* Press release…
Medline has resumed sterilization services at its Waukegan facility following the installation of new, state-of-the-art emissions control equipment, which was certified by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency as required under state law.
This $10 million investment brings the most advanced safety technology in the world to Waukegan, with testing showing the new controls capture 99.99% of all ethylene oxide used at the facility. In addition to sterilization of surgical packs, the facility will play an immediate and direct role in supporting health care professionals battling the coronavirus at medical facilities across Illinois.
“The investment in Waukegan is part of our dedication to the health and safety of Medline employees and our neighbors,” said Medline spokesperson Jesse Greenberg. “Illinois is leading the nation with the most stringent ethylene oxide emission standards in the country. At this critical time for the national public health, we are gratified that we can help supply sterile medical equipment to Illinois healthcare professionals working on the frontlines and to clinicians battling COVID-19 across America.”
Medical devices sterilized by Medline’s Waukegan plant that are used to treat patients with the coronavirus or prevent its spread include personal protective equipment such as gowns and drapes, syringes, tubing and electronic devices including oxygenators.
“We’re really proud of our employees who are working hard each day to ensure our state and our country have the medical supplies needed to confront this crisis,” Greenberg added. “The upgrades at our Waukegan plant demonstrate Medline can meet the highest environmental standards while rising to the challenges we’re collectively facing in healthcare right now.”
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* IMA President & CEO Mark Denzler on Facebook…
University of Illinois Chancellor Robert Jones reached out to me this afternoon with amazing news. The brilliant researchers and innovators at The Grainger College of Engineering and Carle Health have developed a prototype emergency ventilator.
The University of Illinois is a great member of the IMA and we’ve had a collaborative partnership.
The U of I and its Thomas M. Siebel Center for Computer Science, Applied Research Institute, The TEKMILL, and Creative Thermal Solutions, Inc. collaborated on this project.
The University of Illinois and Illinois Manufacturers’ Association are now working together to test with an ultimate goal of ramping up production.
Go Illini!
…Adding… More…
The Illinois RapidVent, as the emergency ventilator is known, would plug into the oxygen source available in most hospital rooms or could plug into a tank of oxygen. The prototype has run for more than 75 hours, which is more than 125,000 breathing cycles. Over this time, the device delivered the amount of oxygen necessary and the pressure that patients would need when they are unable to breathe well enough on their own. So far, focused testing in the laboratory shows that the device performs as well as commercial products, which are in very short supply. The U.S. is experiencing a massive shortage of ventilators — most acutely in New York — that numbers in the thousands.
The team is collaborating with doctors and medical professionals on an ongoing basis to refine the design and make usability improvements, based on an evaluation of about a half-dozen existing products. A prototype was created using high-end additive manufacturing equipment and then tested at the University of Illinois and at Champaign-based Creative Thermal Solutions. Team members are also addressing necessary institutional and regulatory approvals for using the emergency ventilator and ramping up animal testing.
And there’s even more here.
*** UPDATE *** Crain’s on a breakthrough by Abbott Labs…
The North Chicago medical device maker today announced the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has authorized the use of its new coronavirus test, which delivers positive results within five minutes and negative results within 13.
The test, which runs on an existing, portable Abbott platform, can be used in various health care settings, including urgent care clinics and emergency departments, according to a statement. The company says it will eventually be able to make 50,000 tests available per day.
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Clean, Affordable Energy—Now More Than Ever
Friday, Mar 27, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
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* The governor began his press conference by calling on all licensed healthcare providers across the state to sign up for a new Emergency Alert System at IllinoisHelps.net…
Additionally, thanks to your amazing outpouring of support our healthcare workforce is expanding. We have now received more than 510 applications from former healthcare workers to get back into the fight. Still more healthcare workers are needed. If you have recently retired or left the profession to start a new career. Please come back to work for at least the next few months to help us battle against COVID 19
Remember to pardon all typos.
Pritzker talked about the US House’s passage of the $2 trillion emergency bill and said “I’ll continue to work with our federal counterparts to bring in as many dollars, home to Illinois, as possible.”
* And then…
I want to take a moment today to address some of the latest ideas that have been floating out of the oval office. President Trump yesterday went on a talk show to question whether Americans really need more ventilators to save people’s lives. He did this on the same day that our nation overtook China and Italy, having the highest number of COVID 19 positive cases to say that these comments are counterproductive is an understatement. And frankly, at worst, the comments are deadly.
