeopardy.
Gov. Eric J. Holcomb announced the initial school closure March 19. It was extended twice, then finalized with Thursday’s announcement in Indianapolis.
The Indiana High School Athletic Association also canceled the spring sports season because of the novel coronavirus shortly after Holcomb’s briefing.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick, who appeared with Holcomb, said schools can determine how they’ll handle graduation ceremonies.
Holcomb signed an executive order Thursday requiring all K-12 schools to provide instruction through remote learning for the remainder of the school year. Read more here. —Carole Carlson
3:38 p.m.: A coronavirus case curtails some operations at domestic violence court, even as hotline calls increase
Chicago police and domestic violence advocates say they were caught off guard this week when Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced she was removing prosecutors from the domestic violence courthouse for 14 days after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus.
Except in the most violent cases, prosecutors have stopped accepting criminal complaints from people seeking the arrest of their alleged abusers. Instead, they are being directed to petition in civil court for emergency orders of protection, then return in two weeks for a review by prosecutors.
The cutbacks come as hotline calls are ticking up amid the stay-at-home order and the stresses caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Read more here. —David Jackson
3:27 p.m.: Uber halts construction in The Old Post Office
Uber has halted construction on its massive space at The Old Post Office, marking Chicago’s first big office build-out to be put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The San Francisco-based company announced last year that it signed a 10-year lease for 463,000 square feet in the long-vacant Old Post Office. Uber plans to consolidate its Chicago offices and hire 2,000 employees in the city over three years. Originally, it planned to move in this fall.
“As a consequence of the current COVID-19 crisis, we are going to temporarily pause construction in Chicago,” spokeswoman Alix Anfang said in a statement. “While we don’t expect to move until 2021, we don’t anticipate any changes to our strategy or expectations regarding growth in Chicago.”
It was Uber’s decision to pause construction, Anfang said. Read more here. —Ally Marotti and Ryan Ori
2:55 p.m.: DePaul cancels tuition hikes planned for 2020-2021 school year
DePaul University will no longer increase tuition for the 2020-2021 school year, citing the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The school had planned to increase tuition for new undergraduates and institute smaller increases for continuing and graduate students. The board of trustees met virtually Wednesday and unanimously voted to keep tuition at its current rate.
“We understand that for some families, even a modest tuition increase — especially amidst the uncertainty caused by this pandemic — could mean a disruption to their student’s progress toward earning a DePaul degree,” university president A. Gabriel Esteban said in a statement Thursday.
About 80% of DePaul students receive some form of financial aid, according to a university statement. DePaul said it plans to increase the financial aid pool nearly 5.1% over the previous year’s budget to $266.4 million for the 2020-2021 school year.
2:54 p.m.: No Modelo? No Dos XX? No problem — yet — as Mexican beer production halted during coronavirus
Toilet paper stockpile? Check. Bottled water? Check.
Mexican beer? Not so fast.
Despite reports Thursday that the Mexican beer industry is shutting down for at least a month to help stem the spread of COVID-19, experts say it’s not quite time to add Modelo Especial and Dos XX to your list of panicked pandemic purchases. Read more here. —Josh Noel
2:37 p.m.: 16 more deaths and 715 additional known cases
The death toll from the new coronavirus in Illinois continues to swell, with state officials on Thursday announced 16 more deaths and 715 additional known cases.
There have now been 157 deaths related to COVID-19 statewide and 7,695 known cases in 61 of Illinois’ 102 counties since the outbreak began in late January.
Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said the state is starting to see clusters of COVID-19 cases in “essential” businesses that are allowed to remain open during Pritzker’s stay-at-home order.
“Although these businesses need to continue operating, they must take steps to protect both the employees and the customers,” Ezike said, including monitoring employees’ temperatures daily. —Dan Petrella
2:35 p.m.: Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park will be opened as alternative health care site to combat new coronavirus
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday that the recently closed Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park will be opened as an alternative health care site to combat the new coronavirus.
The hospital joins previously announced facilities at McCormick Place and the former Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin and MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island.
Westlake will be built to a capacity of 230 beds. —Dan Petrella
2:01 p.m: Funding for mobile ‘field hospitals’ announced
Chicago is one of eight cities where select hospitals might soon get tents equipped with beds and medical supplies to help them handle additional patients, through funding from North Chicago-based drugmaker AbbVie.
