* Marion County Board of Health meeting minutes from June 16, 2020…

On June 11, 2020, Melissa received a complaint phone call from a Marion County restaurant that Sharon’s Café in Salem was allowing inside dining. Dan, our Health Inspector, went to Sharon’s Café and spoke with the owner and expressed that inside dining was not allowed in Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois plan, at this time only outside dining, curb side pickup or delivery was a part of Phase 3. Dan did inform them that inside dining would be allowed in Phase 4, which is in 2 weeks.

On June 12, 2020 Representative Blaine Wilhour visited various restaurants in Marion County and told them the health department had no authority to tell them they could not have indoor dining. Melissa contacted Bill Milner, our State’s Attorney, to advise. Mr. Milner stated no judge would side with the health department when a small business is trying to stay open to make a living. Also that inside dining is no more harmful to the public than Wal-Mart that is full of shoppers.

We went over that illogic a kabillion times here. Most people don’t shop for the hour or two that it takes to eat lunch or dinner. And you can’t wear a mask when you’re eating and drinking.

* June 12, 2020 Facebook post…

Rep. Wilhour’s caption was also quoted by one of those Proft papers last year.

* Yesterday…

Gut-wrenching.

* Meanwhile…

It’s worse in 20 counties spanning the southern tip of the state. All 88 ICU hospital beds were occupied Monday night for a region that’s home to more than 400,000 residents and that has a testing positivity rate of 10.3%.

“We’re chugging through some pretty bad days here,” said Nathan Ryder, community outreach coordinator for the Southern 7 Health Department, which covers Illinois’ seven southernmost counties. “It looked like it was leveling off the last couple of days, but now we’re facing a pretty scary number.”

The state deployed a team of critical care nurses to the region last week when it was down to one or two available ICU beds per night, Ryder said, to open up about 10 additional beds.

“Even with that help, we still don’t have the capacity,” he said. “If you’re in a motor vehicle accident, or you’re having a cardiac trauma, a stroke — those are people who need ICU beds. At this point, if you encounter that, you’re probably looking at getting shipped off to St. Louis or Nashville. That’s an incredible strain on the patient and their loved ones.”

The region also has some of the lowest vaccination rates in Illinois — all the way down to Alexander County, where not even 17% of residents are fully vaccinated, the lowest in the state.

Take a very deep breath before commenting, please.

…Adding… Rep. Wilhour…

First off, prayers to the family that is dealing with a loss of a loved one.

I strain to see the connection between your 2 Facebook posts.

At the request of the restaurant-who stated they could not afford to shut down, I like I have throughout the past 18+ months, by request of the owner offered them my take on their statutory due process rights in light of a health department telling them they have to close without their consent or having any intent to get a court order.

THAT WAS 15 MONTHS AGO.

The tragic death that was noted in the 2nd post happened yesterday under a situation where being open was not in violation of any executive order.

Trying to insinuate that one is the result of the other is purposefully misleading at best.

This is a case study in building a false narrative for political purposes.

The right thing to do would be to immediately update your post with my full commentary. Especially since you insinuated some pretty serious stuff against me.

Now he’s a mind reader.

       

