* Posted in the order they were received. Press release…
Joint Statement on Murray Developmental Center COVID-19 Cases
The following statement can be attributed to State Senator Jason Plummer, State Representative Charles E. Meier, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Clinton County Health Department:
The health, safety, and well-being of the residents and employees at Murray Developmental Center are of the utmost importance.
The 56 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the last 19 days, which include 24 residents and 32 Murray Developmental Center staff, are deeply concerning and news we take very seriously. We are taking every precaution for the individuals receiving care and for the staff working at the Murray Developmental Center who have tested positive for COVID-19 – for their families and for their fellow residents and colleagues.
Together, we are urging everyone in Clinton County to work collaboratively in the public interest to limit further spread of COVID-19. We know that Murray Developmental Center is in Illinois’ COVID Region 4, which currently has a 7-day rolling average positivity rate of 16.1%. Currently, the COVID-19 positivity rate in all of Clinton County is 19.5%, exceeding the State target for containing the virus.
To protect the residents and staff of Murray Developmental Center – as well as their families and others in our community – we remind everyone, outside of your home and household: please wear a face covering, wash your hands, and practice social distancing measures.
These actions can save lives and prevent short- and long-term health problems.
* Press release…
Joint Statement on Ludeman Developmental Center COVID-19 Cases
The following statement can be attributed to State Senator Patrick J. Joyce, State Representative Anthony DeLuca, and the Illinois Department of Human Services:
The health, safety, and well-being of the residents and employees at Ludeman Developmental Center are of the utmost importance.
The 46 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the last 18 days, which include 19 residents and 27 Ludeman Developmental Center staff, are deeply concerning and news we take very seriously. We are taking every precaution for the individuals receiving care and for the staff working at the Ludeman Developmental Center who have tested positive for COVID-19 – for their families and for their fellow residents and colleagues.
Together, we are urging everyone in Cook County to work collaboratively in the public interest to limit further spread of COVID-19. We know that Ludeman Developmental Center is in Illinois’ COVID Region 10, which currently has a 7-day rolling average positivity rate of 15.9%. Currently, the COVID-19 positivity rate in all of Cook County is 15.9%, exceeding the State target for containing the virus.
To protect the residents and staff of Ludeman Developmental Center – as well as their families and others in our community – we remind everyone, outside of your home and household: please wear a face covering, wash your hands, and practice social distancing measures.
We will continue to urge area residents to follow the recommendations set forth by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the CDC. These actions can save lives and prevent short- and long-term health problems.
The Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) has released the following statement regarding the statewide Tier 3 mitigations issued today by Gov. J.B. Pritzker:
“The Tier 3 mitigations announced today by Gov. J.B. Pritzker strikes the right balance between allowing access to retail services and the need to adjust safety measures in response to the latest science about how to address this virus. While additional capacity restrictions will impose significant hardship on retailers already devastated by the pandemic – especially during what is usually the busiest shopping time of the year – we are glad customers will continue to have numerous safe shopping options,” said IRMA President and CEO Rob Karr. “It is our hope the same science that provides for safe shopping can soon be applied to restaurants and bars so they can again allow inside dining, albeit at a reduced capacity. Finally, we look forward to the support of the Pritzker Administration and legislators in ensuring the beleaguered retail sector is best positioned to regain full strength. As the second largest revenue generator for the state and the largest for local governments, without a fully revived retail sector, Illinois faces a more dire future.”
* IHA…
“The Illinois Health and Hospital Association and our member hospitals and health systems across the state commend Governor J.B. Pritzker for his exceptional leadership in this extraordinary time, including his decisive action today to address and mitigate the alarming surge in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations.
“Hospitals in every area of the state now have higher caseloads of COVID-19 patients than they faced during the spring surge. While hospitals and health systems are continuing to ramp up their capacity and manage their caseloads, the surge in infections and hospitalizations will soon present significant challenges to the healthcare delivery system.
“We support the Governor and Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike as they take important and necessary steps so Illinois’ hospitals and their 285,000 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals can continue their heroic work every day to serve their patients and save lives.
“Hospitals, doctors, nurses and all healthcare providers on the front lines are asking Illinoisans to help stop the spread of the virus. We urge everyone to follow these simple but very effective public health measures: wear a mask, watch your distance, wash your hands, avoid large family and social gatherings, and get a flu shot. All of us must act now and work together to protect our families, friends, neighbors, and the healthcare workers who are selflessly serving our communities.”
* IMA…
The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association released the following statement regarding the new statewide mitigations issued today by Gov. JB Pritzker:
“As our state and nation continue to grapple with this virus, Illinois manufacturers remain committed to leading the way forward. Manufacturers are developing life-saving vaccines and treatments, producing needed personal protective equipment, keeping store shelves stocked with important goods and nutritious foods, and powering our homes and businesses,” said Mark Denzler, president & CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “We remain committed to working with state officials and health experts to ensure the protection of all workers, customers and our communities. Indeed, manufacturers have proven they are not only vital to our response to this pandemic but will also be critical to our recovery as they look to hire more workers and pour billions of dollars into our economy.”
* INA…
The Illinois Nurses Association supports Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s statewide COVID-19 mitigation measures. Nurses are on the front lines of the state’s health care system and a spike in COVID-19 cases puts them at heightened risk and jeopardizes the health care system’s ability to care for all Illinois patients. Two nurses died earlier this Spring from COVID-19 and even now, nurses continue to test positive. Stringent mitigation measures based on sound science and public health practices are called for to ensure we reduce the infections from COVID-19.
* IPHCA…
-The Illinois Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA) commends Governor Pritzker for making the tough decision to move our entire state into Tier 3 mitigation to combat surging COVID-19 cases. Over the course of the last several weeks, we have seen an exponential increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases, the rate of hospitalizations, and the rates for which patients have been admitted to ICUs and put on a ventilator. Additionally, and more disheartening, we are also seeing an unacceptable increase in the death rate.
Our ability to effectively combat this pandemic is being jeopardized by the number of sick and those requiring hospital-level care. If we do not take immediate action, the consequences will be devastating. It is up to all of us, every resident, business, health care organization, and community leader to combat this COVID-19 surge by staying home whenever possible, practicing social distancing, and wearing a mask.
IPHCA understands the Governor’s decision to move all of Illinois into Tier 3 mitigation was not made easily, but that it was done in an effort to keep our communities safe and to save lives. Community health centers across the state are committed to doing our part, in collaboration with state and local leaders, to fight back against this pandemic.
* IllinoisPIRG…
“The past few weeks have seen COVID-19 surge across the country, with Illinois and the Midwest among the hardest hit areas. As the weather gets colder and people spend more time inside, we are at a critical point. The decisions made by our leaders today will determine how many lives we can save and help us get through the winter as safely as we can. By rolling back some of the most high-risk activities where people gather indoors, Governor Pritzker is protecting public health.
“While the governor’s action is welcome, given how quickly and widely the virus is spreading, more action is needed right away. The quickest way to lower cases dramatically is to issue a temporary stay-at-home order and close non-essential businesses until we effectively curb transmission.
“Two things are as clear as they’ve been for months: It’s in our power to save lives, and taking measures to do so quickly will help, not hurt the economy long-term.”
…Adding… SEIU Healthcare Illinois…
Members of SEIU Healthcare Illinois support Gov. Pritker’s call for increased mitigation strategies as our state confronts the rising number of Illinoisians contracting and dying from the Covid-19 virus.
Our members – many of whom are frontline, essential workers who deliver vital care to patients in hospitals and nursing homes – find it necessary to navigate Covid environments every day. They go to work fearing that they could contract the virus and bring it home to their families.
These workers are predominantly female and mostly women of color who are predisposed to having underlying conditions. When many in the public are cavalier about a life-threatening virus, it endangers the lives of the essential healthcare workers that society depends on to save them.
If we as a society follow safety protocols, we can get through this pandemic with fewer illnesses and loss of life.
* IAMHP…
Illinois has seen a rapid increase in new COVID-19 cases and positivity rates. Since the October 1, new cases are up 516% and the number of Illinoisans hospitalized with COVID-19 has grown by 235%. While deaths are a lagging indicator, statewide data show that COVID-19 deaths are up 260% and we are now averaging 81 deaths per day.
The members of the Illinois Association of Medicaid Health Plans (IAMHP) collectively serve over 2 million Illinois residents. The state of Illinois has entrusted these health plans with caring for Illinois’ most vulnerable residents and improving the health of families across the state.
