Illinois announced 1,941 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Friday. The state also reported 21 more deaths and a new daily record for test results with 49,782. The new cases confirmed Friday are the highest daily count since May 24.
Meanwhile, 11 Illinois counties have been put on a state “warning level” based on key metrics for measuring the resurgence of COVID-19, officials said Friday. The state classifies a county as reaching a “warning level” when it sees an increase in at least two risk indicators under the state’s coronavirus Resurgence Mitigation plan, which allows for tighter restrictions for regions that breach levels set for various metrics.
“We’re at a danger point,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at a news conference Thursday in Peoria, warning again that Illinois could be headed for a “reversal” in its reopening as the state continues to see a resurgence in case numbers and regions see positivity rates of coronavirus tests creeping up.
Here’s what’s happening Friday regarding COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
9:05 p.m.: CPS students have until Aug. 7 to opt for hybrid instruction or all-remote learning
Although no final decision has been made on what instruction will look like in Chicago Public Schools this fall, parents learned Friday that they have a week to decide whether they will opt their children out of the proposed hybrid approach for fall.
The state’s largest school system has been seeking feedback on its preliminary framework for fall, which combines two days a week of in-person classes with three days of remote learning.
Officials have stressed that parents can opt out of in-person instruction for any reason, though the Chicago Teachers Union continues to push back against any reopening of schools this fall without what its members believe are adequate protections against the spread of COVID-19.
Many parents have indicated they share those concerns, but others have said that remote learning is a poor substitute for classroom instruction and that they trust school officials to mitigate the risks of coronavirus transmission.
—Claire Hao
6:32 p.m.: College students from states under Chicago’s quarantine order can begin their stints in isolation before traveling to Illinois — if their school allows
College students moving to Chicago from a designated coronavirus hotspot are allowed to complete the first half of a required 14-day quarantine in their home state, officials said Friday.
Students who do so will remain in compliance with the city’s emergency travel order as long as they finish the remaining week of quarantine upon arriving — either in a dorm or an off-campus residence.
It’s not clear why the Chicago Department of Public Health adjusted the order for college students, or whether all schools will adopt the approach. Previously, the city has not allowed travelers from states with rising COVID-19 infections to split the quarantine period in half. The order affects travelers from 22 states, including nearby Wisconsin and Missouri.
DePaul University in Lincoln Park announced the option on Thursday. Students who complete the first week of quarantine at home will be allowed to move into dorms early and must get tested for COVID-19 shortly after arriving on campus, according to the announcement. The students must also sign a certification showing they followed the order.
“If you choose to quarantine on campus with us … we will deliver meals and urgent mail to your room, provide access to WiFi and Philo TV streaming, etc,” the announcement says. “Students must stay in their rooms and not interact in-person with anyone else, including other students, for any reason except for urgent medical care and COVID testing during the quarantine period.”
The department’s guidance doesn’t specify whether using certain modes of transportation to get to Chicago after a one-week quarantine out of state — such as a crowded plane or train — would violate the order.
Read more here. —Elyssa Cherney
5:45 p.m.: Will County health officials issue warning following Lincoln-Way East prom tied to COVID-19 cases
Will County health officials are delivering a warning to teens and adults who attended a recent student-organized prom in Indiana for graduates of Lincoln-Way East High School in Frankfort.
Contact tracers working on behalf of the county Health Department have been working to get in touch with the about 270 people who were at the event, which had been planned since the spring.
Department epidemiologist Alpesh Patel on Thursday urged those who are showing signs of the virus to get tested, and for those who are asymptomatic “it is absolutely necessary to quarantine yourself” for 14 days and self-monitor, including taking their temperature at least three times a day.
Although not tying the increase to prom attendees, county health officials noted that the region that includes Will and Kankakee counties had, as of Thursday, showed a seven-day run of increases in positive virus cases. They pointed out that all regions statewide had showed increases for at least six days.
Sue Olenek, executive director of the department, said the increases are an indication of people being slipshod about taking necessary precautions.
“We have people finding their ways to events, out of town or out of state, where the important precautions are not being observed,” she said in the statement.