AbbVie is working with International Medical Corps, a California nonprofit, to set up 20 mobile field hospitals, at existing hospitals, across the country, the company said. The nonprofit is now in discussions with several hospitals in Cook County about setting up tents, potentially in the next couple weeks, said Margaret Traub, head of global initiatives for International Medical Corps.
She declined to name the hospitals, saying plans have not been finalized. She said that, as the discussions with hospitals progress, International Medical Corps will coordinate with city and state officials.
Each mobile field hospital can be set up in about six hours and provide urgent and outpatient care to hundreds of patients a day, according to AbbVie. The facilities are intended to give overburdened hospitals more space for triage and treatment as the COVID-19 outbreak continues. Each participating hospital would likely get two 810-square-foot shelters with 10 beds each, Traub said.
It will be up to the area hospitals that get the shelters exactly how to use them. For example, they could be used to screen COVID-19 patients, or they could be used for non-COVID-19 outpatients who are usually seen in emergency rooms. They’ll be staffed by the existing hospitals, but International Medical Corps will help fill gaps in nursing and infection prevention and control, AbbVie said.
The tents can withstand 80-mph winds and include beds, supplies, portable sinks, power, lighting and HVAC.
“Most hospitals are in pretty severe need,” Traub said.
Other cities getting the hospitals are Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City and Puerto Rico. Several of the tent hospitals have already been set up in California. —Lisa Schencker
1:26 p.m.: Chain of urgent care clinics to begin using new rapid test from Abbott
Physicians Immediate Care announced Thursday that its urgent care clinics will begin testing patients this week using the new rapid COVID-19 test from Abbott Laboratories, which delivers results in as little as five minutes.
The first people to be tested will be symptomatic healthcare workers and first responders with suspected exposure; the next priority will be patients at the highest risk, including those over 65 with symptoms of the new virus, Physicians Immediate Care said in a news release.
Abbott on Friday announced development of a new rapid COVID-19 test that can produce a positive result in as little as five minutes and a negative result in under 13 minutes, according to the Lake Bluff-based medical device company. That is the fastest turnaround available, at a time when some Chicago-area patients are reporting a wait of more than a week for coronavirus test results.
To limit exposure to the highly contagious virus, Physicians Immediate Care has rolled out “Curbside Care” chain-wide, which allows patients to be screened for potential COVID-19 symptoms at the front entrance before entering a clinic, the company said in the release. Patients who pass the screening are examined in the clinic; the rest are seen in their vehicles, according to the company, which has more than 40 locations in Illinois and Indiana. —Angie Leventis Lourgos
1:23 p.m.: ‘He truly believed all life is precious’: Family, friends remember Niles veterinarian who died after COVID-19 diagnosis’
Long before he became a veterinarian and helmed the Niles Animal Hospital, Dr. Peter Sakas, of Northbrook, was treating and caring for animals.
If a baby bird fell from a tree, a young Sakas was there to nurse it back to health, feeding it through an eye dropper.
When he and his sister, Connie, caught a rabbit near their Skokie home, they raised it as a pet, feeding it until it outgrew its cage and then, after some convincing from their father, releasing it back into the wild.
“There would always be some type of stray animal, some creature in distress in the house and he was always taking care of it,” Sakas’ youngest brother Jim said.
But it wasn’t until Sakas was a young teen that he set his sights on a career in veterinary medicine.
“He wanted to build things, he wanted to become an architect,” sister Connie Markoutsas recalled. “He caddied at the Evanston Golf Club and one day, as he was walking home from there, there was a little bird on the sidewalk. He bent down, picked up the bird and carried it home. … Pete said he wanted to help the bird so badly, and he felt helpless. That’s when he decided he wanted to become a vet.” Read more here.
12:20 p.m.: Lightfoot reflects on one-year anniversary of her mayoral race victory over Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle
Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday reflected on the one-year anniversary of her landslide victory over Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle — a win she said still humbles her.
“This isn’t a day that I thought it was going to be, in thinking about April 2nd, but I’m grateful every day that the good Lord wakes me up and gives me the opportunity to serve this city,” Lightfoot said.
Lightfoot’s tenure as mayor has been eventful. She battled the Chicago Teachers Union in the longest teachers strike since the 1980s and fired police Superintendent Eddie Johnson after he allegedly lied to her about the night he went out for drinks and was found asleep at the wheel of his car, pushed through a $15 minimum wage hike, and pushed efforts to limit aldermanic power. Then there’s the coronavirus, which has upended life across the country.