For these reasons, IAMHP appreciates the Governor’s leadership and supports his tough decision to implement mitigations efforts to slow the spread of the virus and save lives. We recognize that these decisions were not taken lightly, and they are not without a cost, however, we believe they are necessary to save lives.
The Medicaid Health Plans recognize the economic impacts of COVID-19 have put extreme pressure on the already limited publicly available community-based services. In order to assist with this, health plans invested more than $56 million of their 2020 quality payment with providers and community organizations. Of that $56 million, $27.6 million, nearly 50% of the total, was spent in disproportionately impacted area zip codes across the state of Illinois.
During these challenging times, Medicaid health plans will continue to support their members, provider partners and community-based organizations through community reinvestment projects.
* IARF…
“Today Governor Pritzker announced a series of statewide mitigation efforts to try and bring Illinois’ COVID outbreak under control. As developmental disability and mental health service providers across the state are grappling with the impact of COVID-19 on staff and individuals they serve, we support the Governor and his Administration’s move.”
“A recent study by Johns Hopkins School of Medicine noted that persons with developmental disabilities who contract COVID-19 face a higher risk of dying than other populations. With that in mind, we applaud provider agencies across the state that have done their level best to meet their missions of service and prevent the spread of this virus to-date. Unfortunately, the virus has spread rapidly in the past several days and the challenges of meeting our shared goals of maintaining health, safety, and community integration have escalated substantially.”
“The Illinois Department of Human Services sent out further information/guidance late today, which is under review by our team. As we all work diligently to mitigate the spread of this virus, we hope the resources that have been provided to the social safety net so far to ensure providers have the tools and quality staff they need can be maintained – they continue to be needed.”
“IARF stands with efforts to alleviate COVID infection rates and reduce the burden on our decimated health care system. The Governor’s measures are necessary to stem the tide, and all of us must do our part. If we do not, more people will needlessly die. We should all know the drill by now: stay at home if you can, maintain social distance and wear a mask if you cannot.”
* IAC…
llinois Action for Children supports Governor Pritzker’s difficult but necessary decision to issue the order for some nonessential businesses in Illinois to close and/or reduce capacity as COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to rise exponentially throughout our state. The order also asks all people who can work from home to do so for the duration of these Tier 3 mitigations.
From the beginning, the Pritzker Administration has taken a science- and public health-based approach to the COVID-19 crisis. This order announced today is the next step in that approach, as it is necessary to stop the uncontrolled spread of the virus throughout our state.
Child care is deemed an essential business in this order, as workers for other essential businesses that must continue to operate—grocery stores, essential retail, health care, teachers, among others—will still need access to child care to support the community and fight this pandemic.
Early childhood programs and the child care workforce will need additional support to meet their community’s needs during this time—this includes financial support for personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies, and hazard pay for providers who stay open. Additional support is also needed to keep programs afloat while demand for child care diminishes during this order. Providers and caregivers should have flexibility to decide if they can remain open or shut down as community spread of COVID-19 remains high throughout the holiday season.
We thank the Governor for taking the steps needed to help mitigate the spread and devastation of COVID-19 in an effort to keep our children, families, and communities safe, all while supporting the critical early childhood workforce as they serve essential workers during the pandemic.
* ISMS…
he doctors of the Illinois State Medical Society support Governor J.B. Pritzker’s actions today to hit pause for the sake of protecting our public health.
If no action is taken we are on a trajectory that more people will get sick, deaths will increase and our health care delivery system will quickly become overrun.
We want people to stay healthy and we need to make sure medical care is available for all patients. When health systems are overloaded with COVID-19 patients they can’t treat other emergencies and urgent care needs.
It’s important to note many preplanned medical services and surgical procedures remain available in most settings. Illinois doctors, medical clinics and many hospitals will continue to provide timely care during this challenging time. Doctor’s offices remain open and telehealth can be an option for certain patients and treatments.
As the Governor said, hope is on the horizon with the news of the COVID vaccine trials, but we have a way to go until the treatment is available. We will get through this together. To do so it’s important that we wear masks and avoid gatherings. And if able, stay home!
* IHSA…
“The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) recognizes that today’s announcement (November 17, 2020) by Governor Pritzker will temporarily pause the IHSA’s winter sports season. We remain optimistic that these new mitigations, coupled with the emergence of a vaccine, will aid in creating participation opportunities in the New Year for IHSA student-athletes in winter, spring, and summer sports. The IHSA Board of Directors will meet as scheduled on November 19, 2020, to continue plotting out potential paths for IHSA sport and activity participation through the remainder of the school year. Although representatives from the Governor’s office and the Illinois Department of Public Health will be unable to attend the meeting, today’s updated guidance from Governor Pritzker will aid the Board’s decision-making. We have asked Deputy Governor Ruiz and Dr. Ezike to engage with us in the near future, so that we can collaborate on developing a plan to safely conduct IHSA sports and activities as soon as possible. IHSA schools have been exemplary in adhering to state regulations throughout this pandemic and we hope that non-school programs will hold themselves to the same standard as we all put the long-term health and safety of our fellow citizens ahead of short-term athletic competition.”
* The Affordable Assisted Living Coalition…
“As the association representing Supportive Living Communities for seniors and persons with disabilities throughout Illinois, AALC’s mission is to help residents and their loved ones live with the peace of mind that they have high-quality, affordable health care and safe living environments,” said AALC Executive Director Karin Zosel.
“We know that seniors and people with underlying health conditions are the population most at risk for infection. Therefore, with the alarming increase in COVID-19 cases and positivity rates in every region of the state, we welcome additional steps to protect the health and safety of our Supportive Living Communities.
“With increasing community spread occurring statewide, we must protect both our residents and our staff who are working overtime to keep our residents healthy and safe. We fully support the governor’s mitigation efforts to help curb this virus and prevent future hospitalizations and deaths. We recognize that these are difficult choices, but know they are needed to protect those around us.”
Before I take questions today I want to discuss my personal plans for the Thanksgiving holidays.
I think you all know that I try very hard to keep my high school-aged children out of the spotlight. They were not elected to anything. They did not choose this public life. And I have a reasonable expectation that their privacy will be protected.
I was taken aback by yesterday’s question about my family’s holiday plans, in part because my wife and I were in the process of making the very hard decision that we may need to celebrate Thanksgiving apart from one another for the first time ever, and it was weighing heavily on my mind.
I will be celebrating Thanksgiving in Chicago with our son.
Our state is at a crisis point when it comes to the COVID pandemic. And as leader, I believe that the situation is simply too grave for me to be elsewhere.
My wife and daughter are in Florida, and they will remain there indefinitely. Let me tell you why.
Last week, my daughter came under attack. In an attempt to have some political effect on me, a parody Twitter account posted a picture of a group of individuals eating outside at a Chicago restaurant, supposedly breaking the COVID rules the city put in place. And the person posting the photo claimed one of the people in it was my daughter. That was a lie.
It wasn’t her. But the picture falsely identifying her started making the rounds on social media, helped along by the trolls who permeate these social media platforms these days. My office put out a statement making clear this wasn’t my daughter. But that didn’t stop republican elected officials, a network of propaganda publications in the state and some radio shock jocks from telling people that the picture was of my daughter, despite knowing that this was a lie.
Which lent permission to a slew of strangers who sent hateful, threatening messages to my daughter over the subsequent few days. If that wasn’t bad enough, then a well-known lawyer who cares more about headlines than winning cases posted a bounty on his Facebook page, offering money to harass my family at Thanksgiving [click here]. An actual cash bounty, including my kids, harassing them. My high school-aged kids.
Put yourself in the shoes of a high school girl who is being weaponized against her father by his political opponents. Weaponized with lies.
Put yourself in my shoes. We have threats that stream into my office daily while we have watched the kidnapping plot against the Michigan governor unfold just a state away.
I’m the governor, I was elected to this job and while I don’t think it should come with a fear for my health and safety. I accept that sometimes it does. I’m an adult. And I can handle people throwing my face up on anti-semitic picket signs likening me to Hitler. This kind of vitriol is apparently what I have to deal with to keep the state and its people safe.
But my kids. My kids are off limits.
Among elected officials and people in positions of responsibility. That didn’t use to happen. There was a time in American politics when the rule was sacrosanct: Kids are off limits.
