[This post’s time stamp has been altered for Friday visibility.]
* The governor focused today on unemployment insurance claims. We’ve covered most of this already. Click here and scroll down to the update about how IDES has processed 1,006,925 initial unemployment claims from March 1 through May 2. And click here for some of the upgrades done by the administration.
More from the governor…
That’s over 1 million claims in just the first nine weeks of this crisis. Compare that to the first nine weeks of the Great Recession of 2008, when there were 180,000 claims in Illinois.
This historic number of claims has also lead to historic levels of benefits being paid out in the first four months of 2020, Illinois has paid out over $2 billion in claims. That’s $500 million more than what was paid out in all 12 months of 2019.
Remember to pardon all transcription errors.
* On to questions for the governor. Some business owners are wondering who is going to be making the final decision on when regions may move through the five phase plan. Is it county board chairpersons, mayors, teams of leaders or your office?…
Actually it’s a healthcare determination. As you saw each of the criterion for meeting the regional reopening is a healthcare measure, so it will be done by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
* Whenever you are asked about enforcing executive orders, you slough it off to the locals. You make it sound as if your orders are merely suggestions. What gives?…
Well first of all, that is how laws are enforced across the state of Illinois, by local law enforcement. We have state police, but there are 2000 State Police, and there are many many 10s of thousands of police officers all across the state that work for local and county governments, as well as sheriffs. And so it is true that laws are enforced at the local level. We expect that they will be enforced. That’s the responsibility of law enforcement officers of State’s attorneys and others at the local level.
* We hear of large businesses seeing outbreaks of COVID and reporting that information in numerous counties. In Champaign and Sangamon counties the health departments will release the names of businesses, stores where confirmed cases are at, but the Macon County Health Department refuses to provide that information, saying it is IDPH guidelines. [The rest was garbled, but it was essentially what the governor made of this.]…
I think that it is important for the people who work at those locations, and people who patronize those locations to know if there’s been an outbreak so I think it’s a responsibility to local public health department to make that known. […]
There is a mandated reporting to IDPH regarding outbreaks. And so, I think people are reporting that information to us, we are capturing the information, all the information you have regarding outbreaks is what has been reported obviously from the locals. Regarding putting out information regarding manufacturing. I don’t know if we have specific guidance related to that. So I think people are using their discretion to do what they think is appropriate in their accounts.
* A growing number of police and state’s attorneys say they will not enforce your order even if complaints are made. Have you considered utilizing state police and state licensing agencies to hold people accountable?…
Yes, and I’ve talked about that before
* The NFL is announcing its 2020 schedule this evening. If Chicago is not at phase five will even a reduced number of fans be allowed to attend games at Soldier Field?…
Well, again, we want to make sure that everybody’s safe all across the country. If the nation isn’t in a state where we can have 10s of thousands of people together in a stadium, then I don’t think you’re going to see football opening up to having fans in the stands. However, you may know that many of the leagues and teams, and I have spoken with many of them, are considering opening their seasons, or continuing their seasons without fans in the stands, so that people can enjoy sports online on TV.
* A valet for President Trump has COVID-19. Given the President’s reluctance to wear a mask, do you believe he should quarantine for 14 days and can you outline when you and your staff wear masks at the office? What’s the status of your staffer who had covid?…
Yeah I think as a leader you should set a good example for people, you should follow the rules. You can get tested after you’ve been exposed to somebody to determine whether you have COVID-19 and I would hope that the President of the United States has been tested after finding out that he’s been exposed to somebody with COVID-19. But I think that wearing face coverings in public and in offices where you can’t keep social distance, and where it may be required by the IDPH in its guidance is appropriate and we do wear face coverings in the office, it’s something that we began doing not that long ago but a number of, maybe two weeks ago, where we when we have meetings or anything else everybody is encouraged to and asked to wear a face cover.
* How does the general election fit into the new phase plan?…
Well I think you’ve heard me say this, many, many times. We need to have a mail balloting for everybody in the state of Illinois, so that we can make it much, much easier for people to vote, who otherwise may not be able to leave their homes. It’s especially true for those most vulnerable populations.
So it’s very important that we pass up a law, the legislature when they get together to make sure that we have the ability to do that in the state. Obviously, there will be in person voting as well. And so, you know how we implement that will be important, but I think that’ll be again with a lot of guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health.
* Was everyone given the phase three green light on May, 1, or will historical data be used for some of the regions to push forward towards reopening, is historical data back to march 20 being used at all?…
Not for the purpose of the Restore Illinois plan.