Read more here. —Mike Nolan
4:37 p.m.: Chicago bars now can add outdoor service on sidewalks, if they partner with a restaurant to provide food
In a surprise and undoubtedly welcome move, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Friday afternoon announced an expansion of the city’s Outdoor Dining Program that will allow taverns without a retail food license to operate temporarily on the sidewalk area in front of their establishment.
This offers some relief to bars and taverns affected most severely by the mayor’s recent rule rollback, which banned indoor service to bars lacking a food license.
Under the expanded program, bars may set up outdoor tables, enclosed by barriers (as is required of sidewalk cafes) and leaving at least 6 feet of pedestrian clearance. In addition, bars must identify a “partner food establishment” to ensure that food is available to bar customers.
“While we’ve had to implement restrictions and take hard measures to combat a recent rise COVID-19 activity, we will continue to ensure our restaurants, bars and businesses have the supports they need to survive during these unprecedented times,” said Mayor Lightfoot in a statement. “Our innovative Outdoor Dining Program has already helped more than 250 restaurants and bars in our communities, and now by expanding our efforts to better support our bars impacted by these new restrictions, we are providing a lifeline to hundreds of local establishments across Chicago’s neighborhoods.”
In addition, establishments holding a retail food license will be able to operate in outdoor areas — such as courtyards, terraces or patios — without securing an outdoor patio license, which ordinarily would be required. Though temporary, this move will relieve restaurants and bars with food licenses from the lengthy and onerous outdoor patio license process.
—Phil Vettel
3:52 p.m.: United to add international routes in September, including a flight between Chicago and Tel Aviv
United Airlines plans to resume service on more than 25 international routes in September, including a new route between Chicago and Tel Aviv, the airline said Friday.
Chicago-based United’s September schedule has about 37% of the flights it flew the same month last year. That’s about 4% more flights than it plans to operate in August, as recent increases in COVID-19 cases slows passengers’ return to flying.
Several of the routes United is adding back are beach destinations in the Caribbean and Hawaii, as leisure travel is expected to recover more quickly than business travel.
Read more here. —Lauren Zumbach
3:40 p.m.: Teachers who are at high risk from COVID-19 are anxious to know if they will be allowed to teach remotely
Paul Dombrowski has been teaching art at Willow Bend Elementary School in northwest suburban Rolling Meadows for 23 years, and it shows; he instinctively calls his students “my kids,” and the school, “my school.”
His voice fills with excitement when he talks about the projects he would normally be preparing for at this time of year: student self portraits, papier-mache cake slices, glazed ceramic monsters with elaborate horns and fangs.
Instead, Dombrowski is checking his phone five times a day, waiting anxiously for the response to his request to stay home and teach remotely.
Dombrowski, 57, is one of thousands of teachers throughout the Chicago area who are at higher risk from COVID-19 due to age or chronic health conditions. For many of them, this is an anxious time; while the Americans with Disabilities Act provides protections for those with the most serious health conditions, it’s still unclear exactly how schools will respond to a wide range of potential risk levels.
Dombrowski, who has diabetes, said if he isn’t allowed to teach remotely, he may make the emotionally and financially difficult decision to retire early.
“It is a matter of life and death,” he said of his request to teach remotely. “I’ve been very careful since March. I’m a mask-wearer, and I don’t go out unless I really need to.”
Read more here. —Nara Schoenberg
2:28 p.m.: Chicago airports restrict access to people with tickets and those helping them, workers
Chicago aviation officials are restricting access to O’Hare International and Midway airports starting Friday night for unspecified “safety and security” reasons.
City officials didn’t spell out why they plan on keeping anyone but passengers, those helping passengers and airport employees from entering the airport, but said in a news release that it’s to “to ensure the safety and security of our valued passengers and employees.”
City Aviation Department officials and Chicago police were scheduled to set up a nightly checkpoint at the airports’ CTA stations to confirm people entering the airport have a reason to be there, according to the release.