“We’ve been through a lot in this last year, more than I think anyone would’ve expected or anticipated, but I’m grateful to the support that I continue to receive from total strangers who give me the thumbs up,” Lightfoot said.
Lightfoot said the coronavirus also has shown “how amazing the people in this city are.”
“I’m following their example and encouraging myself, encouraging my team, and encouraging the entire city to really embrace this moment, as horrific at times as it feels, because the only way we get to the other side of this is by being lockstep together in knowing that our fate is wrapped up in each other,” Lightfoot said. “When the light at the end of the tunnel comes, it’s going to be because of the sacrifices that each of us have made in service of a larger good.” —Gregory Pratt
11:54 a.m.: As Chicago temps rise, Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she’s monitoring social distancing at city parks
Mayor Lori Lightfoot isn’t ready to close more parks yet but she’s monitoring the situation as spring temperatures begin to rise, she said Thursday.
“We’re going to remain diligent and doing everything we can to educate people into compliance,” Lightfoot said. “The vast majority of Chicagoans really understood the necessity of these orders and were in compliance but where we need to get more aggressive, we will.”
The city is working with the park district to address problems they’re seeing, Lightfoot said.
“It is my expectation that people must comply,” Lightfoot said. “This isn’t a ‘pretty please, will you?’ This is a must.” —Gregory Pratt
11:30 a.m.: Preckwinkle encourages Cook County businesses to get in line first for federal stimulus money
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Thursday announced a program to help ensure that local business owners, nonprofits and contract workers have access to their piece of the $2.2 trillion federal stimulus package.
The coronavirus relief package includes $377 billion to help small businesses, nonprofits and independent gig workers including money to bring workers back on the payrolls.”
Cook County would be nothing without our restaurants, our mom-and-pop stores and most importantly our workers,” Preckwinkle said at a Thursday news conference.
The funds will be distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis, officials said, with applications opening Friday. The county’s efforts are aimed at connecting those eligible, who might not have large legal or accounting firms to help them navigate the bill, with the banks who will help administer the funds.
The funding comes in the form of a “forgivable loan meant to cover the cost of bringing employees back onto the payroll,” Preckwinkle said. Read more here. —Peter Nickeas
11:21 a.m.: Chicago police officer stricken with COVID-19 dies
A Chicago police officer stricken with COVID-19 has died, making him the first cop in the department to lose their life to the disease, officials said.
The officer, Marco DiFranco, 50, was pronounced dead at 1:02 a.m. Thursday at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
An emotional Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the officer’s death alongside interim police Superintendent Charlie Beck and Fraternal Order of Police president Kevin Graham.
“It is with profound sadness that I’m here to announce the painful news, that for the second time in two days, Chicago has lost another city employee to the COVID-19 virus,” Lightfoot said. “This time, it was a Chicago police department officer.”
Since the coronavirus outbreak began, it’s been healthcare workers and first responders who have been on the front line protecting the public, she said.
“Tragically, this officer gave his life to that fight,” Lightfoot said. “Our hearts go out to the individual’s family, friends and fellow officers whose lives have been forever changed by this terrible loss.”
At last report Wednesday afternoon, there were 62 total Chicago police officers and two civilian department employees who tested positive for the coronavirus.
In a memo to the 13,000-strong department Thursday morning, Beck said the officer was a 21-year CPD veteran.
“I’m devastated to share the news that a member of the Chicago Police Department passed away last night from complications of the COVID-19 virus,” Beck said.
In the memo, Beck said the officer contracted the virus last week, though he didn’t say whether he likely got infected while on or off duty. The officer was hospitalized this past weekend.
Beck also said the officer had past health issues but didn’t specify what they were.
“Despite some previous health challenges, the severity of the COVID-19 virus became overbearing,” said Beck.
Additional details will be released soon as arrangements are finalized.
The tragic news came exactly one year after Lightfoot was elected mayor. Asked how she’s doing in light of the anniversary, Lightfoot choked up.