When I said that the bedrock of my decisions was science, I meant it. The equipment we have, the equipment we’re still seeking, these are the recommendations of the best medical experts, epidemiologists, mathematicians and modelers in the nation, all of whom have set aside their daily duties to help save as many lives as possible. We need exactly what we’re actually asking for. Perhaps more. If we don’t get the equipment we need, more people will die.
The president needs to use the defense production act to put order into the market for ventilators and pp. It will prioritize Americans over foreign countries, and allow states on the front lines to access the equipment. We so badly need, he needed to do this to activate the defense production act weeks ago, or even yesterday, but it still will make a massive difference in our national health care system if he simply moves quickly.
One way or another, we need these supplies, and I have a whole team of people whose singular focus right now is working the phones, calling across the world, to get as much PPE as many ventilators, and as many tests as possible shipped to Illinois. This morning because of my state team and their hustle and working all hours of the day and night, we received another shipment of state procured E 95 masks, and they have been in the process of delivering stocks of PPE. That is our staff to Champaign to Peoria, Edwardsville and Marion. We will not rest until each and every region of our state has what it needs. But without the federal government, individual states don’t have enough market power to procure what is needed on their own. So I urge the president to join us in this work, and take the federal actions that are available to him and to him alone.
* Childcare…
I’m proud to say that we’ve received more than 600 applications for small group emergency childcare licenses from people organizations schools and communities, looking to help their essential workers from health care professionals to grocery store employees. Additionally, hundreds of our childcare homes are staying online to provide care in socially distance settings. And now we will be providing each of the providers who stepped up in this time of need with an additional stipend $750 each for licensed homes, $2,000, each for centers, running one or two classrooms and $3,000 each for those running three or more classrooms.
* SNAP and WIC…
My team at the Department of Human Services is submitting multiple waivers to the federal government to deliver as much nutrition support to as many Illinoisans as possible. Already we’ve been able to automatically extend SNAP certifications set to expire March, April or May, another six months until September, October and November. We’ve also been able to waive the physical presence requirements for SNAP applicants and participants, enabling people to further reduce the time that they spend outside their homes and increase people’s ability to apply for assistance online.
* Homelessness…
DHS has gone through its budget with a fine tooth comb and redirected millions of additional dollars to address all aspects of homelessness assistance statewide, with a focus on expanding our ability to offer temporary shelter. That’s on top of the doubling my administration has done of the state homelessness prevention program over the last year. We’re also increasing all of our existing state homelessness service contracts by an additional 5%
* IDHS Secretary Hou…
With the recent passage of the federal family first legislation, monthly SNAP benefits will increase dramatically. In some cases by over 90%, a month. For example, a single person with a disability, or an older adult with less than $2,000 of monthly income is eligible for $194 in monthly SNAP benefits. Now, before the legislation passed, they would have received $16 a month. A family of four making less than $42,000 a year is now eligible for $646 a month in SNAP benefits
* On to questions for the governor. Mayor Lightfoot said the stay at home order could go deep into April. Will it?…
The truth is we evaluate this every day, we really do and we try to look at the trajectory of the people who are tested positive for the virus. We look at the trajectory of the hospitalizations and the issues around the the deaths of course that are occurring, the ICU beds. And we ask ourselves, what’s the next move, what’s the most important thing we need to do now. And more than ask ourselves because some of us, we don’t come to this as experts, though we’re quickly moving in that direction, but we rely upon the science, we rely upon the experts out there to tell us. Are we on the right trajectory are we reaching a peak, when will we reach a peak, what happens on the other side of a peak. So we’re constantly evaluating that and so I think it’s worthy of everybody just paying attention to. Nothing is set in stone.
You’ve seen there’s been a progression here. We were among the leaders among states, first to ban large group gatherings and then to close schools, to ban bars and restaurants from opening, and so on. But you’ve seen a progression right, if I knew then what I know now perhaps I would have put a stay at home order in back you know when we shut down St. Patrick’s Day parades. But we’re evaluating the science as it comes in and making the moves that we think are necessary.