Read more here. —Sophie Sherry
2:15 p.m.: Illinois puts 11 counties at ‘warning level’ for coronavirus resurgence as daily case count pushes close to 2,000
Eleven of Illinois’s 102 counties have been put on a state “warning level” based on key metrics for measuring the resurgence of COVID-19, officials said Friday, as the state logged its highest daily count of new known coronavirus cases since May 24.
State public health officials said that during the prior 24 hours, there were 1,941 newly confirmed coronavirus cases across the state, and an additional 21 people with COVID-19 in Illinois had died.
The seven-day average statewide positivity rate is now 3.9%, and the statewide totals now stand at 178,837 known cases of COVID-19 in Illinois and 7,495 deaths since the pandemic began, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The state classifies a county as reaching a “warning level” when it sees an increase in at least two risk indicators under the state’s coronavirus Resurgence Mitigation plan, which allows for tighter restrictions for regions that breach levels set for various metrics.
The counties at warning level include Jo Daviess County in the state’s northwestern corner, and, in central Illinois, Cass and Sangamon counties, the latter of which includes Springfield.
The remaining warning level counties are in Metro East near St. Louis and southern Illinois: Gallatin, Jackson, Johnson, Perry, Randolph, Saline, St. Clair and White, according to the state health department.
The counties have experienced coronavirus outbreaks from a range of activities and settings, including parties, bars and restaurants, religious gatherings, long-term care facilities and sporting events, state health officials said.
“Residents of many communities are not wearing face coverings that have been proven to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” the state Department of Public Health said in a news release Friday. “Public health officials are finding that most contacts to cases are testing positive as well.”
Some of the counties that were issued warnings have imposed limits on activities considered risky for the spread of COVID-19, including a measure Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder imposed earlier this month making bars and restaurants that aren’t compliant with Phase 4 rules in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan subject to fines and liquor license suspensions.
The state is monitoring a range of metrics to determine whether there’s a coronavirus resurgence in a given community, including deaths, hospital admissions, new cases per 100,000 people, weekly test positivity and ICU availability.
To date, the state Department of Public Health has conducted nearly 2.7 million COVID-19 tests, with 49,782 in the most recent 24-hour period. As of Thursday night, 1,369 people in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID-19, with 346 of those patients in an intensive care unit and 148 on ventilators.
—Jamie Munks
2:05 p.m.: Antiviral drug remdesivir helps white, Black and Latino patients equally, Chicago study finds
Remdesivir, the only drug given emergency approval for treatment of COVID-19, appears to provide equal benefits to white, Asian, Black and Latino patients, according to an analysis led by researchers at University of Chicago Medicine.
It’s encouraging news, infectious disease experts say, because of the disparate effects of the disease on different groups. Black people are dying at higher rates than people of other races, and Latinos are contracting the disease at higher rates than others.
Dr. Kathleen Mullane, a UChicago Medicine infectious disease expert, said the results — which were reviewed by other scientists but are not published in a medical journal — are particularly encouraging for her institution given that it treats many patients of color. “We are so proud and excited and happy that our patients did well,” she said.
Read more here. —Hal Dardick
1:50 p.m.: White House, GOP soften on opposition to $600 unemployment benefit
The White House and its GOP allies appear to be retreating from their opposition to a $600 per week supplemental unemployment benefit that has propped up both the economy and family budgets but is expiring Friday.
President Donald Trump is plainly eager to extend the benefit, undercutting his GOP allies on Capitol Hill who have spent considerable effort on devising an alternative to it that could unite Republicans.
The unemployment insurance is a principle element as talks continue on a COVID-19 relief bill, which is expected to grow considerably from a $1 trillion-plus GOP draft released this week. The negotiations are continuing Friday after late-night talks at the Capitol failed to produce a breakthrough.
Read more here. —The Associated Press
12:30 p.m.: 1,941 new known COVID-19 cases and 21 more deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Friday announced 1,941 new known cases of COVID-19 and 21 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known cases to 178,837 and the statewide death toll to 7,495 since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 49,782 new tests in the last 24 hours. The seven-day statewide positivity rate is 3.9%.