50 Comments - Impeach - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 4:32 am: Impeach the Eastern Bloc - PublicServant - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 4:36 am: Freedom isn’t free. I note that while the announcement from the cafe did plead for wearing masks, there was no mention of getting vaccinated, which is the single most effective way to fight this scourge. Secondly, visiting the business to give a donation in person…indoors there, would not be the best move either. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 7:12 am: The eastern bloc blokes are beyond themselves with the *purposeful* misinformation… and the pushing of known dangerous practices… The eastern bloc blokes are causing purposeful harm to people… to appeal and placate the cult… and lead the cult… of whomever survives their damage. - Socially DIstant Watcher - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 7:50 am: I could comment but really, I’m just waiting to hear what Rep. Wilhour has to say. What has he learned from this experience? I’d also be interested to hear what the cook thinks. Unfortunately, she’s not available to comment. - Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 8:02 am: “Gut-wrenching” Or, the inevitable outcome to choices that were made. Actions and consequences. Been going together since day one. - Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 8:03 am: In other news there are 0 ICU beds available in Region 5. - OurMagician - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 8:22 am: Always try to see the positive, sorry to the family who lost their family member. Hopefully, it will make others get vaccinated who were hesitant before. There is nothing to be said about the Eastern Bloc that hasn’t been said before. Biggest disappointment is Caulkins, his past experience should make him know better but he’s putting the ego trip before being an actual leader. - Pundent - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 8:27 am: =We went over that illogic a kabillion times here.= We also know that elected officials are provided with or can avail themselves with as much information on this topic as they would need to make informed responsible decisions. They set it aside for their own selfish purposes. The problem isn’t a lack of credible information, or the inability to use logic, its the use of malice for personal political gain. Historians will be dissecting this behavior and its causes for decades to come. - froganon - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 8:43 am: It’s like watching a cheap horror film. It just keeps rolling on and on. How many friends, family members and strangers die before the vax hesitant decide to shut down the virus’ supply chain? The exit is in plain view, just take it and spare yourselves and everyone else this ongoing horror. - TheInvisibleMan - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 8:45 am: This isn’t just a southern IL thing. I couldn’t make sense of why the Will county health department was giving the green light for indoor pizza buffets last year. A few weeks ago, I saw the newly approved public health and safety meeting minutes with the health department director having a discussion with another board member. They seem to think the problem is with all the diseased immigrants being shipped all over the country, including locally, by Joe Biden. This is the level of knowledge and professionalism of the health department director, and another member of the public health and safety committee. Now, sadly, it all makes perfect sense how they are running the health department. The one thing I’m glad for, it this region has a well build out healthcare industry and plenty of hospital space. I am disappointed that the way these deaths are happening doesn’t need to be this way, and even the simplest of actions could prevent hundreds of deaths near me. But right now I live in the world I live in because of what people like this have created, not the world I want to live in. The best I can do is protect me and my family and those closest to me, and so far that’s working out fine. - Travel Guy - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 8:55 am: I had a relative in another state die because of folks like this. She couldn’t receive a fairly routine operation because the hospital was overrun with covidiots. When are we going to start prioritizing these people last for care? Choices should have consequences. - Nagidam - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 8:57 am: Makes you rethink going to Southern Illinois. A mishap that sends me to the hospital that normally would not endanger my life certainly could as there is a lack of access to care. - Colin O'Scopy - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 8:58 am: “Don’t mask you. Don’t mask me. Mask that fellow behind the tree.” - Nieva - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 9:01 am: To quote George Jones “choices” - up2now - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 9:28 am: This letter to Teutopolis parents about a plan to file a lawsuit to stop masking was on Facebook last night: “…A few parents have taken legal measures against the Teutopolis School District. The intent and purpose of this suit is to maintain full accreditation and sports recognition by the state while unmasking our children who do not wish to wear them. The strategy is for the Teutopolis Board to NOT present a defense against this suit. If the board does not present a defense and allows the parents to win, the mask mandate will be overturned by a judge and the state cannot enforce their tyrannical mandate. This is a win/win in which the board and district can no longer be held liable since they will be following a judge’s court order and the state will be required to give full recognition to our students and athletes. The parents involved in this suit are NOT seeking monetary gain…only to free all of the kids in the district.” - Homebody - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 9:38 am: People on the left have been exasperated for years about people on the right who in their view have been “voting against their interests.” Whether it is labor law, taxation, basic services, social services, etc. Covid has just made it a lot easier to put faces on the consequences of these actions. It is the exact same issue, just more personal, and thus more gut-wrenching. - Nagidam - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 9:45 am: I would hope a death like this would be a learning experience to legislators that enable this anti-mask/vaccine behavior. A woman died after a legislator celebrated a perceived victory over science. If this doesn’t shake this legislator to the core nothing else will. - Crispy - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 9:48 am: Homebody @9:38, what you say is true. What’s more puzzling, in the age of Covid, is politicians pushing–and voters accepting–policies and actions