* What do you do to acquire more PPE and other supplies?…
I’ve been one of the loudest governors on the subject of testing because the truth is that there isn’t much testing going on across the country. You can imagine that what we’ve experienced is very similar to what many other states have experienced in terms of what’s available for testing. I just want to remind you that there’s an entire supply chain associated with testing. It’s not just like well here’s a test, and you know it’s one thing it’s actually made up of viral transport media and nasal swabs, and RNA extraction and, you know, and then the machines themselves, which are expensive. The Roche machines and others that are available and there are only so many of those in the world and what do you know there’s a shortage of virtually every one of those items. That’s why we asked the president to invoke the defense production act. It’s why we asked the president to loosen up the ability of hospitals to develop their own tests which they finally did do and thank God. We’ve got some of the best hospitals and health care providers research institutions in the world and so they were quick on it, and we were able to ramp up more testing. We’re working every day.
* Are we seeing more cases because of additional testing or because the virus is spreading?…
Both. The simple answer is both. We’re only doing so many tests right, you can see that there’s a limit to the number of tests we can do.
* There’s breaking news that President Trump has invoked the Defense Production Act to order GM to make ventilators…
I just want to thank you very much that is really great news invoking the defense production act is so vitally important as I said to the president directly. Look, he’s a businessman. He didn’t want to interfere with the capitalist market. He wants business people to do what they do, that’s all well and good but we are in a crisis we’re in a national crisis. That’s why you know and I said to him, I was a businessman too before I became governor. I understand what you’re saying, but the market is the Wild West out there. We’re competing against each other in the United States, and then against other countries for what already exists in the United States so I’m so pleased to hear that there’s some movement but that’s only GM that’s terrific. But we need more, we need much more.
* Would you please ask the governor when he expects the General Assembly to act on issues related to a proposed Chicago casino…
I don’t know, all I can tell you is that we’re in the midst of an international pandemic. An emergency, a crisis. And I would like action on I have an entire list of things that we’d like to get done for the state of Illinois. But right now, you know the priority is saving lives.
* When will Illinois begin releasing a count of hospitalizations caused by COVID 19 as other states like New York have done?
We’re working on that now, I mean we obviously, we talked to all the hospitals all across the state. We get data, but you know, over history that data has been collected in different ways across the state. We want to make sure that it’s all in one system. We’ve been piecing it together. But in terms of our ability to report that on a regular basis to all of you. We’re making sure that we’re doing that we’ll be working on that over the weekend.
* Several chambers of commerce are asking their lawmakers to shift the minimum wage increase schedule, exempt unemployment insurance benefit claims from affecting the business contribution rate and deferring sales tax payments. A re you discussing any of these ideas right now?…
We’ve already deferred sales tax payments. On the other two, these are obviously things that we’ll want to be working through over the next couple of months. I just want to remind everybody though, I’ve had calls with some legislators or others who raise some of these issues that like the minimum wage or like the fair tax or something else. And I’ll be honest with you, we’re in the midst of the biggest crisis in our lifetimes, at least in my lifetime across the nation. So, we’ll get around to talking about those things, but right now we’re focused on hospitals healthcare workers and those who are sick and dying.
-30-
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488 new cases, 8 new deaths
Friday, Mar 27, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced 488 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including eight deaths. Approximately 86% of fatalities are among patients 60 years of age and older.
Bureau, Henry, and Iroquois counties are now reporting cases. Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,026 cases, including 34 deaths, in 40 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to 99 years.
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Question of the day
Friday, Mar 27, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois Review…
Thursday, State Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield), many of his staff and Our Helping Hands volunteers helped pack and distribute food to their Will County community.
“Thank you to all that made this mobile food pantry happen,” Batinick wrote on his Facebook page. “We loaded up 144 cars with food.”
Pic…
* Check out #ILSchoolsStepUp to brighten your day and maybe give yourself some ideas…
* Gotta love the USO…
* Daily Herald…
Drive-by parades are growing in popularity as the COVID-19 stay-at-home order continues.
On Wednesday, March 25, Wauconda Grade School fifth-grade teacher Tracie Miglans coordinated a parade with other teachers and staff. Miglans said more than 35 cars left the school’s parking lot, making their way through nearby neighborhoods with participants honking horns and waving.