“I spoke to officer DiFranco’s wife right before I came out here. Those are very hard conversations to have when a wife and a family are sitting in that moment with their grief and I always offer my sincere condolences and sincerely offer to support the family in any way I can,” Lightfoot said. “But having been through death and grief myself, these moments are so surreal, they are so hard, so I’m feeling that for that family. I’m lucky because I still have my mother, I still have my siblings, and I have an incredible wife and daughter who sustain me every single day.” Read more here. —Gregory Pratt and Jeremy Gorner
11:20 a.m.: Democrats postpone national convention in Milwaukee until August over coronavirus concerns
The Democratic National Committee is delaying its presidential nominating convention until the week of Aug. 17 after prospective nominee Joe Biden said he didn’t think it would be possible to hold a normal convention in mid-July because of the coronavirus pandemic. Convention CEO Joe Solmonese confirmed the decision in a statement Thursday.
“In our current climate of uncertainty, we believe the smartest approach is to take additional time to monitor how this situation unfolds so we can best position our party for a safe and successful convention,” Solmonese said. Read more here. —The Associated Press
11:15 a.m.: City Colleges employee has died of COVID-19
A 71-year-old woman employed by the City Colleges of Chicago has died from complications of COVID-19, her union announced Thursday morning.
The woman worked as a bursar in the business office at Wilbur Wright College since 2007, according to Monica Trevino, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Federation of Teachers.
The IFT and the Cook County College Teachers Union are holding a news conference at noon to demand more action from City Colleges to keep workers safe during the outbreak. Classes have been moved online and most staff is working remotely, but the unions say the school is not giving enough guidance about who is considered “essential staff” still required to report to campus.
City Colleges, a community college network of seven schools in Chicago, has previously said engineers, janitors, security, IT personnel and other key administrators might need to come into work in person. A spokeswoman for City Colleges did not immediately reply to a request for comment. —Elyssa Cherney
11 a.m.: Bremen high school district loans 3D printers for fire department to create protective masks
A donation of safety glasses by Tinley Park High School to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn drew kudos from Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who singled out the school Tuesday during his daily media briefing updating coronavirus.
But Bremen High School District 228, which includes Tinley Park, has also loaned two 3D printers to the Midlothian Fire Department to make protective masks, said Jamie Bonnema, a district spokeswoman.
Greg Slade, a district teacher, showed by phone how to use the printers to make masks, Bonnema said.
The Fire Department contacted District 228 about borrowing the printers, which students had previously used in engineering courses to make items such as keychains and toy trains, Slade said. Read more here. —Mike Nolan
9:09 a.m.: Inmate advocates file series of federal suits seeking potential release of thousands from Illinois prisons
Three federal lawsuits were filed Thursday seeking the release of thousands of Illinois prisoners amid the alarming spread of coronavirus in state lockups that has already killed one inmate and sickened dozens of others.
The lawsuits, filed in U.S. District Court by a consortium of Chicago civil rights attorneys and community activists, included a proposed federal class action suit against Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois Department of Corrections officials, a habeus corpus action, and a direct appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court.
The suits stated that as many as 12,000 prisoners could be eligible for release, including many who were convicted of non-violent offenses, are elderly, at elevated risk to get ill, or have already served most of their sentences.
As of Wednesday, a total of 52 inmates and 25 prison staff members in lockups across the state had tested positive for COVID-19. One inmate from Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet died as a result of the infection. The Tribune has reported he was Russell Sedelmaier, 59, who was serving a life sentence for a double murder near Buffalo Grove.
The lawsuits alleged that IDOC and political leaders have dragged their feet in the face of the pandemic, putting prisoners, prison staff and the general public at greater risk of severe illness and death.
“Nearly 37,000 people are incarcerated in Illinois, living in close quarters where all aspects of daily life, including healthcare and food service, take place,” the lawsuits stated. The suits alleged the prisons “are petri dishes for spreading deadly epidemics.” Read more here. —Jason Meisner and Annie Sweeney
8:50 a.m.: Traffic, cookies and video calls: Life during coronavirus in 6 charts
As the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic intensifies each day with a flood of data about increasing cases, deaths and soaring jobless claims, virtually every aspect of how people in Illinois work and play has changed. To capture some of these changes, the Tribune looked at data from pollution reports to smartphone app downloads to retail purchases. Read more here.
8:45 a.m.: Illinois schools stand to get hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal stimulus package
The $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief packaged signed into law by President Donald Trump last week could generate about $570 million for elementary and secondary schools in Illinois.
A huge chunk of that would go to Chicago Public Schools – well over the $75 million the district has set aside for things like emergency workers, computers for homebound students and supplies to disinfect buildings. Read more here. —Hannah Leone
7:52 a.m.: Unemployment claims in Illinois top 178,000 as new claims across US hit 6.6 million, breaking record
More than 178,000 Illinois residents applied for unemployment insurance benefits last week, as the number of workers who have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic continues to swell.