* Would you respond to complaints from the convention industry that putting them in phase five will just force them to meet in another state?…
First I would tell you that, once again, just like we were talking about large gatherings for sporting events. This is all dependent upon where we are at the time if we have a very effective treatment. And, or we have a vaccine available. Then I can’t wait to welcome people back to large gatherings to conventions and so on. I’m the first person that wants to bring business to the state of Illinois and put people back to work. So I’m looking at that, I mean in terms of when we will get to stage five, I don’t know. And, you know, we’ll be evaluating that as we go. I think, you know, again we’ve talked about the treatments that may become available before a vaccine. And I think we’ll all be watching very closely.
* You explained that your Restore regions are in part about hospital availability. Are you also looking at available beds in neighboring states that people are most likely to utilize like in Southern Illinois that includes the Paducah, St Louis, Evansville?…
Dr. Ezike: No, that’s a very good question and a very astute point that we have many different communities, both in the Quad City area in East St. Louis, other areas that border other places. We of course, know that as well as the fact that there are people who could travel into another state. There are also individuals from the other state that could come into our state so you potentially could say that that’s a wash in terms of trying to figure out what extra amount of beds, you could either add or take away based on the added population of neighboring states versus our people going to that. So they were not outside of our Illinois, all the lines were drawn within the state borders, and we did not add beds from neighboring states.
[I don’t that’s true of the area north of Paducah, however.]
* Running Central, a clothing and running store in Peoria, has filed a lawsuit against the governor for the extended stay at home order and is seeking an exemption. How do you respond?…
Once again, everybody has a right to take your case to court to file a lawsuit. But the fact is that the goal here is to keep everybody healthy and safe in every community, even in that community. And I certainly would encourage the people who might patronize, who might be patrons of that store, not to do so, and the local officials to enforce the executive order that’s in place. And again, the goal here is for us to keep everybody safe and healthy and to reopen the economy in phases. So the opportunity for that store to open may arise just in three weeks or so.
* When will the state start reporting COVID-19 recovery numbers?…
Dr. Ezike: So, I have been trying to do that on a regular basis once weekly here from the podium, and we will work to get that on the website that’s not a problem to give our percentages.
* A new study from Harvard shows Illinois among the 41 states that fall short of benchmarks for adequate testing. Is it realistic that Illinois will be able to reach the suggested target of 64,000 tests a day, what specific steps are you taking to get there?…
Every state in the country, let’s be clear, is trying to ramp up testing. We’re doing it better than most indeed, we’re, you know, number two among the top 10 most populous states in the nation. Even now, and we continue to ramp up our testing. So all I can say is that with a worldwide shortage of all of the supplies that has existed for so many weeks and with the challenge of not having any coordination of testing from the federal government or ability to gather supplies only recently, some swabs from the federal government I’m grateful for. But yeah, I mean we’re all trying to get to the you know a sense of adequacy. I don’t think 64,000 is adequate for the state of Illinois. I think we’re going to need many more tests than that. We want people to be safe when they go to work, we want to be people to be safe when they go to school. We want people to be safe in all their activities and they want to know that others have been tested around them, so that you know nobody is is without an opportunity to get a test.
* I talked with former governor Jim Edgar who said he spoke by phone with Governor Pritzker this week. Governor Edgar said they talked about the stay at home order, plan to reopen the economy and about the criticism that will inevitably come as a pandemic wears on people are out of work and or have cabin fever. He said he also shared that in crisis he learned that doing the right thing supersedes politics and praised governor Pritzker for doing that. What was your takeaway from that conversation, any advice governor Edgar had that turned up and your plan to reopen Illinois?…
I have reached out to Governor Edgar on a number of occasions since becoming governor, indeed before that. He’s someone who has demonstrated terrific leadership capabilities. I reach out to people who I think have important things to offer me as advice in difficult circumstances and I would just say that Governor Edgar, you heard some of what he did say to me, and I think the most important thing that he said, which I already knew but it’s important to hear it over and over again which is doing the right thing is always the right answer.
* Have you determined any new guidelines for hair stylists and barbers to follow for example requiring salons to use disposable capes or dividers between stations?…
We are working with industry leaders and workers in industries even now to make sure that IDPH has all the information that industries would want to see considered as they open and that they are issued guidelines for each industry, so that they are safe and, and that includes our stylists and barber shops.
* The new call center that you had mentioned, is that just for the 1099 workers in those claims? Can you describe that for me?…
It’s not just for that purpose. Although, as you can imagine there will be a new set of claims coming in and so expanding the workforce, and the capability to answer phone lines is important.
* Why was it necessary to hire 50 call center workers from a Texas company to handle 1099 Unemployment Claims beginning next week, and are all those 200 call center employees trained and ready for Monday’s launch?…
Every one of the people that is hired in that call center is from Illinois, and everyone that will be hired will be from Illinois.