Cars were decorated with signs, balloons, the school’s gecko mascot and streamers. Many current students and Wauconda residents waved back. Miglans said the parade lasted more than an hour and proved that teachers can stay connected with students while keeping with the social distancing guidelines.
* The Question: What else have you seen out there that strengthens your resolve?
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Oy
Friday, Mar 27, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Oy…
Despite calls for more personal protective equipment and safer working conditions, the Illinois Nurses Association learned today that 12 Registered Nurses from the University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago have tested positive for COVID-19.
“These nurses served patients on the front line of the fight to contain the coronavirus pandemic and risked their lives to make sure patients received proper care,” said Alice Johnson, INA Executive Director. “We hoped their hospital and their government would protect them, but they failed,” Johnson said.
Johnson stated that nurses have had to work on the COVID Care Unit without personal protective equipment.
“They do not know day to day if they will have masks, gowns, gloves or goggles for that shift. One nurse said their unit manager scolded them for wearing a mask in a room where a COVID19 positive patient was being intubated.”
* Oy…
Officials announced a plan Friday after the amount of detainees inside Cook County Jail with COVID-19 rose to 38.
With only two cases on Monday, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Sheriff Tom Dart are concerned at the rate of the spread.
Officials are still waiting on 123 tests to come back. Non-violent offenders will be released as soon as possible, officials said. Bonds may also be granted to those who are deemed unhealthy or too poor to post bail, according to Cook County Jail.
“I want to assure the public that everyone, everyone leaving the jail will be screened and given a temperature check to make sure they are not currently exhibiting any COVID-19 related symptoms,” Preckwinkle said.
* Oy…
A secretive cache of medical supplies to save Americans from deadly disasters for years lacked the funding to prepare for a pandemic as widespread as the coronavirus, former managers of the stockpile told USA TODAY.
Overseen by a cadre of scientists, disease specialists and others at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Strategic National Stockpile houses roughly $8 billion in inventory for rapid deployment to anywhere in the nation in under 12 hours.
But its inadequate supply of ventilators, respiratory masks and other personal protective equipment will leave critical shortages for U.S. hospitals scrambling to respond to the mounting coronavirus pandemic.
New York state requested 30,000 ventilators, and New York City alone asked for 15,000 of them, as well as for 3 million N95 masks. California has requested 10,000 ventilators and 20 million N95 masks.
The stockpile had just 16,600 of the breathing machines and an estimated 12 million N95 masks at the start of the pandemic – not enough for those two states, much less the rest of the country.
…Adding… Oy…
Lake County officials regret to announce that the first two Lake County residents have died from complications of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper said, “On March 24, 2020, at approximately 8 p.m., the Lake County Coroner’s Office was notified of the death of a male in his 50s at one of our local hospitals. He was tested for COVID-19 prior to his death, and last night the results confirmed that he was indeed COVID-19 positive. Today, at approximately 1:30 a.m., we were notified of the death of a woman in her 90s at another area hospital. She also tested positive for COVID-19.”
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* As Jennifer Smith Richards of the Chicago Tribune and Jodi S. Cohen and Haru Coryne of ProPublica Illinois report, it’s not possible for large numbers of at-home kids to be schooled online…
A Chicago Tribune-ProPublica Illinois analysis found digital inequities across the state, the effects of which will be exacerbated as families are isolated inside their homes during the coronavirus pandemic. In more than 500 of the state’s roughly 3,100 census tracts, there were fewer than 600 quality connections per 1,000 residents, accounting for a significant portion of Illinois geography. At least 54 census tracts had even lower rates of connectivity as of the end of 2017, the analysis showed.
The Federal Communications Commission surveys the nation’s fixed internet service availability by collecting data through internet service providers twice a year. It defines fixed high-speed internet connections as those with adequate bandwidth to upload or download. So if a provider offers service at least that fast for at least one household on a census-defined block, the entire area is considered served. The most recent data about individual connections is from the end of 2017 and was released last year; providers may have improved speeds and access since then.
The Tribune-ProPublica Illinois analysis of FCC data, combined with estimates of households per census tract, showed that in a high-poverty tract of St. Clair County, about 250 miles southwest of Chicago, there were fewer than 200 quality internet connections per 1,000 households. It was among the most underserved downstate areas, according to the analysis.