This should not be controversial. So I’m appealing to our collective sense of decency and our fundamental understanding of right and wrong to keep my child out of political disagreements, and to understand that I’m going to fight like hell to protect her privacy.
I ask that you all respect that privacy. I’m willing to make the hard decisions that sometimes brings on vitriol from political opponents, but my children shouldn’t have to come under attack. Just like all of you, I want to be with my family for the holidays. And just like all of you, because of COVID, my family is having to make sacrifices to stay safe.
This is not a political fight. This is a fight to save people’s lives. Let’s remember that as we enter the holiday season.
As always, please pardon any transcription errors.
With a new wave of COVID-19 surging across the state of Illinois, the Midwest and the nation, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced additional COVID-19 resurgence mitigations will take effect in every region across the state in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus. Tier 3 mitigations build on the Resurgence Mitigation Plan released in July to suppress the spread of the virus and prevent hospitals from becoming overrun. This latest round of mitigations aims to limit gatherings and encourages residents to stay home as much as possible and follow proper safety measures when out in public. The mitigations carefully balance the paramount goal of saving lives while preserving the option for in-person learning for children and protecting as much of the economy as possible from the continued impacts of the virus.
The Tier 3 resurgence mitigations will take effect statewide at 12:01 am on Friday, November 20, 2020.
“To stop this spread and preserve some semblance of the holidays, all of us need to do more than just wear our masks now – though masks are mandatory throughout the state. The simple fact is that COVID-19 is spreading so quickly and so widely, and our hospitals are beginning to experience real strain and at the current infection rate they will be overwhelmed. So whenever possible, we need you to stay home,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I’m hopeful that by limiting our in-person interactions, we will succeed at avoiding a stay at home order like what we had in the spring – when the choice between saving lives and saving livelihoods was even more stark. Tier 3 may allow us to do both. Like in other states like Michigan and California and Washington, it’s our best effort to avoid a stay-at-home order and save lives.”
The first tiers of the Resurgence Mitigation Plan initially suppressed the virus and protected the progress Illinois made towards bending the curve during the Spring, while allowing each of the state’s eleven regions to progress through the phases based on local metrics. But with COVID-19 spread now exponential in every region of the state, our statewide positivity rate at record highs and hospitalizations already surpassing our Spring peak, an additional tier of more stringent, statewide mitigations is required to combat the surge and preserve hospital capacity.
“There is no denying that the state is headed in the wrong direction with increased cases, hospitalizations, and deaths,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “There also is no denying that reducing the opportunities for the virus to spread can reverse our direction. This includes staying home as much as possible, wearing a mask and keeping social distance when we do have to go out, and not gathering with people outside our households. Until a vaccine is widely available and people understand the importance of being vaccinated, we must continue to take preventive actions to stop the transmission of the virus. Right now, our preventive actions are the best way to prevent new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.”
While this latest round of mitigations does not include a stay at home order, if the mitigations are not adhered to and cases continue to rise in the weeks ahead, another order may be required. For all regions, additional mitigation measures taking effect Friday, November 20th include guidance for the following settings and industries:
Retail
Personal Car Services
Health and Fitness Centers
Hotels
Manufacturing
Bars and Restaurants
Meetings and Social Events
Offices
Organized Group Recreational Activities
Indoor Recreation, Theater, Cultural Institutions
As they have since the start of COVID-19, grocery stores across the state will remain open and available. Child care facilities may continue to operate subject to guidelines from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. School districts and officials should continue to follow the extensive guidance released by the Illinois State Board of Education in August to make decisions related to in-person and remote learning at the local level.
To prevent the further spread of COVID-19, Illinois residents are urged to stay home as much as possible and celebrate upcoming holidays with members of their household. Illinoisans over the age of two years are required to wear a face covering when out in public and social distancing is not easily achievable. Anyone exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 or who may have been in contact with someone exhibiting symptoms should seek out testing and quarantine at home; anyone who has tested positive for the virus should isolate at home as directed by their physician or local health department.
IDPH will continue to track the positivity rates and hospital capacity metrics in regions over a 14-day monitoring periods to determine if mitigations can be relaxed, if additional mitigations are required, or if current mitigation should remain in place. In order for a region to move back to Tier 2 mitigations, a region must experience less than 7-day 12 percent test positivity average for three consecutive days AND greater than 20 percent available intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital bed availability for three consecutive days AND declining 7-day COVID hospitalizations average in 7 out of the last 10 days. Follow the latest regional metrics at: https://dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics
In response to the rising test positivity rate statewide, the administration continues to strengthen its nation-leading testing operation. Last week, the state reported a record high of 114,370 tests within a 24-hour period, now averaging more than 97,800 tests per day. Although the administration continues to build upon this progress, the state’s rate of growth in positivity is outpacing the growth in testing. It is critical to get tested before developing symptoms, as testing remains free to all Illinois residents and readily available throughout the state. To find a testing center near you, please visit DPH.Illinois.Gov/Testing.
More in a minute.
…Adding… Here are the mitigations. Bars and restaurants…
• All bars and restaurants close at 11pm and may reopen no earlier than 6am the following day
• No indoor service
• All bar and restaurant patrons should be seated at tables outside
• No ordering, seating, or congregating at bar (bar stools should be removed) • Tables should be 6 feet apart
• No standing or congregating outdoors while waiting for a table or exiting
• No dancing or standing indoors
• No tables exceeding 6 people
• Reservations required for each party
• No seating of multiple parties at one table
• Indoor gaming terminals must suspend operations
• Includes private clubs and country clubs
* Health and fitness centers…
• Operate at no more than 25% capacity
• No indoor group classes
• Face coverings must be worn at all times, including while engaged in individual exercise regardless of person or machine spacing
• Reservations required
• Locker room areas should be closed
* Hotels…
• Hotel room occupancy should be limited to registered guests only, with the maximum allowance being the number of individuals permissible per existing fire code for each applicable guest room
• Fitness centers should be closed, or operated only on a reservation model with capacity limited to 25% of the maximum occupancy for the room
• Grab and go food allowed
• Event and meeting space closed
* Indoor recreation, theaters, cultural institutions (e.g. casinos, bowling, arcades, movie theaters, museums and zoos)…
• Gaming and casinos close
• Indoor recreation centers, including theaters, performing arts centers and indoor
museums and amusement centers, close
• Live streaming of performances encouraged with social distancing of performers and minimum operational staff
• Outdoor activities allowed at 25% capacity or less
• Outdoor group activities limited to 10 persons or less, participants/guests must
wear face coverings at all times
• Reservations required for each guest for outdoor activities
* Manufacturing…
• Additional COVID training for all employees required even if previous training occurred
• Operators should coordinate with IDPH to implement testing protocols and contact tracing, upon request, consistent with available testing supplies
• All employees must wear face coverings at all times unless eating or drinking. Exemptions only for safety purposes.
• Only manufacturing staff and key personnel allowed in facilities. Non-production employees must work remotely. Non-essential staff and visitors are not permitted. Exemptions only for critical equipment repairs, supply deliveries and safety reasons (“critical visitors”).
• All critical visitors must have an Employee Health and Safety (EHS)-approved risk-assessment done in advance, including travel history, tracking, and temperature check prior to entrance.