And they are all trained and ready to go … I just want to be clear that the training that’s required to take a full intake form is training that’s mandated by the federal government and takes quite a long time. So some of what’s happening in that call center is answering questions, making sure that people have the right information so that they know how to fill it out when they go online when they have trouble online, they can get advice about how to get it right. So that’s some of what goes on with those folks in the new call center which which is designed to take difficult technical questions but not personal information.
* Will high school sports be determined by local school districts, or by you? Say Central Illinois region moves to the next phase, but our region up here does not. How does that happen, do they have extracurricular sports but these regions up here don’t?…
These are certainly issues that need to be worked out. Over the next few months, and it will be done together with the Illinois State Board of Education, the local authorities as well as IDPH.
* And professional teams, you touched on this a little bit but in some other states they’re kind of starting to open this stuff up, not necessarily fans but just the sports in general, what does that mean here for Illinois?…
Well, again, I’ve had conversations with league commissioners and I you know I’m absolutely I’m listen I want to get sports up and go I think people need this as an outlet. No it won’t be in person. At least not in the next month or two. But, but I think it’s very important for everybody psyche. I think, you know, we’d have some terrific sports fans all across the state of Illinois that want to see this up and running and so there’s a desire to have it work. I think they’ve got to come up with a set of plans that there’s a, you know, when you’re talking I think they’re incentivized by the way the league’s are to do the right thing, partly they’re incentivized because they have players that are worth millions of dollars to them that are going to be on the field. So, you know, I think they want to protect their for lack of better term assets. And, you know, their people. So, I am looking forward to seeing the plans that the various teams are putting together.
You haven’t seen any of those plans, no one’s come forward yet?…
No one’s come forward yet. Not to me.
* What about places like Great America Six Flags a large waterpark, do they wait for phase five to reopen or possibly phase four?…
Well, again,under the current guidance that’s been provided and that’s again with a lot of input a significant amount of input from epidemiologists and doctors, as you saw at phase four, we would only have gatherings of 50 people or less, and that was the recommendation of the experts. So obviously, that would be difficult for a waterpark or, carnival or, they’re kind of a large venue. But again I’ve said this before that the hope I think we all have is that an effective treatment I know everybody sees a vaccine is happening. Who knows when, you know, but an effective treatment I think is potentially on the horizon and that will change everything. This plan can evolve I’ve said that, we’re going to change the playbook if we need to. Because things will change as we go forward. So I’m somewhat hopeful that we’ll be able to address things, think large venues like that.
* Fox 32 wants to know about malls and specifically places like Orland Park the tax revenue comes from the mall area of town, about those kind of things…
Again, indoor venues with hundreds and hundreds of people who will be walking together,that’s an extraordinarily difficult circumstance under the epidemiological recommendations here. So, that’s something that will have to happen over the course of months and not in the immediate next phase.
* The Northwest Bible Baptist Church in Elgin, apparently your office has received a letter informing you that starting on May 17 they will resume in person services, while instituting a long list of safety and social distancing measures. Can you respond to this and what do you say to local law enforcement about making arrests?…
Well, I haven’t seen that letter and you know that I have discouraged local law enforcement from arresting people. I have not discouraged them from reminding them what their obligations are to each other and I would think that a house of worship, and a pastor would know better, and not encourage their parishioners to put themselves and their families in danger. […]
And I think that if people can just hang on a little bit longer as we bend the curve down. Yes, the curve has bent, but it has bent too flat. And as you may see in the Restore Illinois plan that we put together, we actually made it easier than the President the White House plan for regions to open up, because we essentially said as long as your hospital beds are flat or net new admissions aren’t going up over the course of this period of time and as long as your positivity rate is stable and under 20 and that there is a capacity availability, that you can open up. And I actually think that’s going to turn out to mean that some areas of the state will open earlier than the President’s plan would have suggested they could.
Is that because you think we’re going to be on this plateau for a long period of time?…
I don’t know, but I certainly am concerned that we’re going to be on a plateau for a long period of time because we all wanted,I think we saw the curves from very early on, but said you peak and then you’d head down the other side. I think I have said many times from this podium though that we don’t know. You don’t know until you see it in the rearview mirror whether you peaked. And so we could plateau, and then go up again after that, and so what I’ve said is if you can maintain a plateau for a period of time, and there is still hospital bed availability that that’s good enough, and that’s what the recommendations were, that’s the decision that I made, but I made it based on the science and data and recommendations were made to me by the experts.