So, too, was Edgar County, in the central part of the state along the Indiana border. In three of the five census tracts there, there were fewer than 600 broadband connections per 1,000 households. In contrast, the census tracts served by the Maercker School District 60 in DuPage County all show close to one decent connection for every household.
The governor’s massive broadband build-out program is going to take some time.
* This map shows the number of connections per 1,000 households. Dark red areas have less than 200 connections per 1,000 households. Lighter red is 200-400 and pink is 400-600 connections per 1,000 households. White areas have at least 600 connections per 1,000 households…
* It could be worse, though…
Elgin District 46, one of the largest in the state, recently began giving Chromebooks to students from fifth through 12th grade, aided by a surge of new state funding intended to narrow the gap in resources between schools. By August of last school year, all of the district’s 14,000 high school students had a device they could take home. The district has about 26,000 Chromebooks, and more are being shipped this week; it has cost about $9 million so far.
With the need now more immediate, district officials are distributing Chromebooks from the schools to remaining students who don’t have one at home. Students in kindergarten through fourth grade are getting them this week.
“If this virus had struck three years ago, we would not be able to provide any sort of distance learning,” U-46 Superintendent Tony Sanders said. “We should be able to provide a device for every family to make sure their students can learn.”
Yes, he had to be dragged into it, but that education funding reform law was likely Bruce Rauner’s greatest accomplishment in office.
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* This landed in my in-box yesterday at about 5 o’clock and I missed it…
Today, Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced they are taking additional steps to address the unprecedented volume of unemployment benefit claims the department has fielded as a result of COVID-19.
To date, the department has taken several steps to improve the unemployment benefit claims process via the online portal and the call center.
• The website has been moved to new hardware infrastructure to handle the increased demand
• Web, storage, and processing capacity has been increased to meet needs of increased traffic
• Methods have been implemented to track COVID-19-related claims
• Call center capacity has been increased
• Daily call center hours have been extended to respond to those waiting in the queue after closure
• Call center staff has been supplemented by 40% to cut down on wait times
• Both the website and the call center will continue to be monitored for improvements in functions and abilities
In addition to these measures, IDES is now asking individuals to adhere to an alphabetized schedule when filing an unemployment benefit claim online and over the phone. This process mirrors other states, such as Colorado and New York, who are experiencing increased web traffic and high call volumes with their unemployment benefit systems.
Online Filing Schedule:
• Those with last names beginning with letters A-M will be asked to file their claims on Sundays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays.
• Those with last names beginning with letters N-Z will be asked to file their claims on Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays.
• Saturdays will be available for anyone to accommodate those who could not file during their allotted window.
Call Center Filing Schedule:
• Those with last names beginning with letters A-M will be asked to call on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 7:30am – 6pm.
• Those with last names beginning with letters N-Z will be asked to call on Mondays and Wednesdays between 7:30am – 6pm.
• Fridays (7:30am – 6pm) will be available for anyone to accommodate those who could not file during their allotted window.
The day or time of day in which a claim is filed will not impact whether you receive benefits or your benefit amount. Additionally, claims will be back-dated to reflect the date in which a claimant was laid-off or let go from their job due to COVID-19.
IDES is currently working through an unparalleled number of unemployment benefit claims and questions, both online and through the call center. Over the first three weeks of March, IDES has received over 130,000 unemployment benefit claims, an increase of close to 400% compared to the corresponding weeks the prior year. The department received close to 115,000 claims for the week of March 21 alone, an increase of nearly 1,400% compared to the corresponding week the prior year. Additionally, the call center continues to field hundreds of calls per minute, per day.
The administration and the department understand and empathize with the heightened level of frustration this crisis has had on those wishing to file a claim. IDES is doing everything possible to support our customers and meet the demand for unemployment benefit inquiries and claims.
Those with questions or in need of assistance with unemployment benefit at this time are encouraged to visit IDES.Illinois.gov.
* And I received this early today from a longtime reader…
Hey Rich,
I got furloughed today. Was expecting it. Still, after so many years of struggling was disappointing to hear. Nonetheless:
I wanted to report that the IDES website and the DHS website both worked perfectly Thursday at 3 p.m. My only criticism was that they both used terminology that the average Illinois citizen wouldn’t understand, and there weren’t any special options for COVID-19 furloughs to explain their situation.