• Implement additional workstation realignment when feasible
• Stagger and space shifts, and designate shift entrances and exits (when
possible) to minimize interactions of employees across unique shift groupings
• Station sanitation required at beginning and ending of shifts
• Operators must suspend COVID-related incentive pay and promote staying
home when sick or showing symptoms
• Implement temporary leave policies to accommodate workers who are sick
• Develop and implement safety protocols for employee travel vans to promote spacing, require face coverings, temperature checks, air circulation, and vehicle sanitization
* Meetings, social events and gatherings (including weddings, potlucks, etc.)…
• Limit in home gatherings to household members
• Meeting rooms, banquet centers, private party rooms, private clubs and country
clubs may not host gatherings
• No party buses
• Funerals are limited to 10 family members of the decedents, not including staff, see IDPH guidance
* Offices…
• All employees who can work remotely should work remotely
* Organized group recreational activities (sports, indoor sports and activity facilities, etc.)…
• Pause all indoor group sporting and recreational activities including youth and adult recreational sports, individual training may remain (with facility reservation) Includes park districts and travel leagues
• Outdoor sports and recreation allowed
• Participant groups and practices outdoors limited to 10 persons or less with social distancing
• Face coverings required for all activities at all times
• Locker rooms should be closed
* Personal care service…
• Operate at lesser of 25 clients or 25% capacity
• Face coverings must be worn at all times by clients and service providers
• Suspend services where a face covering cannot be worn (e.g. facials, beard
trims)
• Physical, occupational and massage therapy allowed as deemed necessary by a medical provider, but appointments must be spaced by a minimum of 15 minutes and facilities should take steps to sanitize and circulate clean air through service rooms before and after each service
• Virtual consultations recommended
* Retail (including service counters)…
• Operate at no more than 25% capacity, including general merchandise stores, “big box” stores that offer groceries and pharmacy, and convenience stores
• Grocery stores and pharmacies may operate at up to 50% capacity
• Encourage delivery or curbside pickup options wherever possible
• When in-store shopping is necessary, promote efficient trips and consistent circulation
* More…
The provisions above apply to industries/sectors with Restore Illinois Phase 4 guidance or other mitigations. Other functions (i.e. infrastructure, governments, logistics and warehousing, etc.) that previously have not been subject to specific guidance may continue regular operations but are encouraged to voluntarily take proactive steps to support new mitigation strategies wherever possible. In these areas, customer serving functions should be limited to 25% capacity, aligned with retail mitigations, and maximize work from home wherever possible.
IDPH will continue to track the positivity rates and hospital capacity metrics in regions over 14-day monitoring periods to determine if mitigations can be relaxed, if additional mitigations are required, or if current mitigation should remain in place. In order for a region to move back to Tier 2 mitigations, a region must experience less than 12% 7-day average test positivity rate for three consecutive days AND greater than 20% available intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital bed availability for three consecutive days AND declining 7-day average COVID hospitalizations for 7 out of the last 10 days.
In one of the most aggressive actions taken to confront the looming crisis, Philadelphia officials on Monday ordered a ban on “indoor gatherings of any size in any location, public or private,” except among individuals who live together. […]
In neighboring New Jersey, one of the hardest-hit states in the early phase of the pandemic, Governor Phil Murphy said he was ordering indoor gatherings of individuals from different households to limit to 10 people, down from 25, while the mandatory cap on outdoor gatherings will be lowered next week to 150 from 500. […]
Under Newsom’s announcement, [California’s] commercial and social restrictions will be tightened starting Tuesday in 40 of the state’s 58 counties, covering the vast majority of its 40 million residents.
The crackdown means no indoor service in bars and restaurants and more restrictions on many other businesses and public gatherings. California is also strengthening its face covering guidance to require individuals to wear a mask whenever outside their home, with limited exceptions, Newsom said.
In Ohio, where daily case tallies have increased by 17% and total hospitalizations by at least 25% in the past week, the state’s health department issued a revised order to limit mass gatherings starting on Tuesday, Governor Mike DeWine announced.
I’ve often noted that Gov. Pritzker has never been the first one to take shutdown actions, going back to March.
* The Question: Do you think that now is the time for Gov. Pritzker to impose additional mitigations statewide? If so, what would you have him do? If not, why not?
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 12,601 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 97 additional deaths.
- Bureau County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 90s
- Cass County: 1 female 80s
- Coles County: 1 female 80s
- Cook County: 1 female 30s, 2 females 60s, 3 females 70s, 1 male 70s, 2 females 80s, 3 males 80s, 4 females 90s, 1 male 90s, 1 male 100+
- DuPage County: 1 female 40s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- Franklin County: 1 male 80s
- Greene County: 1 female 80s
- Hancock County: 1 male 80s
- Iroquois County: 1 female 70s
- Jefferson County: 1 female 80s
- Jo Daviess County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 100+
- Kane County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
- Kankakee County: 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
- Knox County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
- Lake County: 1 male 40s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- Logan County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 90s
- Macon County: 2 males 70s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- Madison County: 1 female 50s, 1 female 60s, 2 females 70s, 2 males 70s, 2 females 80s, 3 males 80s, 1 female 90s
- Marion County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
- Morgan County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
- Ogle County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 90s
- Peoria County: 1 female 60s
- Rock Island County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Sangamon County: 1 female 90s
- St. Clair County: 1 male 90s
- Tazewell County: 2 males 70s
- Vermilion County: 1 male 70s, 2 males 80s
- Warren County: 1 male 60s
- Wayne County: 1 female 80s
- Whiteside County: 1 male 70s
- Will County: 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s
- Williamson County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s
- Winnebago County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 597,849 cases, including 10,875 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 94,205 specimens for a total 9,255,658. As of last night, 5,887 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 1,158 patients were in the ICU and 545 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from November 10 – November 16, 2020 is 12.5%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from November 10 – November 16, 2020 is 14.5%.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for a death previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
* Also…
Bad news: Another record high for Illinoisans hospitalized with COVID. (Numbers always reported as of 11:59 p.m. last night).
There are 5,887 COVID patients hospitalized in Illinois.
Of those, 1,158 are in ICU beds (getting close to that spring record).
* Several of my friends live in the South Loop and one of them sent me this grainy video early in the pandemic of people in her neighborhood lifting each others’ spirits by shouting, turning their lights on and off, shooting off fireworks and playing music…
* If you pay attention to the very beginning of the video, you’ll see this building right across the street…
The man in the window with his dog is my friend’s husband. He’s quarantining in a hotel after contracting COVID-19.
Today, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers joined together in a social media video to encourage everyone across the region to remain safe heading into the holiday season.
“For eight months, the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated American families everywhere. To fight this virus, governors across the country have listened to medical experts, stepped up, and worked around the clock to protect our families, the brave men and women on the front lines, and our small business owners. And no matter the action we take, we understand that our fight against COVID-19 will be more effective when we work together,” the governors said. “That is why this group of bipartisan governors is joining forces today to urge families across our region, and Americans everywhere, to do their part to protect themselves and their families from the spread of COVID-19. When it comes to fighting this virus, we are all on the same team.”
Over the past month COVID-19 cases have skyrocketed across the Midwest and medical experts are advising people not to host Thanksgiving with people from outside of their households. Together, the governors each addressed the families in their region on how they can protect their loved ones, the frontline workers, and small businesses owners from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joint Statement of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Jewish United Fund Chicago,
Illini Hillel, Hillel International, Illini Chabad, Arnold & Porter, and
the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law
Students who choose the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for their college education make that decision with an expectation that they will find the freedom and security to grow, to explore and to express their whole and best selves.
But, sadly, that is not the experience of all members of the student community. Anti-Semitic acts and expressions are all too common in our country and in our world, and examples of that intolerance have occurred at this university as well. This is unacceptable. While the university has taken measures in the past to address this problem, the university must do more.
Over the past several months, and especially over the past few days, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, leaders in the Jewish community and counsel for the Jewish students have engaged in meaningful and productive conversations. While we may not agree on all aspects of these complex and critical issues, we are united in a single view that our shared and common goal must be to support a safe and welcoming environment for Jewish and pro-Israel students at the University of Illinois that is free of discrimination and harassment.
We acknowledge and affirm our shared belief in the rights of all members of the university community to express their viewpoints, identity and lived experiences. Every student should have the opportunity to have a transformative and positive educational experience from the day they arrive to the day they earn their degree. But acts and expressions of anti-Semitism—in any form—actively undermine the educational process and are in direct opposition to our core values.
For many Jewish students, Zionism is an integral part of their identity and their ethnic and ancestral heritage. These students have the right to openly express identification with Israel. The university will safeguard the abilities of these students, as well as all students, to participate in university-sponsored activities free from discrimination and harassment.
We deplore anti-Semitic incidents on campus, including those that demonize or delegitimize Jewish and pro-Israel students or compare them to Nazis. This subjects them to double standards that are not applied to others. All Jewish students, including those who identify with Israel or Jewish campus organizations, should be able to participate in campus activities aimed at fighting racism and achieving social justice.
All Jewish students should be able to proudly display religious emblems without fear of being targeted by their fellow students. All Jewish students should feel confident that if they encounter a swastika on campus, the university stands with them in rejecting symbols of hate. Anti-Semitism, anti-Semitic forms of anti-Zionism and other forms of discrimination have no place at this university. We will stand united against all forms of anti-Semitism.