* Dr. Ezike, what do you see when you look at this data, we’ve plateaued it appears. How many days have we plateaued and what do you see looking at all this?…
Dr. Ezike: I think we so successfully flattened the curve but it stayed flat for some time now and so where do we go from here is critical and effectively. May 1 did signal a change. I know in coming to work it seems like there’s quite a bit more traffic, it seems when I look about there’s a lot more people out again I’m just talking about this area and we’ve heard what’s happening in some other regions. So, the baseline has changed and so it’s very important that we look very critically at what effect that has on number of cases and number of hospitalizations so whenever we had two weeks ago, again was a result of people staying home pretty consistently. We now need to see what will happen with the new attitudes that are prevailing and the new behaviors that are prevailing and if it stays the same. That’s great, we’ll quickly move through the phases, but we have to be realistic. The more people are out, the more infections, there will be the more infections, there will be the more hospitalizations, there will be the more hospitalizations some fraction of those will go on to have severe complications and potentially die. […]
[Regarding how long we’ve plateaued] It depends on where you are. There are some places where, and again it depends on which geographic distinction you’re using, whether you’re dividing it up by counties, or by cities or by you know 11 EMS regions or but now the for Restore regions. There are places that they are still increasing the number of cases, but slowly, but they are increasing and then there are other places where it has been flat so it’s it’s different. It’s not uniform across the state, and we understand that and so that’s why we’ve looked, we’re looking very closely, every day multiple times a day just to figure out where we’re at and figure out who’s going up in what dimension who’s going down in the other dimension, at what rate, all of that and again if something, a game changer happens like a very promising cure comes out and it looks like it actually heals people not just decreases the amount of time that you’re in the hospital, they, we reset and we have to sit back down and figure out, okay, what can we lift up.
Everybody wants us to get back to normal, we want to get back to normal. I think we are sending some of the frustration towards the wrong entities. You should be sending it towards the virus and then we should all see how we can support ways to find cures if people have had the virus and want to try to donate antibodies, tried to donate their plasma we can see if there’s a potential cure there. We’re hoping that scientists can come up with a pharmacological cure. So that’s where we’re trying to go. We are following the numbers closely, we’re trying to see the trends and we want to make sure that we don’t put the citizens of Illinois in a precarious situation where if there’s a surge, if we open up that we don’t just end up where we could have been. And we’re scared to be, you know, six weeks ago.
* Sometimes there’s discrepancies in what you say. For example, the number of deaths reported. I believe the site today says 137. You said 138. Is data changing that rapidly, are there other reasons?…
Dr. Ezike: It could be that somebody has found already an additional number that needed to be added or taken away. Again it is very fluid. We’re trying to put information really faster than I’m comfortable with. But in an aggressive attempt to make sure we put everything out there, we will see that there are things that need to be corrected and adjusted but we are putting it out.
We are also the stewards of all the cancer data. So when we put out all the cases of cancer and we have a world renowned cancer registry here at IDPH. When we put out the information about cancers that occurred for a year, it can sometimes can take eight months into the next year or longer to get that information out. It takes that long to deal with this much data. And so I beg people’s indulgence. No one’s trying to hide information. It’s just to get it right, it actually takes some time and we’re not being afforded that time.
* With projections showing lower state revenue in the coming year, will you consider reductions to LGDF or the school funding formula? If so, what will that mean for local property taxes?…
There’s no doubt we have a serious budget challenge for the coming year. And so we’re looking at virtually everything that’s in the budget. But with an eye toward protecting, particularly the services that are offered to people the support that people need in this very difficult time, children included.
So, you know, we’re considering, there’s almost nothing that I would say is off the table I mean, DCFS, just give us one example. I mean people asked me about, you know what, why aren’t you just cutting the budget in some massive way? And the answer is because I want DCFS, think about it. Think about the agencies that are now front and centerm the most important agencies right now in this pandemic right. The IDPH. Think aboutthe agencies that have been underfunded for many many years. IEMA is another good example. And then add to that, like I said, DCFS and others. It’s very difficult to say that that now in this circumstance, well, now’s a good time for us to cut DCFS or now’s a good time IDES. I told you how much smaller IDES is over the last 10 years and yet now everybody’s, you know, needs it to operate at peak efficiency and, and in a way that it’s never operated before and yet it’s 500 people, fewer than it was 10 years ago. So IDPH is just another amazing example, these folks are working night and day. Each person is doing the job of three people. And so anyway, these are the difficulties of looking at how we’re going to deal with a budget going forward.
* You said on Face the Nation that you hope there aren’t too many strings attached to federal funding for Illinois. Senator Durbin said today, he thinks it’s fair that federal funding be associated specifically with the pandemic, not for pension debt. Considering the toll the virus took on state tax revenues, can you make the argument that COVID-19 blew a hole in our ability to pay pension debt, and that the feds should fill at least part of that hole?…
That is not what I’m asking the federal government to do and I don’t know that there’s any governor in the nation attesting that. What I am asking for is help replacing the lost revenues that came because of this virus. Everybody’s experienced this, you can go to the most republican state the most democratic state. You know I like the term that Mark is using blowing a hole, it really blew a hole, and you know we had a balanced budget for this year this fiscal year, and we were on our way to having a mild surplus for the year. First time I think in quite some time. And we would have used it to pay down the existing bill backlog by some amount. And now all bets are off and all bets are off indeed for the plans for having a surplus for next year, as well, unless the federal government steps up to the plate. And I think Senator Durbin has it right, that these funds should not be used for something that has nothing to do with coronavirus COVID-19 and instead should be a replacement for the revenues that we lost.