that will actively kill off their base. Before, at least there was an understandable political calculus involved. This stuff just seems like nihilism. - transplant - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 9:49 am: I live in Marion County and sadly this is all too common. I spoke this weekend with a nurse who works at our largest hospital and refuses to get vaccinated. She used to work in the neo-natal unit but fortunately, they moved that department to a different hospital in the next county. Now, she says the entire floor is empty because they don’t have enough staff to care for people in the empty beds. - Norseman - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 9:50 am: The malicious anti-community behavior is why we continue to be slammed by this pandemic and people continue to die or become seriously ill. - Club J - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 9:59 am: It’s sad that the employee lost their life because of the virus. What’s even worse is having elected officials telling business owners not to obey the mandates set by the Governor and State Health Department. Plus you have those in the legal system who refuse to uphold the law for those who disobey the mandates. We used to say when we pushed and pushed the Mayor to put up a Stop Sign at what we felt was a dangerous corner. What’s it going to take someone dying? Well for these Politicians with their agendas people dying doesn’t seem to phase them one bit. Then there’s the likes of Tom DeVore who is involved in these school board cases it’s pathetic. In one he’s got the District just laying down and not fighting, because the board members and the handful of complaining parents are all friends. At North-Mac the officials there he is fighting them so they have no authority. Why don’t these people care about the lives of those around them? Is there ego that important? - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 10:03 am: ===20% of your staff will leave=== What do you base that number on? That’s a lot of people that decide they don’t need a job in a rural area where medical jobs aren’t plentiful for the unvaccinated - United We Stand - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 10:06 am: Tell y’all what, this rah-rah flag-waving liberty stuff is literally killing our own citizens. The right wing just ups the ante on illogical “enemies” and it just gets more bizarre every single election cycle. COVID, they seem to say, isn’t the problem…but to defeat it, just go after anyone who suggests it is. This mindset IS what is prolonging the problem. It IS what is slowing any sense of normalcy. But get them votes in y’all. Rally those troops. Stand in the way of anything that slows our effort to better compete with Mississippi for the bottom. I’ve lost a couple of friends to COVID who have believed this garbage. Seething anger doesn’t describe it. The enemy is us. - NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 10:09 am: ==I would hope a death like this would be a learning experience to legislators that enable this anti-mask/vaccine behavior. == As well as those leaders and members of AFSCME 31 who are opposed to the Governor’s vaccine mandate in some agencies. - Candy Dogood - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 10:11 am: ===Melissa contacted Bill Milner, our State’s Attorney, to advise. Mr. Milner stated no judge would side with the health department when a small business is trying to stay open to make a living=== Bill Milner should lose his license to practice the law. This is unacceptable behavior. - Candy Dogood - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 10:16 am: ===You know that 20% of your staff will leave if you impose a mandate.=== I’m not picking on you, Downstate. I promise. But the largest provider in Region 5 has already imposed a vaccine mandate and made the announcement of that mandate last month. When do you think we’ll see this exodus of 1/5th of their work force? Do you really think any of those people that might leave over this are licensed physicians? https://www.sih.net/news/2021/sih-to-require-covid19-vaccination-as-condition-of-employment - Jocko - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 10:20 am: ==a small business is trying to stay open to make a living== While killing it’s employees (possibly its patrons) in the process. Will Sharon’s Cafe be matching incoming donations…or will they stop at 30 pieces of silver? - Lurker - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 10:50 am: I hope the cook wins the lawsuits against Sharon and against Blaine and against Bill (the soon to be ex states attorney). - Chicago 20 - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 10:56 am: Our education system has failed us. - PublicServant - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 10:58 am: === Makes you rethink going to Southern Illinois. === This implies you had to think about going there in the first place. - Norseman - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 11:28 am: One of these days people are going to think of those who are doing the right thing and stop enabling those are exacerbating the pandemic. Keep the mandates. - Joe Bidenopolous - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 11:50 am: =This implies you had to think about going there in the first place.= I don’t know why you wouldn’t thin of going there. I grew up there and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Tons of great hiking, climbing, pretty much anything you want from the outdoors. Unfortunately, that comes with a healthy dose of Alabama/Mississippi-style vaccine skepticism and mask shaming, including many members of my extended family. Hence, while I might’ve thought about going down there pre-pandemic (and did, many times), I would now not do so. - PublicServant - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 12:02 pm: I’m sure it’s beautiful Joe. But, yeah, it’s the “healthy dose of Alabama/Mississippi-style vaccine skepticism and mask shaming”, and I could name a few other things, but you seem to get the idea. - DuPage - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 12:10 pm: Famous last words. I’m the kind of driver that doesn’t need a seat belt. I don’t need to shut off the power to fix this. I don’t need jack stands to work under this car. The jack will hold by itself as it always does. What a cute bear cub. I wonder where the mother is? I don’t need to get a Covid shot. A couple months later their final words from the ICU unit, “it’s a hoax”. Anyone else think of additional famous last words? - H-W - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 12:11 pm: Most would-be Libertarians would argue “I am free to do whatever I wish as long as I am not harming anyone else.” And yet, some of these would-be Libertarians literally ignore the reality that some Libertarians are actually harming others, through their refusal to consider the equal worth of all other citizens in their communities