We agree that our mutual priority must be to continue working together to more rapidly advance clear, concrete and actionable steps to support Jewish students, staff and faculty so their lived experiences match the expectations that brought them to the university in the first place. As a result:
• The university will create an Advisory Council on Jewish and Campus Life that will consist of undergraduate and graduate students, staff, faculty and alumni, as well as representatives from the Jewish community committed to the principles set forth in this statement. This advisory group will assist the chancellor and university leadership to identify opportunities to enhance the campus environment for all students, faculty and staff, and to advance its commitment to an inclusive community where all feel welcome. The university expects to have the Advisory Council on Jewish and Campus Life in place before the beginning of the Spring 2021 semester.
• As part of its broader and expanding efforts to curb hate and intolerance, and in consultation with the Advisory Council on Jewish and Campus Life, the university will institute focused and regularly recurring educational programming regarding anti-Semitism.
• The university will review, evaluate and, when necessary, revise procedures and practices so they are appropriately aligned with shared values opposing discrimination and harassment on campus, including anti-Semitic actions.
Finally, we emphasize our shared commitment to the values of free speech and academic freedom. Freedom of speech is of paramount importance on a college campus. Also paramount is the university’s commitment to never tolerate harassment or discrimination, including against its Jewish students, and to enforce its nondiscrimination policy to the fullest extent. In this as well as all areas, the university is committed to complying with applicable federal, state and local antidiscrimination laws as a state and federally funded institution.
Though these steps will further our shared goals, they alone will not effectively dispel the environment that many Jewish students have felt to be unwelcoming. Thus, our collective and collaborative efforts will not end with these actions. The university, the undersigned organizations and Jewish students will meet before the end of the semester to discuss additional steps. We will work together to demonstrate that the University of Illinois is a place where people of all faiths, races, gender identities, ethnicities, national origins and viewpoints can live, learn and thrive.
…Adding… Rep. Jonathan Carroll…
This has been an issue for the past few years on UIUC’s campus as well as other schools around the country. I’m glad the school has agreed to take this more seriously, but to be very honest, I’m skeptical that the school will actually follow through. It took a PR campaign and lawsuit to get the school to agree to some changes, but as this story gets older, I’m concerned the school will ignore the blatant acts of anti-Semitism our Jewish students have been facing the last several years. I hope I’m proven wrong.
A Sangamon County judge on Monday ruled Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration has power under state law and the state constitution to issue executive orders that mandate public health measures at schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The decision, issued by Sangamon County Judge Raylene Grischow after a roughly two-hour hearing, relates to two lawsuits — Mainer v. Illinois Department of Public Health and Pritzker v. Board of Education of Hutsonville — that arose from Pritzker’s June executive orders regarding schools.
The governor’s executive orders apply to all public and nonpublic schools from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, and they allow schools to reopen as long as they follow IDPH public health requirements, which include capping the number of people in gatherings, mandatory face coverings and temperature screenings.
In explaining her decision, Grischow cited her Aug. 18 order in Pritzker v. Board of Education of Hutsonville in which she issued a temporary restraining order requiring the schools to follow the state’s public health guidelines set forth in Pritzker’s executive orders.
“My client disagrees. I disagree,” attorney Tom DeVore tells us. “I don’t think the standard applied by the court was consistent with the law… I think they were more concerned about masks, the use of masks, and other safety precautions versus who has the authority to issue those safety measures. My client believes that is for the legislature and we are going to appeal.
* While this has been expected for some time, it’s just awful seeing it play out in real life….
Political writer and columnist Bernard Schoenburg and statehouse reporter Doug Finke have accepted buyouts and will be departing the paper on Dec. 1. Finke has worked at the SJ-R since the 1970s; Schoenburg’s first byline appeared in the paper in 1990.
Their departures will leave the daily newspaper with two news reporters and an equal number of sports reporters, presuming Finke and Schoenburg are not replaced before their departures and current staff isn’t reassigned. The paper, which has no fulltime courts reporter or police reporter or city hall reporter or education reporter, has posted jobs for a statehouse/politics reporter as well as a cultural, diversity and inclusion reporter who will “focus coverage on culture, diversity and inclusion trends across central Illinois,” according to a job listing posted by Gannett, the SJ-R’s parent company.
Gannett is under heavy financial pressure. Stock in the company was trading at more than $6.50 a share when GateHouse Media, which had owned the SJ-R since 2007, bought Gannett in 2019 and dropped the GateHouse name. The stock closed today at $1.74 per share. A $1.8 billion loan from Apollo Capital Management, a private equity firm that financed the GateHouse-Gannett deal, that came with an 11.5% interest rate is due in 2024.
The company is over-leveraged and has completely lost sight of its news mission.
* Hello again! Please keep it Illinois-centric and be polite to each other. Many kind thanks…
Caught the touch and go training from SPI flying through the scene of Abraham Lincoln sculpture being removed from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum pic.twitter.com/HlMt34z9ds
In July 2020, plaintiffs, Illinois county sheriffs, filed an amended complaint seeking a writ of mandamus against defendants, state officials sued in their official capacities, to compel the Illinois Department of Corrections (DOC) to accept all transfers of prisoners to its custody pursuant to several provisions of the Unified Code of Corrections. Plaintiffs also filed a renewed motion for a preliminary injunction requiring defendants to accept inmates to DOC pursuant to the Code. Plaintiffs contended the Governor, through Executive Order 2020-13, lacked the discretionary authority to limit transfers of convicted offenders during a public health crisis. Subsequently, defendants responded to plaintiffs’ motions stating, in relevant part, plaintiffs failed to establish a prima facie case for a preliminary injunction where the Governor acted within his authority under the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act. Specifically, defendants pointed to Executive Order 2020-50, which rescinded Executive Order 2020-13 and required DOC to resume accepting transfers from county jails, subject to an intake process designed to ensure health and safety of transferees and DOC staff.
In August 2020, the circuit court entered a preliminary injunction requiring DOC to immediately begin accepting transfers of “all inmates” who would normally be sent to DOC pursuant to the Code, without including any protocols to prevent the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Defendants filed a notice of interlocutory appeal, challenging the preliminary injunction.
On appeal, defendants argue (1) this court should vacate the preliminary injunction requiring DOC to accept all transfers of inmates from all county jails in Illinois without regard for the health screening measures put in place by the Governor and DOC because (a) the circuit court committed legal error regarding the Governor’s emergency powers under the Act, (b) plaintiffs failed to show that they would suffer irreparable injury without an injunction, and (c) the balance of hardships weighed heavily against the injunction and (2) in the alternative, the circuit court’s statewide injunction is overbroad. We vacate and remand for further proceedings.
Q: The IFT is calling on ISBE and you to close all school buildings and have all schooling be remote for the foreseeable future due to the COVID surge. Is this something you will consider what is your response?
A: We’re always thinking about our school children and the parents and the teachers. And it’s right now not something that we’re doing. But I will say that we’ve ensured a set of parameters that are safe for schools. We need schools to follow those parameters. Most are.
I think we’ve got more than 60% of school children in Illinois who are currently remote learning, and about 30 some percent that are doing some form of hybrid learning in school and out.
And, you know, it’s not ideal, by any means but we have a covid storm that’s hitting and I think you know the school districts are doing the best they can.
Make no mistake: our members are working harder than ever - long hours, working in environments that risk their health, learning new ways to reach students, and doing everything they can to make learning successful this year. Our members from preschool to higher education want to be back with their students, but the stakes are too high to open school buildings for in-person instruction while the death toll and infection rates surge. We understand the pain that both parents and students are going through to adjust to this new reality. That’s why we urge the public to adhere to CDC guidelines by wearing a mask and social distancing. Public health officials have warned us that with the winter and holidays ahead, COVID-19 outbreaks will only worsen while the virus thrives in enclosed spaces. The sooner the virus is under control, the sooner we can return to a semblance of normalcy.
* The Question: Should schools go to remote learning during this surge? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
* Let’s hope she has a mild case and can quickly recover…
Consistent with medical advice, I will be working remotely from my home in Illinois until cleared by my physician. All individuals that I had been in contact with have been notified.
Across the country and the Congressional District I serve, COVID case numbers are skyrocketing.
“The numbers are devastating right now,” said physician Robert Citronberg, executive medical director of infectious disease and prevention at Advocate Aurora Health.
“Our health care system cannot absorb doubling or tripling of those numbers as might happen if we have many super-spreader events arising out of Thanksgiving,” Citronberg explained at a briefing.
