* Capitol News Illinois…

Legislative leaders participated in briefings and conference calls with representatives from the governor’s office and Department of Public Health, among others.

Steve Brown, spokesperson for House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, said the situation is “unique.”

“I can’t think of any comparable situation, and managing the Legislature is a different breed of activity than managing a business, a newspaper, what have you,” he said. “We have citizens that come from all over the state to talk about issues they’re concerned about, and you’ve got to balance all of that alongside the public health, public safety, concerns.”

Madigan, Brown added, is handling the status of coronavirus in Illinois on a “day-by-day, step-by-step basis.”

* The federal government is just so messed up…

A day after President Donald Trump assured Americans that testing for the coronavirus is “expanding rapidly, day by day,” administration officials admitted Thursday that testing in the United States is lagging badly behind other nations, and they could not say when it will improve.

For Illinois, that means health officials will continue to test only the most seriously ill, or those who have come into contact with those diagnosed with the sometimes fatal disease.

“Here’s what’s happening. We’re not getting enough tests. We’re not getting enough test kits,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday, hours before Trump’s televised address to the nation.

* More…

Despite insistent promises from the Trump administration, coronavirus testing in the United States appears to be proceeding with a marked lack of urgency. An examination of state and federal records by Yahoo News finds that American states are, on average, testing fewer than 100 people per day — while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had tested fewer than 100 people total in the first two days of this week.

* Reuters…

President Donald Trump plans to declare a national emergency on Friday over the coronavirus outbreak, invoking the Stafford Act to open the door to more federal aid for states and municipalities, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Finally. Sheesh.

* Oh, man…

A USA TODAY analysis shows that if the nation sees a major spike, there could be almost six seriously ill patients for every existing hospital bed.

That analysis, based on data from the American Hospital Association, U.S. Census, CDC and World Health Organization, is conservative. For example, it assumes all 790,000 beds will be empty.

Since two thirds are not, the reality could be far worse: about 17 people competing for each open bed.

Emphasis added.

* A buddy texted me earlier that Sacred Heart Griffin, a private Catholic school in Springfield, held an all-school pep rally today “for a basketball game that won’t be played.” SHG had advanced to the state finals, but the IHSA canceled the tournament yesterday. I called the school and confirmed that the rally went on as scheduled.

That’s about 600 kids the day after this was decreed in Sangamon County…

The Sangamon County Department of Public Health has issued orders restricting large gatherings in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

The restrictions will limit indoor events to 250 people or less and outdoor events to 500 people or less starting Saturday. They will be in effect until at least April 14.

If that isn’t peak Springfield, I do not know what is.

…Adding… Oh, so now they’re worried…

Dear SHG Parents/Guardians,

Sacred Heart-Griffin High School is continuing to monitor developments with COVID-19. At the time of this email message there are over 205,000 students in Illinois alone who are out of school as a precautionary measure from various school districts. The situation is escalating at an alarming rate so we will be informing students at SHG today that they need to take home textbooks and any other learning materials they may need in the event that the school would close. As of this moment, we are planning to be open on Monday, March 16, but we want our students prepared in the event that we have to close our doors.

…Adding… And they’re closing…

As a preventative measure, all Catholic schools under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois will be closed the week of March 16. This includes the cancellation of all extra-curricular activities, social events and other school-related gatherings. We’ll offer an update by the end of next week.

* Tribune…

Amanda Kass, associate director of the Government Finance Research Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said the city’s budget could be impacted by “decreased revenue tied to immediate losses from things like decreased tourism and decreased public transportation ridership.”

“The budgetary impact may go well beyond 2020 as there may be long-term economic consequences from COVID-19,” Kass said. “How big an impact this has on the budget and how many years are impacted depends on how long the public health measures and warnings are in place — the longer it goes on, the greater financial impact.”

Chicago’s pension funds also could see strain, she said, as they rely heavily on investments as a source of assets.

“An economic downturn likely means a decrease in assets, causing an increase in the unfunded liabilities,” Kass said. “The economic impact of COVID-19 may cause a sharp decline in the pension systems’ finances (as happened with the 2008 financial crisis), which would in-turn cause a significant increase in the City’s required pension systems for the police and fire funds immediately.”

* More like this, please. From Rep. Mark Batinick’s Facebook page…

My office is starting a coronavirus helping hands programs. We need volunteers! While the coronavirus does not affect the majority of the population the elderly and those with underlying health conditions are at serious risk. We are strongly encouraging those groups to stay home. If you need to go out for any reason, please contact us to see if we can have one of our interns or volunteers do that for you. We can run to the store, library, etc. Our district is basically far west Will County and Eastern Kendall County. If for some reason we can’t help you we will try to get someone who can. Private message me if you need help or want to volunteer. Our office phone number is 815-254-0000. Thanks All!!!

* Less like this, please…

Chicago public health officials told students from Vaughn Occupational High School that were showing coronavirus-like symptoms they could get tested in a tent outside the school, but a series of missteps left at least one student in limbo for several days. […]

The first problem arose because the student was not on the list of Vaughn students. School district officials have admitted this was an error on their part.

That prevented the student’s mother, who asked not to be identified out of fear of being stigmatized, from being contacted by city officials for days. When she reached out on her own, she said she was not given clear information on where to be tested. Her daughter is 18 years old and has an intellectual disability. She began showing symptoms over the weekend.