And then Amy Jacobson asked a weird question.
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House cancels next week’s session
Thursday, May 7, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Jessica Basham…
Please be advised that the session days scheduled for next week (Tuesday May 12 – Friday May 15) are cancelled. The deadline for House Bills out of Committees, which had previously been rescheduled for May 15, will be extended to Friday, May 22.
Take care and be well,
Jessica
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[Simon now says it won’t reopen the malls. Click here.]
* Tim Moran at the Patch…
The Orland Square Mall, which has been closed since March 18 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, is slated to reopen on May 31. The Simon Property Group that owns the mall announced this week their plan to open all their Illinois mall properties on that date.
Other Simon shopping centers scheduled to reopen on May 31 include Chicago Premium Outlets, Gurnee Mills, White Oaks Mall in Springfield and Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg. […]
In its reopening announcement, Simon outlined safety protocols it is taking with each mall reopening, including preemptive employee screening for coronavirus, requirements that all employees wear masks and frequently wash their hands. Employees that fail health screenings will be sent home. […]
Malls will implement occupancy limits and use “traffic measuring technologies” to ensure that occupancy does not exceed one person per 50 square feet of space, Simon said, adding, “As needed, we will restrict the number of open entrances to the property while complying with local fire code requirements, and have queuing protocols in place to manage traffic. Each tenant will be responsible for managing to targets set by state or local authorities for their leased spaces.”
It looks like they’re interpreting the EO to apply to individual stores, not the mall itself.
* The governor was asked about the mall in Orland Park today…
Again, indoor venues with hundreds and hundreds of people who will be walking together,that’s an extraordinarily difficult circumstance under the epidemiological recommendations here. So, that’s something that will have to happen over the course of months and not in the immediate next phase.
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* Dr. Ezike…
To date we have run a total of 379,043 tests for COVID-19 with 17,783 tests being resulted in the last 24 hours. Of those 17-plus thousand tests, 2641 tests were positive. That’s a 15% of positivity rate, and that brings our total number of positive cases to 70,873.
Most sadly, we report that we have exceeded 3000 deaths related to COVID for the state of Illinois. With the additional 138 lives reported as lost over the last 24 hours we now have a total of 3111 fatalities.
Regarding inpatient admissions related to COVID, 4862 individuals as of midnight were in the hospital with COVID, and of those 1253 patients are in the ICU, of those ICU patients 766 patients were on ventilators.
* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced 2,641 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 138 additional deaths.
- Clinton County: 1 male 70s
- Cook County: 1 female 30s, 1 male 30s, 2 males 40s, 2 females 50s, 5 males 50s, 1 unknown 50s, 6 females 60s, 12 males 60s, 1 unknown 60s, 9 females 70s, 19 males 70s, 10 females 80s, 14 males 80s, 17 females 90s, 6 males 90s, 1 female 100+
- DuPage County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 60s, 2 males 70s, 4 females 90s
- Jackson County: 1 male 60s
- Kane County: 2 females 80s, 1 female 90s
- Kankakee County: 1 female 80s
- Lake County: 2 males 60s, 1 female 80s
- Macon County: 1 female 70s
- McHenry County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Peoria County: 1 female 90s
- Rock Island County: 1 male 70s
- Sangamon County: 1 female 80s
- St. Clair County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 90s
- Will County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 2 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- Winnebago County: 1 female 80s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 70,873 cases, including 3,111 deaths, in 97 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have processed 17,783 specimens for a total of 379,043.
*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 deaths previously reported have changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted.
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No more weekend Pritzker briefings
Thursday, May 7, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Pritzker today…
Today marks, our 60th daily update in a row. To the delight of many reporters who have been working these long days with us, beginning this weekend we will no longer hold weekend in person briefings. But instead, we’ll release daily medical statistics on Saturday and on Sunday.
Oh, thank goodness. Everybody needs a break.
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COVID-19 roundup
Thursday, May 7, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The city’s vital convention business is edging toward a major disaster…
Pritzker’s plan, announced Tuesday, has put the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies in an impossible situation, said President and CEO Jim Pittas.
The group’s annual PACK Expo is scheduled for Nov. 8-11 at McCormick Place, and last year drew about 71,000 people. Pittas said he doubts a vaccine will be available by then, and is unsure what would constitute a readily available treatment option.