* Speaking of Thanksgiving, check out what happened in Alberta…
Officials say too many residents are disregarding public health guidance as Williamson County grapples with an escalating test positivity rate and death toll from the coronavirus.
“It’s people just not wanting to take it seriously. But how much more real can it get when it’s breaking records every day?” said Williamson County Commissioner Brent Gentry, who also sits on the Franklin-Williamson Bi-County Health Department’s board.
* The Tribune has a story about a suburban school board caught in the crossfire of vocal radicals…
When Brad Paulsen heads out on his regular walks through his Wheaton neighborhood these days, he dons his face mask, pulls on a golf cap and keeps his fingers crossed he will remain incognito.
Paulsen, an architect, father of two and school board president in Community Unit School District 200, is not typically antisocial. But since the district’s decision Wednesday that surging COVID-19 rates demanded a return to remote learning at the district’s middle schools and high schools, Paulsen has been bombarded with angry email messages from parents. One suggested if a student were to die by suicide, Paulsen and the school board would be to blame.
Just a few weeks earlier, when schools reopened for in-person instruction, Paulsen’s LinkedIn account was hit with a menacing message from an anonymous sender warning if their relative, a District 200 teacher, died from COVID-19, it would be Paulsen’s fault.
Social media rants lambasting the superintendent and the school board are even worse, he says, especially when the ballistic comments are posted by parents in his own neighborhood.
In-person classes at high schools and colleges statewide will be suspended for three weeks along with eat-in dining at restaurants and bars under sweeping new restrictions aimed at reining in the exponential growth of coronavirus cases in Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Sunday.
The new public health order is to take effect Wednesday, and includes the cancellation of organized sports and group exercise classes, though gyms may remain open for individual exercise with strict safety measures, and professional and college athletics may continue.
Casinos and movie theaters, indoor ice rinks, bowling alleys and bingo halls also will have to temporarily shut down, and all businesses are asked to allow employees to work from home if possible.
Gatherings inside homes are limited to two households at any time and health officials strongly urge families to pick a single other household to interact with over the next three weeks.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday denounced as shocking and reckless a call from a Trump administration official for Michigan residents to “rise up” over new coronavirus restrictions she announced Sunday.
“It’s just incredibly reckless, considering everything that has happened, everything that is going on,” Whitmer said in a call with Capitol reporters.
The entire state of Iowa is now out of staffed beds, Eli Perencevich, an infectious-disease doctor at the University of Iowa, told me. Worse is coming. Iowa is accumulating more than 3,600 confirmed cases every day; relative to its population, that’s more than twice the rate Arizona experienced during its summer peak, “when their system was near collapse,” Perencevich said. With only lax policies in place, those cases will continue to rise. Hospitalizations lag behind cases by about two weeks; by Thanksgiving, today’s soaring cases will be overwhelming hospitals that already cannot cope. “The wave hasn’t even crashed down on us yet,” Perencevich said. “It keeps rising and rising, and we’re all running on fear. The health-care system in Iowa is going to collapse, no question.”
The Missouri Senate has postponed a special legislative session focused on limiting COVID-19-related lawsuits after a COVID-19 outbreak within its ranks.
Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden announced on Twitter Monday that “due to a number of positive COVID-19 cases” among senators and their staff, the upper chamber would postpone the special legislative session until after Thanksgiving.
I didn’t realize Mike Madigan was Speaker of the Missouri Senate. /s
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 11,632 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 37 additional deaths.
- Clinton County: 1 male 50s
- Cook County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 50s, 1 female 60s, 3 males 60s, 2 females 70s, 3 males 70s, 1 female 80s, 2 males 80s, 3 females 90s, 2 males 90s
- DuPage County: 1 female 90s
- Edwards County: 1 male 80s
- Iroquois County: 1 female 60s
- Kane County: 1 male 50s
- Lake County: 1 female 50s
- LaSalle County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 3 males 90s
- Madison County; 1 male 80s
- McDonough County: 1 female 70s
- Peoria County: 1 female 80s
- Pike County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Wayne County: 1 male 80s
- Will County: 1 female 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 585,248 cases, including 10,779 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 90,612 specimens for a total 9,161,453. As of last night, 5,581 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 1,144 patients were in the ICU and 514 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from November 9 – November 15, 2020 is 12.5%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from November 9 – November 15, 2020 is 14.7%.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
* As I told you last week, the Pritzker administration asked the 2nd District Appellate Court to “publish” its opinion on the Fox Fire restaurant case upholding the IDPH mitigation rules. Publishing the case would make the decision legal precedent.
Researchers from Stanford University and Northwestern University have used the mobile-phone data of 98 million Americans to model how the virus spread during the first wave of Covid-19 in the spring.
The study, published in journal Nature this past week, showed that restaurants, gyms, hotels, cafes and religious organizations carried the biggest risk of spreading infections.
* On to the Illinois Municipal League. I’m not sure why they’re complaining about lack of help with enforcement. Do they ask for state assistance to deal with shoplifters, too? Just enforce the law. How difficult is that to do?…
The Illinois Municipal League (IML) is calling on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Administration to convene a working group comprised of mayors and other local officials to better coordinate coronavirus response efforts at the community level as cases surge across Illinois.
Since April, mayors across Illinois have repeatedly asked to be included in the process of developing mitigations and enforcement measures. A lack of communication from the state as well as little support in enforcing mitigation measures has frustrated mayors who are seeking to protect their communities but have been met with resistance. A more collaborative approach will help ensure the state is better informed of local issues caused by the pandemic, including challenges related to mitigation compliance, and will help promote a more effective community-level response by ensuring local officials are apprised of the latest data driving mitigation efforts.
“We have consistently advised all municipal leaders to abide by health guidelines issued by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, there is a clear need for additional collaboration,” said Brad Cole, IML Executive Director. “The governor has called for an ‘All-in’ approach to address this crisis yet has rebuffed requests to work hand in hand with local officials to implement solutions that protect our residents. Simply blaming mayors for rising cases does nothing to address the underlying issues preventing more effective mitigation results, including distrust of state mandates among residents and the need for state and county enforcement of mitigation measures. It is time for the state to work together with mayors, not just point fingers at them, to stem this rising tide.”
Most cities, towns and villages have a limited set of tools when it comes to implementing coronavirus mitigation measures. For instance, they have no control over food licenses. It falls on the individual county public health departments to revoke an establishment’s food license for failing to abide by mitigation measures. And county state’s attorneys have the sole authority to prosecute violations of state laws and orders.
Further, many mayors are limited in their enforcement authority because they oversee non-home rule communities, where they are only able to put in place measures specifically allowed by state statute. There are 1,081 non-home rule communities in Illinois, compared to 217 home rule communities, which have more discretion to set their own stricter regulations or impose those outlined in the governor’s executive orders.
While mayors have been told by the state to refer enforcement issues to the county public health departments or state police, there has been little follow up by those entities. This has led to uneven compliance across our cities, villages and towns where some individuals and businesses are abiding by mitigation efforts, but others are blatantly disregarding state and local orders while facing no consequences. Confusion over how data is analyzed by the state has also made it difficult for mayors to explain to residents why additional mitigation efforts are required and why they are only applied to certain professions or specific aspects of the service economy.
“These sorts of inconsistencies have caused some residents to question all mitigation efforts, making it even more difficult for local officials to receive compliance with safety regulations,” said IML President Ricky J. Gottman, mayor of Vandalia. “We will keep asking our residents and businesses to comply with state mandates, but we must work together to put in place effective mitigation strategies to protect our communities and the wellbeing of everyone across the state.”
Um, one big reason why there is “distrust of state mandates among residents” is because so many local officials constantly scoff at the state. Before he caved to reality, Springfield’s mayor was confidently saying that the IDPH mitigations wouldn’t work, without citing a single source.
Also, I’ve asked about this non Home Rule bit. Can’t they just enforce state law?
Sangamon County Public Health officials have suspended the food permits of five Springfield-area restaurants for defying pandemic restrictions and continuing indoor service.
A Sangamon County spokesman told WAND News the action was taken against Charlie Parkers, D&J Cafe, Fox Run, Sweet Basil Cafe and Casa Real.
WAND News learned from county officials that three of the businesses, D&J Cafe, Sweet Basil Cafe and Fox Run, were cited Friday. All received citations for allowing indoor dining.