It wasn’t until Wednesday that the mother got the message that she could take her daughter to Vaughn to get tested. When she got there Thursday, the onsite testing center was gone. The Chicago Department of Public Health halted its site testing at Vaughn sometime earlier this week.

* We’re going to see lots more of these announcements, like it or not…

In the best interest of our members and the communities they serve, the American Case Management Association is canceling the ACMA 2020 National Case Management and Transitions of Care Conference at McCormick Place in Chicago, scheduled for April 6-9.

All previous media and press invitations have been canceled for this event.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a ban on all large gatherings of 1,000 people or more in Illinois as the number of coronavirus cases in the state continues to rise. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot echoed, saying, “All community events of more than 1,000 people are banned for the next 30 days in the city.” After 30 days, the mayor said the city will “reassess.”

ACMA members consist of nurses, social workers, physicians and other health care professionals affiliated with case management and transitions of care, many of which will be working diligently to support their organizations during the COVID-19 event. ACMA will continue to provide our members with virtual education and advocacy efforts which do not require mass gatherings.

Jon Vickers
Marketing and Communications Manager
American Case Management Association

Vickers said more than 1,500 attendees, exhibitors, sponsors and speakers were expected.

* Ugh…

There are 44 million Americans without health insurance and another 38 million with inadequate coverage. The COVID-19 test can cost anywhere from $900 to $3,000. This only covers the test, this does not include the cost of being treated if you test positive for the virus.

* Signs of the times…

A memo circulated by Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential campaign said campaign staffers would be working from home and that voter outreach would be limited to phone-banking, texting and “virtual” events like a video town hall Biden has set for Illinois supporters on Friday.

The more traditional style of campaigning by going door to door to solicit voter support — dubbed parochially as a “precinct captain” kind of campaign — appeared to no longer be in the Biden campaign playbook in Illinois because of worries over COVID-19.

Biden’s rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, took similar steps Thursday, vowing an end to door-to-door canvassing.

* Tina Sfondeles…

The epidemic is also affecting institutions close to Pritzker’s own life. A Pritzker spokeswoman said “at least one” of the governor’s two children attends Francis W. Parker School, a private school in Chicago that WBEZ reported is closing its doors for two weeks. The governor was asked what his message is to parents who might not want to have their kids go to school.

“Well you’ve got to make decisions for your own family. There’s no doubt about that, but I would say that remember the guidance that’s been given by experts is large gatherings should be prohibited,” Pritzker said. “And so we’ve done that. We’ve suggested to schools all across the state. We’ve told them not to have major assemblies of their students. It’s OK to be in a classroom.”

* Let’s look at some closures…

Shedd Aquarium, one of Chicago’s leading attractions, will close for at least two weeks beginning Friday afternoon “in support of city and statewide preventative measures to limit the additional spread and transmission of the novel coronavirus,” the institution announced Friday morning. […]

Evanston-Skokie District 65 buildings are closing effective Monday, while Oak Park District 65 was closed Friday and moving to online instruction started Monday. Evanston Township High School students were scheduled to be in the school Friday, with a day off Monday and online instruction starting Tuesday, according to the district. Many south suburban public schools were restricting student activities because of coronavirus concerns, while Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, which serves more than 13 communities in the North Shore and northwest suburbs, has closed and is offering online classes. […]

Lincoln Park Zoo is closing its doors temporarily, and halting all events and programs taking place there until April 10, amid concerns about the coronavirus, according to the zoo.

* This is a bummer, but we’ll just have to deal with it…

The new measures will drastically alter Chicagoans’ social and cultural lives at the very moment they could most use some distractions. Most major sporting events, concerts and rallies shut down just as spring arrives. Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he has asked professional sports teams “to cancel all of their games or play without spectators until May 1,” and they’ve agreed.

* OW is undoubtedly bummed out about this development…

Augusta National officials decided Friday to postpone the Masters because of the spread of the coronavirus.

The closures are now impossible to keep up with. Our live coverage post is probably your best bet.

…Adding… Plainfield canceled its St. Patrick’s Day parade. Click here.

* More stuff…

* Why closing Chicago’s public schools is such a hard decision — even if it seems necessary: “In some of these communities, if we take away a school — the only public good we still offer them — then we start to leave them to fend for themselves,” one expert said.

* Southern Illinois schools weigh options amid COVID-19 pandemic: “This is like snow days on steroids,” Donkin said. He said it’s not just a question of how much of summer break this could eat into, but also a question of childcare. Donkin said the decision to cancel school, even for one snow day, isn’t always easy because he knows the impact it can have on families. Not everyone has the fortune of having paid sick leave, and the decision to stay home with a child who doesn’t have school could lead to financial hardship.

* Treasurer Pappas closes office at noon today to safeguard health of taxpayers and employees: “We have not had a case of the coronavirus in our office and I want to keep it that way,” Pappas said. “While it is of surpassing importance to protect our employees and visitors to the building from this virus, it is important to continue serving taxpayers.”

* SIU cancels events expected to draw 25 people or more

* NASCAR, cricket, darts among gamblers’ choices as coronavirus crimps Illinois sports betting launch

* What’s a mild case of COVID-19 feel like? Similar to a cold or flu, experts say

* 6 tips for dealing with anxiety over the coronavirus

* A look at the advantages, pitfalls of working from home