12:27 p.m.: Fauci says he believes Americans will get COVID-19 vaccine over course of 2021
Once a coronavirus vaccine is approved as safe and effective, Americans should have widespread access within a reasonable time, Dr. Anthony Fauci assured lawmakers Friday.
Appearing before a House panel investigating the nation’s response to the pandemic, Fauci expressed “cautious” optimism that a vaccine would be available, particularly by next year.
“I believe, ultimately, over a period of time in 2021, that Americans will be able to get it,” Fauci said, referring to the vaccine.
There will be a priority list for who gets early vaccinations. “I don’t think we will have everybody getting it immediately,” Fauci explained.
But “ultimately, within a reasonable time, the plans allow for any American who needs the vaccine to get it,” he added.
Read more here. —The Associated Press
11:57 a.m.: Cardinals-Brewers game postponed after 2 Cardinals employees test positive for COVID-19
The coronavirus forced another change in Major League Baseball’s schedule, bringing the league’s total to eight teams affected in the first nine days of the season.
Friday’s game between St. Louis and Milwaukee was postponed after two Cardinals employees tested positive for the coronavirus.
The league announced the schedule change hours before the game was to be played. It said the postponement in Milwaukee is “consistent with protocols to allow enough time for additional testing and contact tracing to be conducted.”
The teams plan to resume their schedule Saturday night at Miller Park, pending results from the testing and contact tracing, and make up Friday’s game as part of a doubleheader Sunday.
“We are supportive of Major League Baseball’s decision to postpone today’s game and look forward to playing our home opener as soon as conditions safely allow,” Brewers general manager David Stearns said in a statement. “The health and safety of our players and employees are, and will continue to be, our top priorities.”
Two other games scheduled for Friday involving the Marlins, Nationals, Blue Jays and Phillies had already been postponed because of an outbreak among Miami players and two positive tests on Philadelphia’s coaching staff.
Read more here. —The Associated Press
11:01 a.m.: Children may carry high levels of the coronavirus, up to 100 times as much as adults, new Lurie Children’s Hospital study finds
It has been a comforting refrain in the national conversation about reopening schools: Young children are mostly spared by the coronavirus and don’t seem to spread it to others, at least not very often.
But Thursday, a study introduced an unwelcome wrinkle into this smooth narrative.
Infected children have at least as much of the coronavirus in their noses and throats as infected adults, according to the research. Indeed, children younger than age 5 may host up to 100 times as much of the virus in the upper respiratory tract as adults, the authors found.
That measurement does not necessarily prove that children are passing the virus to others. Still, the findings should influence the debate over reopening schools, several experts said.
“The school situation is so complicated. There are many nuances beyond just the scientific one,” said Dr. Taylor Heald-Sargent, a pediatric infectious diseases expert at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, who led the study, published in JAMA Pediatrics. “But one takeaway from this is that we can’t assume that just because kids aren’t getting sick, or very sick, that they don’t have the virus.”
Read more here. —The New York Times
10:47 a.m.: Chicago venues, theaters asking for economic relief from Congress before August recess
As some Chicago businesses have chanced a reopening under the city’s “phase four” plan, venues and theaters have been notably absent from that group
Institutions like the Metro, the Hideout and Logan Theatre — among many more — have had their doors shut since March, and, with infection rates yo-yo-ing nationwide, the timeline for large venue spaces to reopen remains unclear at best.
This week, operators throughout the city called on legislators to pass at least one of two proposed pieces of legislation, the RESTART or Save Our Stages acts — if not both — which would offer urgent financial relief to live venues, theaters and similar arts and entertainment operations. These industries have been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 regulations.
“Think of it this way: no revenue. No revenue, but the bills keep coming. And a lot of us are facing this cliff very quickly,” said Katie Tuten, who is co-owner of the 24-year-old Hideout, as well as a founding member of the Chicago Independent Venue League (CIVL), a coalition that has been spearheading the publicity push for legislation. The last time the Hideout welcomed a show to its stage was March 12.
“This is kind of like our last chance, really, and we’re all in dire situations. Most of us are ‘phase five’ businesses.”