Each business was fined $500.
…Adding… Contrast that whiny can’t-do IML statement with this one from the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus…
The 275 Member Mayors of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus called upon residents and businesses today to commit to some common sense steps to help the Chicago region flatten the COVID-19 curve for the second time.
Acknowledging the need to combat the exponential increases in COVID cases across Chicagoland and the State in recent weeks, regional Mayors ask area residents and businesses to take the following actions for at least the next three weeks or until the rate of infection consistently declines:
• Continue to comply with regulations to wear face coverings whenever you are indoors at a public place or outdoors encountering people outside of your immediate household. The Center for Disease Control reinforced the importance of facemasks last week, saying they protect both the wearer and individuals they may encounter;
• When leaving home, continue to practice social distancing by always staying 6-feet apart from others;
• Continue to wash hands or use hand sanitizer often. Avoid touching surfaces frequently touched by others and keep your hands off your face;
• Consider limiting trips outside your home to going to work, attending school, and obtaining vital goods and services, such as medical care, food, or household essentials;
• Limit gatherings to no more than 10 persons – and remember it is safest to only associate with members of your own household;
• If possible, avoid all non-essential travel.
Most of the requested actions are strategies recommended to residents since the pandemic began. These strategies are still on the regional Mayors’ recommendation list because of their history of successfully reducing coronavirus transmission. Newer recommended actions such as limiting trips and gatherings are consistent with those proposed by area public health officials. While each of our 275 member municipalities is unique, they all agree that it is critically important that we come together in the days and weeks ahead to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Endorsing these strategies is one of the most coherent methods for dealing with the current increase of positivity results
“We are at a critical point in the fight against the pandemic. This second wave requires serious attention from all of us,” said Mayor Joseph Tamburino, Mayor of the Village of Hillside. “Everyone needs to step up right now to bend the curve downward, save lives and help our businesses remain open or in some cases, to re-open.”
“These are common sense actions that we strongly urge all residents to take,” said Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering. “It is incumbent upon each of us to take personal responsibility to stop the spread of this virus. The sooner everyone consistently follows these steps, the better chance we have of reducing the rate of infection, keeping our local economies going and avoiding a complete shut-down.”
As the cuts that would be required to bring Illinois’ budget to balance would harm education and human services programs and damage essential areas of the state’s economy, the Governor continues to believe that cuts alone cannot be the solution and revenue adjustments need to be considered as well. The Governor will work with the legislature to identify corporate and business tax loopholes that can be closed and tax adjustments that can be made that will minimize the impact to lower-and middle-class families while ensuring that Illinois can meet its financial responsibilities. Furthermore, the Governor will continue to work with the Congressional delegation to support additional federal funding to help Illinois bridge the loss of revenues brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
* People have been trying for years and years to close corporate loopholes. But since corporations played a major role in the defeat of the “Fair Tax,” there might just be an opening…
Also available is a range of less-draconian actions that might, in combination, generate enough revenue to fill the gap, if they survive the political gantlet.
A group of Democrats proposes closing corporate tax loopholes. Sales, use, income tax and economic development credits and exemptions totaled nearly $8.5 billion in the 2018 fiscal year. In a press release, 14 House Democrats say “all are on the table.” Rep. Mike Zalewski estimates an “aggressive approach” to cutting some of those could net $1 billion.
Closing Corporate Tax Loopholes: $826.4 - $846.4 million
1. Repeal the Single Sales Factor - $96 million. Illinois changed its method for determining the corporate income tax, from a three-part formula to the single sales factor. Under the single sales factor, corporate income taxable in Illinois is determined solely on the basis of a company’s in-state sales. Under the prior method, in addition to sales, the value of a corporation’s property and payroll in Illinois were considered. Under the single sales factor, large, multinational companies who have a strong presence (facilities and employees) in Illinois, and are therefore the largest beneficiaries of state services, receive major income tax cuts. Small mom and pop shops, who principally make all their sales in the state, receive no benefit. According to a report issued by then Illinois Comptroller, Republican Loleta A. Didrickson, 32 companies were projected to gain at least $1 million per year in tax savings. The result, a net tax revenue loss to the state and local governments that the Illinois Department of Revenue estimated reached $96 million in FY 2001 ($63M state and $33M local) (This is the last year the Department of Revenue analyzed the loss to the state).
2. Reduce the Retailers Discount. The Retailers Discount was enacted in 1959 to reimburse businesses for the burden of computing and collecting the state sales tax that applied to their sales. Under the statute, retailers keep 1.75% of the sales tax they collect. While this discount served a legitimate purpose in 1959, its value is questionable today. With computerized collection and accounting systems prevalent, the cost of collecting sales taxes, especially for large retailers, is built into software packages and is negligible. Twenty-four states do not provide any discounts for sales tax collection. Of the 26 that still have these outmoded discounts, 10 have capped the maximum discount. Capping the Illinois discount at 1.75% of the first $1 million in sales is a practical solution. This preserves the discount for small businesses while greatly reducing the cost of this tax expenditure. This sensible change will save $80-100 million annually.
3. Eliminate public subsidies to the horse racing industry: Illinois currently gives this horse racing industry millions in tax breaks. Elimination of breaks would generate $48 million.
• Newsprint and Ink to Newspapers and Magazines Exemption: $41 million
• Manufacturing and Assembling Machinery and Equip Exemption: $164 million
• Sales of Vehicles to Automobile Rentors Exemption: $43 million
• Enterprise and Foreign Trade Zone Dividend Subtractions: $2.4 million
• Enterprise and Foreign Trade Zone High Economic Impact Business Exemption: $37
million
• Timely Filing and Full Payment Discount: $28 million
• Trade-in allowance: $20 million
• Real Estate Investment Trusts – For tax years ending on or after Dec 31, 2008: $40
million
• Redefining “business income” to include all income apportionable to Illinois by the U.S. Constitution: $29 million
• Sales sourcing rules – for corporate income tax – replace cost of performance rule with market state approach for service industries: $40 million special industry rules (financial organizations/transit companies): $60 million
• Eliminate tax benefit of related party transactions (dividends from subsidiaries with no business substance/insurance premiums paid to capture insurance companies): $40 million
• Discharge of debt: $4 million
• Expense disallowance for exempt securities income: $25 million
• Withholding on non-resident partners/subchapter S shareholders: $4 millions
• Corporate Franchise Tax Amnesty: $25 million
Some of those were accomplished in the capital bill.
Closing Personal Tax Loopholes: $670 - $715 million
1. Create a means test for the Illinois tuition tax credit: There currently is no income limit on the Illinois tuition tax credit. As a result, relatively affluent taxpayers have received by far the most benefits from this tax break. Taxpayers with incomes of $50,000 or more per year accounted for 77% of the tax relief in 2004. Taxpayers with incomes of $100,000 or more accounted for almost 40% of the credit. Limiting the credit to families earning $60,000 a year or less would preserve the credit for low- and moderate-income families while saving the state $40-$45 million annually.
2. Subject pension income earned over $75,000 to taxation: Illinois is one of only three states that exempts all pension income from taxation. Low- and moderate-income seniors work to make ends meet, and subsequently pay taxes on their wages. Affluent seniors, on the other hand, do not have to work and also avoid paying taxes on their pensions. Exclusion of all pension income costs the state over $800 million annually in new revenue. Subjecting pension income over $75,000 to taxation would generate $200 million in new revenue annually.
3. Eliminate or means-test the Property Tax Credit: The Property Tax Credit costs the state of Illinois over $400 million a year. The credit primarily benefits wealthy homeowners, as only 20% of individuals earning $25,000 a year or less own a home. Creation of a means-test for this tax credit would preserve the benefit for low- and middle-income families while saving the state an estimated $200-$240 million annually.
4. Coordination of credits/exemptions: Multiple forms of tax credits/exemptions could duplicate policy purposes. Consolidating all of them into one credit/exemption could eliminate duplication and produce more targeted benefits. This could generate up to $200 million.
Monday, Nov 16, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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Since its introduction in February of 2019, support for CEJA has continued to grow. 82% of Illinois voters support the bill, and 74% of voters say that legislators must pass it this year, not delay it until 2021.
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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage our state’s economy, we need solutions that will create thousands of new jobs by unlocking millions of dollars in private investment, without raising taxes or hiking rates. CEJA can’t wait.