* Problems are understandable considering the enormous spike, which the New York Times put on its front page today…
As I said yesterday, my main beef was that DoIT told the governor the problem was fixed on Monday, which he then relayed to the public. That was clearly not the case.
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Please, don’t be a Covidiot
Friday, Mar 27, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* All of a sudden last night, this became a thing for certain elements of the far right…
* Look, I’d like to have the numbers, too, and I’ve asked for them. ProPublica is attempting to put together some data. But there are two things to consider here…
And…
The overall numbers track everywhere. So even without hospitalization numbers, we have a pretty good idea from looking at other countries and other states what they likely are here. In other words, despite what “Dr.” Glennon and his ilk say, we don’t actually need hospitalization numbers to see how bad things are.
What they instead appear to be doing is sowing doubt among the populace. There’s more than enough misinformation and panic out there already without trying to manufacture something out of thin air.
…Adding… Rep. Wilhour…
Rich:
The Governor has been very clear that the point of the preventative measures was to relieve pressure on the hospital system. Why would we not be specifically monitoring the pressure on the hospital system? How is that not extremely relevant? How can we make good decisions and properly allocate resources without knowing this? Yes, we need more data-the Governor has said this and I agree. Right now, there are only 2 data sets that are reliable: Deaths and Hospitalizations. I sure hope he has this information. He should be asked if he has it and if he has it, why not be transparent about it?
Serious legislators ask questions and demand all available data to ensure informed decisions are being made.
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COVID-19 roundup
Friday, Mar 27, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* USA Today…
From its biggest cities to its smallest towns, America’s chance to contain the coronavirus crisis came and went in the seven weeks since U.S. health officials botched the testing rollout and then misled scientists in state laboratories about this critical early failure. Federal regulators failed to recognize the spiraling disaster and were slow to relax the rules that prevented labs and major hospitals from advancing a backup. […]
The nation’s public health pillars — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration — shirked their responsibility to protect Americans in an emergency like this new coronavirus, USA TODAY found in interviews with dozens of scientists, public health experts and community leaders, as well as email communications between laboratories and hospitals across the country. […]
CDC leaders not only bungled their role in developing the first coronavirus test permitted in the country, they also misrepresented the efficacy of early solutions to state health authorities.
Then, public and private lab directors felt rebuffed by the FDA when they first offered to help troubleshoot the problem by developing their own tests. The agency, through its emergency authority, had placed restrictions on labs that can apply in emergencies but not in normal circumstances. […]
In late February, the CDC’s deputy director of infectious disease projected calm in a conference call with state laboratories. The labs were told they could now send samples to the CDC and receive results within 24 hours.
As we’ve already discussed, that last bit was also not true. It still takes days to get test results back from the CDC. Go read the whole thing. Despicable.
* Emmanuel Camarillo at the Sun-Times…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday issued an executive order halting new prisoners to the Illinois Department of Corrections amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
Effective Thursday, all admission to the Department of Corrections from Illinois county jails are suspended, the executive order states. Only a limited number of “essential transfers” and exceptions made in consultation with county sheriffs will be admitted to prisons.
The Illinois Sheriffs’ Association rebuked the move, saying the order was counterproductive to halting the spread of the new virus within the correctional system and put every county across the state at higher risk.
“We’re on the front lines and local Sheriffs need to be able to safely and securely transfer healthy inmates out of their facility to a state correctional center to mitigate risk, prevent overcrowding and slow or minimize the spread within the correctional system.” Jim Kaitschuk, Executive Director of the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association, said in a statement.
* From UFCW Local 881 President Steve Powell…
Tens of thousands of Local 881 UFCW members continue to show up every day and serve their communities across Illinois despite the risk to their own health and that of their families. These brave union members deserve nothing less than the respect and protection of their elected leaders. Words and appreciation are not enough during this crisis. You cannot call them essential without providing the protections and benefits that title deserves. That is why we are demanding that our elected leaders immediate enact the following safety measures.
Local 881 workers must be designated as first responders for the remainder of the COVID-19 crisis. Governors in Minnesota, Michigan, and Vermont have taken this position, which will make retail workers eligible for free childcare, provide coverage for all coronavirus treatments, tests, and medicines if diagnosed or quarantined, and ensure that they have adequate access to PPE. These minimum benefits come at a pivotal time as our members are working to sustain the food supply when demand is high, and schools are closed. Like the rest of us, grocery store, pharmacy, and food processing workers have children who are no longer attending school and are themselves at risk of getting sick. Everything must be done to ensure they can work and come home safely to their families.