Pittas said he is worried that canceling without a specific mandate from the city or state might make it harder to file an insurance claim. “Right now, we can’t plan for a show and we can’t cancel it. We’re right in between with no clear direction,” he said. “We’re in no man’s land right now.”
Between July and December, McCormick Place is scheduled to host 67 events with an expected attendance of 781,168 people, said spokeswoman Cynthia McCafferty. Those meetings and conventions translate to 585,199 nights in hotel rooms and generate $922.7 million in economic impact, including spending on food and entertainment.
If the conventions are canceled, they’ll probably move to an “open” state like Florida and might never come back. But if Illinois allows hundreds of thousands of people from all over creation to attend conventions, the region risks a series of major and potentially disastrous outbreaks.
* Gov. Pritzker said the other day that he didn’t think we’d see a meat shortage. Welp…
“Where’s the beef?” has been a marketing slogan associated with Wendy’s for more than three decades, but customers have literally been asking the question in recent days as the Dublin, Ohio-based fast food chain fights COVID-19-related meat shortages.
Just over 1,000 Wendy’s restaurants — or nearly 20% — had no beef items available on their online menus Monday night, according to an analysis by Stephens Inc., an investment bank.
In a statement, the company said it was continuing to supply hamburgers to its restaurants, but that “some of our menu items may be in short supply from time to time at some restaurants in this current environment.”
The chain’s three Springfield stores are limiting customers to single-patty burgers to deal with the supply crunch, according to employees at those locations.
* Jake Griffin…
One key requirement for moving to a less restrictive phase of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s economic restoration plan is 14 consecutive days of no more than 20% of COVID-19 tests being positive.
That countdown did not start on Wednesday, when the infection rate was 22.8% in the region that includes Chicago and the suburbs, according to a Daily Herald analysis of Illinois Department of Public Health infection and testing records. […]
Statewide, the infection rate Wednesday was 15.2%. The rate has declined significantly in the past two weeks as more testing has become available.
* You first, Representative…
Illinois State Representative Terri Bryant has sent a letter to Governor JB Pritzker to express her disapproval of the state’s reopening plan when it comes to religious gatherings.
The 5-phase plan Gov. Pritzker revealed on Tuesday does not allow for gathering of more than 50 people until the requirements of Phase 5 have been met.
In a letter to the governor, Rep. Bryant said this part of the plan goes against allowing people to freely worship.
“That, to me, is completely unacceptable. If my church calls for a regular in-person worship service prior to the state reaching Phase 5, I can guarantee that I will be one of the first parishioners through the doors,” wrote Bryant. “Quite simply, when it comes to your plan for how I am ‘allowed’ to worship, I will not comply.”
* Headlines from the Tribune’s live blog…
Illinois congressional delegation seeks extension of 2,000 National Guard troops to assist with pandemic through June
Chicago Park District summer camp season will be abbreviated
Chicago doctors — mostly moms — join together to advise officials and the public. ‘We can’t not say something.’
Field Museum to host blood drives
Lightfoot cancels news conference to outline Chicago’s plan to ease COVID-19 restrictions
Harborside golf course forced to close Thursday by city
COVID-19 in Illinois, the US and the world: Timeline of the outbreak
Wave of infections from New York travelers swept through US before city began social distancing measures, research shows
Chicago can’t reopen without decrease in the number of coronavirus cases, Mayor Lori Lightfoot says
Latino communities in Illinois see uptick in COVID-19 confirmed cases: “Physical distancing is a privilege”
The high-rise office you left in March may not resemble the one you’re going back to. Here’s what workplaces may look like after the coronavirus shutdown.
* Sun-Times live blog…
Archdiocese launches call-in prayer service
Clorox wipes should be fully back in stock by summer, company CEO says
Attorneys for Cook County Jail detainees ask for records on COVID-19 testing
A Lake County judge tested positive for COVID-19.
Federal stimulus checks: No forwarding address for some recipients
Hundreds of city workers take on new jobs to meet pandemic needs
Neiman Marcus becomes 2nd major retailer to seek Chapter 11
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* From the Anti-Defamation League…
Extremists and conspiracy theorists often use protests or rallies to spread their beliefs, but the pervasiveness and extensive media coverage of lockdown protests – which actually represent a minority opinion – has created an irresistible public platform.
There is ample evidence of extremists using these rallies to broadcast their beliefs. Members of the Three Percenters, a wing of the anti-government movement, attended events in Michigan, Oregon, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois and California
* What are Three Percenters?…
A wing of the militia movement that arose as part of a resurgence of the militia movement in 2009. The term “Three Percenter” refers to the erroneous belief that only 3% of colonists fought against the British during the Revolutionary War—but achieved liberty for everybody. Three Percenters view themselves as modern day versions of those revolutionaries, fighting against a tyrannical U.S. government rather than the British. With anyone able to declare themselves a Three Percenter, the concept allowed many people to join who were not suited, physically or by inclination, to engage in paramilitary activities. The Three Percenter logo—the Roman numeral III—has become very popular among anti-government extremists.