Since there won’t be a fall veto session that was supposed to start Tuesday, and the governor doesn’t seem willing to call a special session, some are looking for joint committee hearings to provide oversight to the one-man rule approach of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 response strategy.
Citing COVID-19 concerns, leaders canceled the fall session for the Illinois legislature.
“There is a strong majority of members who would prefer the House delay convening to a later date; this is primarily motivated by concerns about the rising COVID-19 rates and proximity to upcoming holidays,” House Speaker Michael Madigan’s Chief of Staff Jessica Basham said in a letter to members. “I’m advised that there are similar concerns among Senate members, who were also surveyed over the weekend.”
The governor doesn’t expect them back until January. But there are a growing number of lawmakers wanting to get back to legislating instead of one-man-rule.
Really? Let’s see the roll call. The only Democrat they named in the story was Rep. La Shawn Ford, who appears to be their go-to House Democrat. He’s the sole reason they could run this recent headline…
Bipartisan demand for leaders to call hearings over Pritzker’s handling of pandemic response
Several House committee chairs have said they can’t hold public hearings because of the pandemic, and virtual hearings were not approved as they were in the Illinois Senate. The Illinois Senate voted in May to allow virtual hearings.
The full House rejected the idea of remote committee hearings and floor action back in May. The only way House members can currently participate in hearings is if the Senate allows them to participate in theirs.
Michael Sacks, a top Democratic donor and supporter of Joe Biden, questioned efforts to push Michael Madigan out of the speakership at a time when Democrats need him most.
“We have a raging pandemic, a precarious economy, a huge budget hole and we might be coming into one of the toughest budget-making sessions we’ve ever had. The idea that we don’t have all of our best players on the field protecting social services, education, working families and other things Democrats care about is nonsensical,” Sacks told Playbook in an exclusive interview. […]
Top Illinois Democrats have blamed Madigan in recent days for not capturing the 13th Congressional District and for the graduated income tax’s failure. They say Madigan’s connection to an influence-peddling investigation into ComEd is what crushed Democrats’ hopes of winning.
Sacks disagreed, saying Trump’s supporters toppled any blue wave Democrats had hoped for anywhere. Congressional Democrats sustained losses in places like New York, Florida, California and New Mexico. And former Minnesota Lt. Gov. Michelle Fischbach, a Republican, defeated Democratic Rep. Collin Peterson, a Democrat in that state who voted against impeaching Trump. […]
In the 13th District, Democratic turnout was up, but so was Republican. Betsy Dirksen Londrigan’s race against Republican Rep. Rodney Davis saw Davis receive 187,583 votes to Londrigan’s 126,811. In 2016, Davis received 179,567 to his Democratic opponent’s 148,517.
Sacks isn’t wrong about down-ballot races nationwide, either. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, in 5,876 regularly scheduled legislative races in 44 states, “the big surprise is that only two chambers — the New Hampshire House and Senate — changed hands. The GOP won both.”
There seemed to be one safe bet when it came to the 2020 election results: Democrats would easily hold on to their majority in the House of Representatives. Not only that, but the conventional wisdom held that Democrats would pick up more than the 235 seats they won in the 2018 midterm elections.
While Democrats will have a majority next Congress, Republicans vastly outperformed expectations and nearly pulled off an election shocker.
As of this writing, CNN has projected that Democrats have won in 219 seats. Republicans have been projected the winners in 203 seats. There are 13 races outstanding, per CNN projections.
Of those 13, the Democratic candidates lead in a mere two of them. (One of these 13 is going to a runoff, where the Republicans are heavily favored to win.)
According to the AP count, President Trump is losing Illinois by 17.1 percentage points, which is his same margin as 2016. The House Republicans were saying before the election that if Trump could keep his losing margin under 20 then they’d have a shot at staying in the hunt.
* About a week before the election, Gov. Pritzker’s operation began running this ad telling voters that President Trump wanted them to vote “No” on the graduated income tax…
By that time, a ton of Democrats had already voted and a comparatively few Republicans had yet to cast a ballot. So, there’s a school of thought which believes the Trump ad may have “reminded” at least some Republicans to vote against the Fair Tax. And while they were at the polls, they kept voting Republican down the ticket.
I’m not saying that the governor is responsible for Republicans doing better than expected here because the GOP did that nationally. I’m just saying he may not have made suburban Democrats’ jobs any easier.
With the announcement by Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, earlier this month that he will not vote to re-elect Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in January, the opposition numbered eight House Democrats, with at least a few more privately leaning their way.
They’ll need 13 or 14 Democrats, depending on final general election results, to deprive Madigan of the speaker’s gavel. So, they may need some help to get over the hump.
And there’s one person outside the House who may have enough votes to tip the balance either way.
And, no, it’s likely not Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Not yet, anyway
Pritzker controls no votes in the House. He can’t just push a button and make something happen in that chamber.
Perhaps if he had followed through on his 2018 promises to supplant the moribund state party with a true statewide political organization for all Democrats at all levels, he might have some buttons to push. But he didn’t, and the pandemic intervened and here we are.
Whatever the case, a governor directly confronting the House Speaker has never worked here. Others have tried. All have failed. A governor’s opposition would, as it has in the past, give Madigan something external and concrete to push back against in order to distract from his internal problems.
And if Pritzker’s effort to dislodge Madigan failed, so would the remainder of his legislative agenda. Not to mention that Pritzker certainly hurt himself when he not so subtly threw resources Sen. Kimberly Lightford’s way during her unsuccessful run for Senate President almost a year ago. Once bitten, twice shy.
There is definite pressure on Pritzker to act, though. As the saying goes, “governors own,” so he’ll wear the jacket in 2022 if Madigan is still standing and remains as spectacularly unpopular as he is today.
Maybe Pritzker could quietly do something at the very end to make it happen if the opposition is still slightly short, but don’t expect anything before that unless something major happens with the federal investigation into the House Speaker’s operation. But if Pritzker swings and misses, Madigan will still be around, Pritzker won’t get anything accomplished and the voters will not be pleased.
The dude spent a zillion dollars to get elected governor only to find himself in a dozen trick bags. Welcome to Illinois!
The one person outside the House who could make a real and immediate difference is U.S. Rep. Chuy Garcia. As I’ve told you before, Garcia, the Chicago Teachers Union and Madigan came to an understanding not long after Garcia, with the CTU’s backing, lost the city mayor’s race in 2015. Madigan’s 13th Ward carried Mayor Rahm Emanuel to victory, but that took an extraordinary amount of work in Madigan’s Latino-dominated area. Better to just cut a deal.
Since then, one after another of Congressman Garcia’s close allies have been elected or appointed to the General Assembly.
There are probably no better examples of this than in Madigan’s own neighborhood. Garcia ally Celina Villanueva was appointed to the House in the summer of 2018 when Madigan loyalist Rep. Silvana Tabares was appointed to the Chicago City Council in the neighboring 23rd Ward. Rep. Villanueva then ran unopposed in a special election to replace resigned Sen. Martin Sandoval (Madigan’s senator) and Garcia’s congressional aide Edgar Gonzalez was appointed to Villanueva’s House seat. In between, Madigan successfully supported another Garcia staffer for a Cook County Board slot over Sandoval’s daughter.
Congressman Garcia has significant influence over at least three Chicago Democratic House members (Gonzalez, Aaron Ortiz and Delia Ramirez). But if he makes a strong statement either way on Madigan, several other progressives in the chamber could very well follow his lead.
Garcia, by the way, is also a member of Madigan’s state party central committee. A few committee members have spoken out against Chairman Madigan, but Garcia has a stronger political organization and a larger public platform. He could make a real difference there, too,
But a deal is a deal and, in the long term, Garcia has the better end of it. Madigan gets peace and Garcia gets more of his people into influential positions every time there’s a path (or close to it, like when Madigan tried unsuccessfully to block Eva-Dina Delgado’s appointment to the House this year after Garcia and the CTU supported someone else).
And that probably explains why Congressman Garcia isn’t returning my phone calls and texts these days to ask what he’s planning to do about all of this.
…Adding… Congressman Garcia didn’t respond to the Sun-Times, either…
Five members of the [Democratic state central committee] — including a congresswoman and a newly elected countywide official — are openly calling for Madigan to step down.
Four others — including the Cook County clerk — see no need for new leadership.
What the other 27 are thinking is a mystery, since they didn’t respond to the Sun-Times’ requests for comment.