Limitations on the number of customers in grocery stores and pharmacies must be put in place. Directives from the Governor and Mayor have severely limited the size of crowds allowed in public and private places, and our essential retail outlets should be treated similarly.
Suspend Chicago’s single use “bag tax” for the remainder of the COVID-19 crisis so that workers and customers are not being infected by reusable bags that are transmitting the virus from home to grocery stores. We have recently seen other industry leaders take decisive action to protect their workers and customers by suspending shoppers from bringing in reusable items like cups and bags because of concerns over transmission of the virus. Local 881 clerks and baggers are directly in harm’s way by having to handle hundreds of reusable shopping bags in an average shift. Other states have already implemented a temporary ban on reusable shopping bags and many of our employers are beginning this commonsense practice.
* From a pal…
If you’re looking for another angle on all of this — this is one of several announcements I’ve seen this week of papers around the state making big decisions about print editions. I presume these will be permanent, too.
Shaw Media…
In response to the ongoing crisis Shaw Media’s print schedule has changed:
The print edition of the Northwest Herald will continue its normal publication schedule Monday through Friday. The Saturday and Sunday editions will be combined as a single edition and delivered on Saturday.
The Herald-News will continue its six-day print-and-deliver cycle, but the weekend edition will now be delivered on Saturday.
The Daily Chronicle, Daily Gazette and The Telegraph will suspend the Monday print edition. The Daily Gazette and Telegraph will transition from a broadsheet format to a tab format.
The News Tribune and The Times will continue their current five-day print and delivery cycle, but will be moving to tab configuration. The change in format will allow us to more efficiently produce our printed newspapers in La Salle County and throughout Northern Illinois.
The Daily Egyptian has abandoned print for now as well.
* I told you earlier this week that the state was allowing golf courses to operate with some major restrictions. That policy was reversed yesterday…
The DCEO’s new missive addressing frequently asked questions included golf. It remarked, “Can golf courses stay open? No; recreational sports businesses including golf courses are not considered essential businesses under the executive order.” […]
According to a letter sent out Thursday by the PGA Illinois Section, “We communicated yesterday that an interpretation had been published that golf was permitted. That interpretation was correct and actionable at the time it was communicated, however, that interpretation has now been overturned, and once again, the state is prohibiting golf courses from opening.”
The letter added that golf course maintenance is permitted, along with carry-out food service. Long Bridge co-owner Michelle Buerkett said her kitchen will still provide carry-out service Monday through Friday during lunch hours from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., starting next week.
* Related…
* How recreational weed went from illegal to essential in 3 months: Meanwhile, Kris Krane, president of the Mission dispensary in South Chicago, likened recreational cannabis to over-the-counter medications, like ibuprofen. “Saying we can’t be open for adult-use but we can only be open for medical would be akin to saying that CVS can only sell prescription medication,” Krane said. On top of that, Krane noted, many people in Illinois simply need “stress relief in a time like this.”
* Southern Illinois health centers receive federal funding to help fight COVID-19
* Sister of first coronavirus victim in Illinois dies from disease
* University of Chicago Medical Center brings back furloughed workers without coronavirus symptoms as hospital cases grow
* 4th Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court employee tests positive for COVID-19
* Want to know where all those Florida spring breakers are now?
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It’s not going to be pretty
Friday, Mar 27, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Amanda Vinicky at WTTW…
“We collect about $750 million a month in sales taxes to the state. You might be thinking there’s all those folks out there who are buying everything off the shelves at the grocery store and that’s true but the state does not levy a sales tax on food purchases. So we’re seeing a decline in a lot of the types of sales the state does have a sales tax on and food is going through the roof in some cases and we’re not seeing that,” said state Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon. […]
“Our expense are going to be up a lot as we struggle to help our health care system, and be sure that hospitals and doctors have the resources they need as we try to help our school districts and our colleges and universities, transit, make sure meals are delivered to seniors at home and they’re cared for, get medical assistance. All that’s going to cost money,” said House Majority Leader Greg Harris, D-Chicago. “It’s going to be a tough year to figure all that out.” […]
They’re in preliminary talks about options, including a holdover six-month budget, so they can reevaluate the situation once the outbreak has run its course.