* So I asked the ADL what evidence they had that those folks were at an Illinois rally. They referred me to this tweet. Check out the Roman numeral III on the rally sponsor’s sign…
Every politician who spoke at the rally stood in front of that sign, including Kendall County GOP Chair James Marter, Rep. Dan Caulkins and Rep. Darren Bailey.
* Orphans of the American Dream has a podcast and a Facebook site. Here’s its logo…
* From April 27th…
The Reopen Illinois rally was organized on Facebook by Orphans of the American Dream. Participants want their voices heard as Governor JB Pritzker extends the stay-at-home order on May 1. Pritzker announced changes coming to his executive order during a press conference Thursday afternoon.
“We’ve honestly been watching the press conferences from President Trump and Governor JB Pritzker and just been getting more and more infuriated every time we watch them,” said Matthew Walder who organized the rally. Walder was happy with the turnout, despite the rain. “I can’t even imagine if it was nice out, how many people would be here.” A similar protest took place at the Capitol on April 19 as part of the national Operation Gridlock.
Walder hosts a podcast for Orphans of the American Dream, but he says this isn’t a partisan issue. “I think this is medical tyranny and our economy is about to crash, let’s be frank. That’s what we’re worried about. There are businesses that are probably closed off now that probably won’t open again, and that’s a travesty,” Walder said.
I’ve reached out to the group via Facebook. I’ll let you know what they say.
…Adding… From comments…
I’m one of the hosts of that podcast you speak of. We are not actually associated with any militia groups whatsoever. We are a news podcast and social media page. Just 3 guys who like to talk about politics. Listen to our show and you will find the facts. Thank you
Just III guys.
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* Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) proposed his own re-opening plan today. You can click here to read it. It’s probably not the worst idea in the world, but it’s not great. His mask mandate applies only to employees, not customers, for instance. But, hey, at least he has a plan, which is more than I can say for others (like the Tribune).
The totally predictable and hilarious part, however, is the reaction from his online legion of fans. Lots ain’t happy…
SERIOUSLY? Who, what or when did Bailey get bought out by???
Holy cow! Way too much nanny state guidelines still here. To take temperature every day in each phase and sometimes twice a day.
Churches & restaurants, & small businesses just need to get open NOW
Take the STUPID non life saving, life hindering mask out of the equation. I want my immune system to stay in tack!
So to put it in simple terms, we’re screwed till Nov.7. No pay no constitutional rights and no help. Good thing we pay these guys.
With some of these restrictions some of these businesses might as well not even open.
There should be no mandatory face masks or mandatory vaccination
Way to much stuff to worry about! Wash hands and stay home when sick.
Why are we still playing this game?
So even in phase 3- Public venues like community centers can’t even open?
You have got to be kidding !!! way to many guidelines !
I’m not a fan of this plan.
WOW. I thought you were fighting
This is still bu*****t
To be fair, there are several supportive comments. And, again, kudos to Bailey for doing more than just throwing rocks. But I wonder how long he stands by this proposal, or if he’ll quietly disown it like the White House has done with its plan.
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* Mark Maxwell…
The Illinois Department of Agriculture instructed 26 inspectors in the Weights and Measures division to return to work on Monday, the same day Governor J.B. Pritzker warned private businesses who reopen too soon that they could “be taking on liability.”
State law requires the Department of Agriculture to inspect gas pumps, small scales, fuel trucks, propane trucks, large scales, grain elevators, warehouse receipts and other measures as a form of consumer protection and safety. Only the gas pump inspectors have been called back to work.
“We’re grabbing a nozzle four times after thousands of people grabbed it days before, and then we go to the next pump to do the same thing,” 15-year veteran inspector Scott Miller said in a phone call on Tuesday.
“If the station has one gas pump with the virus on it, by the time I get done, all pumps have the virus on it,” Miller said. “Even wearing wearing rubber gloves, it’s still on the gloves. So it’s not getting me, but I could be spreading it all across the station. So then, everybody who pulls up at that station has the possibility of getting the virus.”
According to emails obtained by WCIA, Miller is one of several concerned inspectors who fear that without the proper personal protective equipment and training, they could unintentionally act as state-sanctioned super spreaders of COVID-19.
“They gave us no training at all,” he said. “They gave us some CDC guidelines and some YouTube videos.”
* The Illinois Federation of Teachers represents the workers, so I reached out to the union…
“The Illinois Federation of Teachers has been in communication and is working closely with the DOA to make sure all employees are safe and that training is available so that they can execute their job safely - with proper PPE and practices in place that inhibit the spread of COVID-19 when they return,” said Monica Trevino, IFT’s Director of Communications. ”Additionally, the Products and Standards employees have not returned to active status in the field and are still in remote work status.”