and states. Through their intentional inaction and their subsequent infections; through their infections and the sharing of those infections; through their subsequent need for medical care resulting from their infections; some Libertarians are demonstrating why equal protection under the law is necessary. Citizens need to be protected from ignorance, when ignoring reality is costing the lives of other citizens. I believe that is why the U.S. Supreme Court ruled long ago (1905) that vaccines can be mandated, and those that refuse can be isolated or quarantined from the rest of the community. End the ignorance. Now. - Thomas Paine - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 12:15 pm: When they return to Springfield, every Democrat should rise on a point of personal privilege to express their remorse for the death of the cook at Sharon’s Cafe and yield the balance of their time to Rep. Wilhour. - Don't Bloc Me In - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 12:24 pm: It will come as no surprise that of the 4 school districts still on probation, 2 are in Wilhour’s district. He lives in one. - Grateful Gail - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 12:24 pm: Idon’t live in Region 5, but have relatives in the medical field who do live there, and work at hospitals in the area. They are so discouraged about the number of patients coming in with COVID, and those who are still insisting they will never get vaccinated. Also, AFSCME better get on board with the mandate.Choate is in Region 5, and those indviduals living there don’t have a chance if the staff doesn’t get the vaccine.Enoug is enough. - thoughts matter - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 12:58 pm: == I would hope a death like this would be a learning experience to legislators that enable this anti-mask/vaccine behavior.== It truly doesn’t seem to be a learning experience for any anti-mask/ anti-vax people of my acquaintance. I’ve had friends who have had the virus, recovered, and who still refuse to wear the mask or get the vaccine. I lost a cousin to this virus early this year while vaccines were not available to him. His niece just found out her aunt is in the hospital on oxygen. She( the niece) is an LPN at a nursing home. She’s pregnant and has two children under 12. She still refuses to get vaccinated and complains loudly about required twice weekly testing. Other friends proclaim the ‘faith over fear’ mantra. The commenter Huh posted a great response to that on a thread on this forum a couple days ago. But no one listens - Chito - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 1:14 pm: I see by their Facebook page that after the above mentioned post, they made zero reference to any COVID prevention methods until 8/28, when they announced that “Due to the recent rise of covid in the area we will be closed until further notice…” They reopened on 9/6 with no mention of masks. One week later they lost an employee and only then implored people to wear masks. Tragic. - Pundent - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 1:28 pm: =I would hope a death like this would be a learning experience to legislators that enable this anti-mask/vaccine behavior.= The learning experience comes when there are enough voters in their district that force them to rethink their position. It really is a case of getting the government you deserve. These legislators aren’t leading, they’re making decisions based which way the wind is blowing. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 2:02 pm: This stuff has to stop. - Athanasian -… your link seems to be in contrast to the FDA… https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-cautions-against-use-hydroxychloroquine-or-chloroquine-covid-19-outside-hospital-setting-or - Dotnonymous - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 2:05 pm: “Anyone else think of additional famous last words” Tom DeVore is my attorney. - Dotnonymous - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 2:26 pm: Logic should be the first topic taught in the first grade…honestly. - Steve Polite - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 3:48 pm: “Anyone else think of additional famous last words?” This gun isn’t loaded. - The Old Man - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 6:43 pm: Would someone please send Rep Wilhour a Death Certificate to sign so he can send it to the cook’s family with his sympathies> - Pundent - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 6:44 pm: I don’t think anything was insinuated by this posting. To me the conclusions are self-evident. No straining required. Now if Blaine is going to tell me that since he wrote his post 15 months ago he’s come to fully support masking and vaccine requirements, I’m all ears. - Don't Bloc Me In - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 10:37 pm: No Blaine, just no. You and your cohorts have done nothing during this pandemic but criticize everything done to protect public health, by ridiculing masks and sowing doubt about vaccines. You have encouraged residents of your districts to flout common sense actions and encouraged businesses to ignore rules. Too many of them listened to you instead of medical and public health experts because….politics. The people of Marion County are similar to the other rural counties in this part of the state. Little social distancing in restaurants, little mask wearing indoors, and low vaccination rates. In the last 18 months you’ve been seen opposing actions to prevent covid infections, or standing silently by while a louder politician does the same. Now, your district is seeing an increase in cases of the more infectious Delta variant, deaths are rising, ICU beds are at a premium. I’ll say it: one thing *is* the result of another - Lynn S. - Wednesday, Sep 15, 21 @ 11:23 pm: Why is the restaurant seeking donations for the cook’s funeral expenses? Given that the owner’s actions lead to the cook’s death, I would think that the least the owner could do would be pay for a decent funeral, and pay for an attorney to make sure the surviving spouse and any minor children get Social Security and any other government benefits they are entitled to. But I’m just a girl (who’s vaxxed, wearing a mask, and practices as much social distancing as I can). What do I know? - Zim - Thursday, Sep 16, 21 @ 8:42 am: ==Makes you rethink going to Southern Illinois. A mishap that sends me to the hospital that normally would not endanger my life certainly could as there is a lack of access to care.== A trip to the Shawnee Wine Trail we we were planning is now being taken elsewhere where ICU capacity is a little less stretched. It’s for exactly this region. Actions have consequences. If the consequences are people avoiding the region and lost tourism dollars in a region that needs all the economic activity it can muster, it’s a look in the mirror situation. I have little sympathy. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.