But it’s still not clear when lawmakers can return. One of my two questions for Gov. Pritzker yesterday was how much the state has spent on its COVID-19 response. Gov. Cuomo said this week that his state has spent $1 billion. The governor did not directly answer, saying he was more focused on getting things done.
* Back to Amanda’s story…
The governor’s stay-at-home order expires April 7, and could be renewed, but if – and [Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon] stressed the “if” – downstate Illinois continues to see only sparse cases, he said Pritkzer should consider relieving those regions from certain executive mandates.
“Many downstate areas, you’re just not seeing the surge,” Righter said. “Should hospitals be allowed to go back to doing certain select – or maybe with a cap – to doing elective procedures, to allow them to start bringing in revenue. If we don’t the taxpayers are going to pay more money to bail those hospitals out later. I think we need to have a serious conversation about that. Consult the public health experts, but remember that the economic shutdown that we are experiencing right now, that’s been government mandated, comes with a price as well.”
* On to Jim Dey…
If the state has less revenue, it obviously has less money to pay its bills. That means unpaid bills now standing around $7.6 billion will increase, as will the costs of interest the state pays.
The state has, foolishly, set the interest rates it pays at 9 percent and 12 percent, depending on the bill. At those sky-high rates, interest payments represent hundreds of millions of dollars a year and are, the report states, a “threat to the state because any money needed to pay late payment penalties is money that cannot be used for other purposes.”
Maybe it’s foolish, but without those high interest rates on overdue bills a whole more vendors would’ve cut Illinois off during the impasse and during the lead-up to the 2011 income tax hike hike.
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* From Illinois Municipal League executive director Brad Cole…
Dear Governor Pritzker:
The United States Congress is considering H.R. 748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act which is designed to provide more than $2 trillion in aid in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
While the plan, under Title VI, Section 601, provides $150 billion to state and local governments to address spending shortages related to the pandemic, the legislation specifically includes in its definition of “unit of local government” a municipality with a population that exceeds 500,000.
As you are aware, only one municipality within Illinois meets this requisite population threshold. In effect, Congress has turned a blind eye to the economic crisis facing all municipalities and has effectively ignored 1,297 of Illinois’ cities, villages and towns.
This action is a failure on the part of Congress to provide the necessary fiscal resources that all Illinois municipalities need.
The Illinois Municipal League (IML) formally requests any aid received by the state designated for municipal governments be dispersed by your office to all 1,298 cities, villages and towns on a per capita basis so that every community receives the financial help they need to weather this crisis.
OK, first of all, it doesn’t just apply to Chicago as Cole claims. From the bill…
LOCAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘unit of local government’ means a county, municipality, town, township, village, parish, borough, or other unit of general government below the State level with a population that exceeds 500,000.
Kane, Will, Lake, DuPage and Cook counties will also qualify under that language.
Even so, that won’t go over well with everyone else.
Secondly, assuming this language survives a House vote, if it’s in federal law there’s not a whole lot a governor can do about it.
* Meanwhile, here’s Hannah Meisel…
Tim Bartik, a senior economist from the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Michigan, told The Daily Line that both the limited amount of money for local governments included in the relief package and the lack of flexibility on spending concerned him.
“[Local governments] can spend it on public health stuff you didn’t budget for,” Bartik said. “But if your tax revenue’s collapsed because of economic problems, you can’t use it to keep police, fire or other employees on. You have to use it for additional services you weren’t planning for.”
Those restrictions could create “a really strange situation” where local governments have a surplus to spend on public health, “but not regular activities,” Bartik said.
That could hamper hopes for a “V-shaped recovery,” in which a recession’s shape charted on a graph takes a swift nosedive but also experiences a sharp upturn, Bartik said.
“This essentially is a planned recession; we’re shutting the economy down,” Bartik said of the executive measures many governors, including Pritzker, have taken to shutter non-essential businesses to prevent the spread of Covid-19. “We hope it comes back like a V. But if state and local governments — due to balanced budget requirements — are cutting spending in the fall and [government and consumer] spending plummets, that’s going to have a negative effect on the economy.”
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