According to the state’s phase-five plan, “conventions, festivals, and large events” cannot fully restart until there is a widely available treatment or vaccine, contact tracing or no new cases over a sustained period.
Read more here. —Adam Lukach
6 a.m.: Small clusters of flu or other ailments may be popping up for the same reason COVID-19 is spreading: ‘Strict social distancing isn’t in place’
As Illinois continues testing for COVID-19, many people showing symptoms end up with negative results. Instead, they may have fallen ill with a common cold or the flu. While some people may wonder why they might catch a cold during this time of social distancing and hand washing, the answer is fairly simple, according to medical professionals.
Dr. Desler Javier, an internal physician at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, said that not everyone adheres to social distancing measures, contributing to cases of the flu and other respiratory illnesses.
“If everyone lived in a bubble no one would get a contagious disease,” Javier said. “Unless everyone is social distancing 100% of the time, you’re still going to get pockets of outbreaks.”
Strict social distancing measures could ultimately curb both viruses, said Dr. Ben Singer, a pulmonary and critical care specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Read more here. —Jessica Villagomez
5 a.m.: Chicago parents struggle to get rid of car seats, children’s items after COVID-19 closures: ‘Recycling is really seeing a decline’
If you’re hoping to donate your child’s car seat or crib this year, many thrift stores and retailers likely won’t take it. But throwing it away may not be the best option, either.
Some Chicago-area parents say they’ve been struggling to get rid of unneeded car seats and other children’s items because of COVID-19. Most resale shops have for years limited what children’s items they’ll take, but even after reopening in recent weeks, many also have limited donations because of staff shortages.
Trashing children’s gear can harm the environment, but to limit face-to-face contact, corporations such as Walmart and Target have canceled their trade-in programs, which had allowed people to exchange car seats for a credit, discount or upgraded product.
“It stinks (the programs) are closed,” said Tory Andrews, 34, a parent from the Northwest Side who has been trying to give away her child’s car seat. “I don’t understand why they are closed, but the pandemic is affecting nearly everything.”
Read more here. —Kelli Smith
5 a.m.: Online education was a mess in the spring. As COVID-19 prompts schools to stay virtual, will it get better this fall?
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced Chicago Public Schools to make a hurried switch to remote instruction earlier this year, Lidia Muro said it didn’t work out so well for her 5-year-old stepson Elijah, then a kindergartner at Marvin Camras Elementary.
Some of the schoolwork he was given required logins and passwords his parents didn’t receive, she said. Communication with his teacher was lacking. And while it took Elijah a single day to finish math lessons that were supposed to stretch over months, he fell behind in reading.
“The program was mostly games, I think,” Muro said. “Educational games are good, but (children) can only do games for so long.”
Contrast that with the experience of Wauconda High School junior-to-be Tori Mraz. She found her school’s online classes to be rigorous but flexible, and while a lack of face-to-face instruction created challenges, she gave virtual education high marks.
“I did really well,” said Mraz, 16, who woke at 6 a.m. each day to start her assignments. “It was on my own time, my own pace. If I had questions, I didn’t feel rushed. If I wanted to email for help, I could, or text my friends. We would FaceTime and they’d explain it to me. I feel I worked a lot harder because of all that was going on.”
Such is the varied landscape many will face when school resumes. Though some districts have pledged to return to in-person classes, many appear headed to full-time online instruction or a hybrid approach, ensuring that education by internet will remain a staple in Illinois.
Read more here. —John Keilman
Breaking coronavirus news
Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here are five things that happened Thursday in Illinois related to COVID-19:
The Art Institute of Chicago reopened — and returning visitors finally got an art fix.
Two Northwestern COVID-19 patients who were first in U.S. to undergo double lung transplants shared their stories.
The Chicago Board of Elections closed to the public after an employee tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
With the Chicago Teachers Union loudly opposing in-person instruction in the fall, union leaders aren’t saying whether they expect a strike if the Chicago Board of Education goes ahead with in-person instruction.
With spiking coronavirus cases, the return of jobs expected after the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions in Illinois is becoming less certain.