The surge in jobless claims — about 64,000 more than the 114,000 reported for the week ended March 21 — comes as many struggle to file for benefits in Illinois. With unemployment offices closed due to the pandemic, the state’s computer systems have been overwhelmed, and many applicants have had trouble getting through.
Nationally, a record-breaking almost 6.65 million people applied for unemployment benefits for the week ending March 28, according to Thursday’s report from the Labor Department. —Mary Wisniewski
8:05 a.m.: They were told their coronavirus test results would take days. These Fox Valley residents waited more than a week in self-isolation.
Greg Booth spent more than a week in his basement as he waited for the results of his COVID-19 test, he said, listening to his wife and young daughter move around the house above him but too scared of the possibility of infecting them to join them.
His wife left meals for him at the top of the steps in his North Aurora home. He read his 1-year-old daughter bedtime stories via FaceTime.
Booth, 35, said a nurse told him he’d learn the outcome of his COVID-19 test within three days, and health officials advise anyone who has been tested to isolate while waiting to hear back. He said he ultimately spent 11 days in his basement before he was notified of his results: negative.
Though he is relieved his illness was not a result of the coronavirus, he and others across the Fox Valley remain frustrated by the process, they said. Read more here. —Sarah Freishtat
7:05 a.m.: 12th Cook County Court Clerk’s employee tests positive for coronavirus; worked in downtown traffic court
The Cook County Court Clerk’s office announced late Wednesday that a 12th employee in the office, who works in the Traffic Division at the Daley Center, has tested positive for COVID-19.
The employee, who last reported for work March 20, was quarantined at home, according to a news release from Clerk Dorothy Brown’s office.
Crews from the clerk’s office and MB Real Estate, which manages the Daley Center, already have deep cleaned and sanitized where the employee worked, according to the office.
Before Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered a statewide shutdown March 20, Brown was criticized by clerks and other courthouse staff for keeping staffing levels the same as under normal operations, despite a slowdown in courthouse operations and the spread of the new coronavirus. —Chicago Tribune staff
5 a.m.: As spring rains arrive amid the coronavirus crisis, towns prep for flooding
In Rock Island, public works crews are staggering their hours. In central Illinois, dredging work continues at the confluence of the Illinois and Sangamon rivers, though the main focus has been on making sure local restaurants in the river town of Beardstown are able to weather the coronavirus crisis. In Chester, on the Mississippi River south of St. Louis, the river already is at flood stage, affecting downtown’s Water Street.
But levels are nowhere near where they were last summer, and the river is expected to drop in coming days.
Throughout the state, with the ramifications of coronavirus shutdowns changing life for Illinois communities large and small, the preparations for spring flooding, which ravaged large swaths of the state last year, have continued despite the abnormal circumstances. As local, state and federal agencies scramble to react to the public health needs of COVID-19, cities and towns throughout Illinois must also keep one eye on the weather forecast and river levels.
Read more here. —Patrick M. O’Connell
5 a.m.: Facing coronavirus fears, Chicago nurses and doctors try to protect their own families
Home should be a refuge. But for people reporting to a hospital during the coronavirus crisis, home is just one more place to dread.
Doctors, nurses and others working at Illinois hospitals where COVID-19 patients are being treated fear returning to their families, who might be more at risk because of invisible dangers they unwittingly bring home.
Each has a routine. It usually looks like this: Disrobe. Leave scrubs in the garage. Bleach shoes. Run to the shower. No hugs from the children, no welcome from a spouse. Shower, scrub.
For Terence Yee, an intensive care unit nurse at the University of Illinois at Chicago, there is no option but to come home. He and his wife, Sweet Vivares Yee, are both nurses; they have three teenagers to take care of.
Read more here. —Alison Bowen
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Wednesday, April 1
Here’s a recap of coronavirus updates in the Chicago area and Illinois from Wednesday:
Officials reported 986 known new cases and 42 deaths. That’s the highest number of daily deaths reported since the outbreak began.
When will the coronavirus outbreak peak in Illinois? Here are some projections.
County maps reveal suburban spread of coronavirus infections. Some of the highest numbers are in the northern suburbs.
After Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Chicago’s number of coronavirus cases are “starting to trend in the right direction,” she issued a stark warning that the pandemic is far from over
Lightfoot and aldermen also urged Chicagoans not to head outside once the weather warms up
A city worker has died of coronavirus, Lightfoot announced
The Illinois National Guard’s duties expanded to include a 30-member detail to Stateville Correctional Center
The first Illinois prisoner to die after being infected with the coronavirus was a former Chicago man serving a life sentence for murdering a pastor and his daughter during a burglary in their Buffalo Grove home
Illinois schools could be getting nearly $570 million through the federal coronavirus stimulus package
Zoom video meetings are being interrupted by hackers spewing hate speech and showing porn. It’s called “Zoombombing.” Here’s how to prevent it.
Everyone knows hand sanitizer and toilet paper are quarantine essentials. So, apparently, are jigsaw puzzles, bread machines and paint.
The city had received roughly 500 complaints about nonessential businesses operating in violation of the stay-at-home order
Illinois’ extended stay-at-home order applies to golf courses too: No hitting the links through April 30 — at the earliest
Tuesday, March 31
Here’s a recap of coronavirus updates in the Chicago area and Illinois from Tuesday:
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he’s extending his statewide stay-at-home order through April 30
State officials reported 937 known new cases and 26 deaths
Pritzker’s new order means Illinois schools are now shut until May. Here’s what that means for students, parents and teachers.
Illinois might have 19,000 COVID-19 cases about a week from now, according to one analysis. But it could have been worse.
Two Chicago hospitals are participating in a global trial of an experimental anti-viral drug to treat coronavirus
From delayed weed dispensary openings to curbside pot pickup, here’s how the coronavirus is forcing the state’s marijuana industry to adapt
With their vacations canceled, irate VRBO customers are engaged in a bitter battle to get refunds
A Chicago woman boarded a cruise in Argentina a day before the U.S. warned of cruising dangers. Now she has no idea when her quarantined voyage will end.
Chicago continued to see significant decreases in major crimes during the first full week of Pritzker’s statewide stay-at-home order
The United Center has begun its new role as a storage facility for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, already housing more than 460,000 pounds of food
The Tribune interviewed about a dozen homeless people who are struggling through a crisis that threatens the services they rely on to survive. Here’s what they said.
Monday, March 30
Here’s a recap of coronavirus updates in the Chicago area and Illinois from Monday:
As the number of confirmed cases in Illinois climbed to more than 5,000, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the McCormick Place field hospital will have 500 beds available by week’s end
State officials reported 461 new cases, with eight more deaths
A Skokie couple who emigrated from Ukraine died just hours apart after contracting the coronavirus
A war like no other: Inside the Illinois National Guard’s unprecedented coronavirus mission
The new rapid coronavirus test from Abbott Laboratories is a “huge step forward,” but it’s still not enough to meet the need
Chicago Public Schools is aiming to deliver 100,000 computers to students as it plans to shift to remote learning — but school leaders won’t rule out longer closures
Rations of high-demand goods, shoppers in masks and reminders to keep your distance. This is the brave new world of pandemic shopping.
As some Chicagoans prepare for a rent strike, the city says a rent freeze is not possible while a state ban remains intact
With high school seniors’ lives upended by the coronavirus, universities are loosening their enrollment deadlines, but some colleges are “being stubborn”
Sunday, March 29
Here’s a recap of coronavirus updates in the Chicago area and Illinois from Sunday:
As Illinois health officials announced 18 new known deaths and 1,105 new cases of the coronavirus, Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned that the upward curve is likely to continue for weeks.
The coronavirus has prompted a crackdown on crowds in Cook County forest preserves — and more closures possible if public doesn’t comply
COVID-19 has mostly spared small-town Illinois. That could change soon.
Two Cubs game-day employees who attended a March 8 training session at Wrigley Field have tested positive
Saturday, March 28
Here’s a recap of coronavirus updates in the Chicago area and Illinois from Saturday:
Gov. J.B. Pritzker reported 13 more deaths linked to the coronavirus in Illinois, including the stunning loss of an infant. It was announced Sunday that the child was 9 months old.
Illinois health officials also confirmed 465 new cases of the coronavirus in the state
McCormick Place will be converted into Illinois’ first field hospital to handle 3,000 coronavirus patients, officials said.
Citing the need to ensure the safety of its guests and staff, the One Off Hospitality Group announced it will curtail carryout and delivery service for its restaurants
