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* Press release…

Due to concerns of St. Patrick’s Day festivities continuing through St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th, the City today issued new precautionary measures and guidelines to enforce large gatherings at bars and liquor establishments throughout Chicago. As part of the City’s efforts to keep residents safe and healthy, the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) and the Chicago Police Department (CPD) are enforcing all business establishments that sell liquor to have less than half of their regular max capacity. Additionally, any establishments that sell liquor will have a max capacity of 100 persons.

As part of these measures to limit large gatherings, the City is also requiring business owners to discontinue lining patrons up who are waiting for entry outside of establishments and on the public way. BACP and CPD are working with local entrepreneurs and business owners to ensure they’re monitoring the new requirements, and the Departments will issue citations to owners if any establishment fails to enforce the new capacity limits.

Last week, City announced new guidance on large gatherings, mandating that events exceeding 1,000 individuals be cancelled and recommending that community events of 250 people or more should be cancelled or postponed. Additionally, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is reminding people of health guidance on large gatherings and social distancing, and reiterating that everyone has a role to play in helping contain the spread of COVID-19.

For those planning to attend a large gathering or event, CDPH recommends common sense health and safety tips, and social distancing:

Do not attend any events or gatherings if you are sick. If you are sick, just stay home.
Vulnerable populations, including older individuals and those with underlying health conditions, should limit travel and should not attend large gatherings.
If you do attend an event, use common sense about your interactions and practice social distancing techniques.

For events that aren’t cancelled, CDPH strongly encourages that event organizers provide additional hand sanitizer and hand washing stations, and conduct additional cleaning, including for high touch surface areas like counter tops and handrails.

The best way for all Chicagoans to reduce their risk of getting sick, as with seasonal colds or the flu, still applies to prevent COVID-19. Stay home if you are sick, wash your hands, and cover your cough or sneeze! Stay tuned for the latest news on the City’s efforts to combat COVID-19 by visiting Chicago.gov/coronavirus

* Crain’s…

In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” this morning, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said despite shutting down the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parades and calling off the river dyeing, “many young people who think they’re impervious to this went out and celebrated. And I had my 2:30 briefing yesterday, called out the problem of people on the street, and unfortunately we haven’t seen a lot of movement.”

“People aren’t understanding that, even if you’re healthy, even if you’re young, that you may be a carrier. And you’re going to hand it over to somebody else. COVID-19 is spreading because even healthy people can be walking around, giving it to other people. So we need to go on lockdown,” he said. “Nowhere in the United States really has there been a lockdown on bars and restaurants, but it’s something that we’re seriously looking at.”

Stay tuned.

* Meanwhile, in Springfield…

Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder is urging city residents to act cautiously but not panic following the disclosure of two Sangamon County residents testing positive for COVID-19. […]

The mayor also acknowledged partaking in St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in downtown Springfield earlier Saturday, joining revelers at the Alamo and Frankie’s Brewhaus, where he sang a song.

“So if you want to take precautionary measures, you would stay home like my wife did,” Langfelder said. “If you want to go out and show confidence, things of that nature, you have to use common sense. I did go out. I did use hand sanitizer, tired to avoid shaking people’s hands, things of that nature.”

Dude.

* Response…

Ward 6 Kristin DiCenso says she’s been exposed to the virus and so have other council members. Blasts the mayor in a message to Langfelder, calling him to act responsibly and declare an emergency. See below for text.

Mayor,

In reading this article (in the SJR about Langfelder going to bars), I’m not only shocked but extremely disappointed. The situation calls for more than caution.

Last night, I was informed that I had been exposed to COVID-19.

know others on the Council received the same call. Equally disappointing was the County’s response to “go about my daily life”. This is how community spread happens. Luckily, Deputy Governor Christian Mitchell understands the need to self quarantine and told me to stay home.

It’s time for the City to get serious about this situation and stop taking a passive role. A State of Emergency needs to be declared and regular daily life needs to change for awhile. This is not panic, it’s common sense.

I hope you do the right thing sooner rather than later.

We’re all here to help you, even if it is from home. Please, for the sake of our City, take the appropriate action.

Best,

Kristin