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Credit Unions Responding To COVID-19 Crisis
Thursday, May 7, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
As financial first responders during the coronavirus health crisis, employees of credit unions continue to serve members. While the physical and mental toll can be great, working through a pandemic has given rise to opportunities of connection and kindness for many credit union personnel. In an effort to keep members and employees spirits high, many credit unions are decorating their windows, lobbies, sidewalks, and doors with uplifting artwork and positive messaging. Credit union leadership has generously cared for staff with lunches, treats, and fun incentives to help brighten these dark days.
Credit unions abide by the people helping people philosophy by supporting members, employees, and the community. To learn more about credit unions visit BetterforIllinois.org today.
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You first, Tribune
Thursday, May 7, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, speaking yesterday…
I think it’s pretty clear if we had something that would decrease the rate of fatalities, if we could decrease the rate of people ending up in the hospital, you know, something that maybe can shorten the severity such that people don’t end up hospitalized, don’t end up in the ICU, anything like that would be a complete game changer in terms of people could say, well, maybe I could go out because it’s less likely that I’ll end up hospitalized, it’s less likely that I’ll end up in the ICU, it’s less likely that I’ll die. Maybe it’s something that would cause a situation where elderly people weren’t so disproportionately hit and so if you interacted with Grandma, you think that there’s a treatment should she get the virus, there’s a treatment that she wouldn’t die. So it’s pretty clear like if we have something that is effective, that we know can actually decrease either hospitalization rate or fatality, that would be a completely different story than what we have now.
The governor has talked about his “three Ts” for a while now: Testing, Tracing and Treatment.
Testing has finally gotten to a point where we are significantly above the national average. Tracing, which has been done so far by counties and community health agencies, will be ramped up statewide later this month. And that beginning will allow regions to check a box that’ll allow them to move to the next phase.
Treatment appears to be on the horizon. Until then, what’s the point of going back out into the world and running up the infection rate while not having any treatment available for people who will most definitely get sick?
* And that brings us to today’s Tribune editorial…
After nearly seven weeks of battling COVID-19 while enduring economic and emotional hardship, it’s reasonable for Illinoisans to ask whether the goals of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order are being met. Or, to put it in terms every anxious resident feels: When can the state reopen and life begin to resemble normal?
People are dying of the coronavirus, but many lives are being saved. That’s because everyday activities have been suspended or curtailed, and people are taking this pandemic seriously while practicing social distancing. The rate of infection has slowed enough to allow hospitals here to manage caseloads. That’s what success was supposed to look like. Illinois is, indeed, bending the curve on an escalating health pandemic we feared could overwhelm hospital resources. […]
Pritzker’s latest plan extends the benchmarks for victory from bending the infection curve to defeating the virus altogether. Schools would not reopen and restaurants and gyms would not be able to open with capacity limits (that’s Phase 4) until testing and contact tracing are in full use and there has been no overall increase in hospital admissions for 28 days.
His 28-day yardstick exceeds the White House and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention benchmark that calls for opening up a state or region after seeing a downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period.
1) Does the editorial board read its own editorials? Those last two paragraphs are contradictory. It’s actually easier and very likely quicker to meet Pritzker’s 28-day goal of no increases in hospitalizations than it is to meet a 14-day goal of consistently declining cases. No region could meet that White House goal.
2) The Chicago Tribune is deemed an essential business. Editorial board members are free to go back to the office today. So, let me know when every member of that editorial board is meeting together in person, including any with health problems like diabetes. Maybe bring in groups of legislators (who are also deemed essential workers) to talk in person about their own plans to reopen. In other words, you first, Tribune.
3) The editorial takes no position on when the state should “return to normal.” Indiana’s governor put hard and fast dates into his reopening, but it’s getting bigtime pushback, even from churches…
Holcomb said churches would serve as “a test or control group” because he thought they would be the most responsible body to let fully reopen.
Most mainstream sects didn’t buy in, and one Gary Baptist preacher was insulted being called a “control group.”
Leaders from Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist and Methodist churches urged congregations to continue with online, not in-person services.
* And then there’s this reality…
During a private call on Friday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott admitted that “every scientific and medical report shows” state reopenings “ipso facto” lead to an increase in novel coronavirus cases, even as he publicly announced plans that same week to end an executive stay-at-home order in the state.
“How do we know reopening businesses won’t result in faster spread of more cases of COVID-19?” Abbott asked during a Friday afternoon phone call with members of the state legislature and Congress. “Listen, the fact of the matter is pretty much every scientific and medical report shows that whenever you have a reopening—whether you want to call it a reopening of businesses or of just a reopening of society—in the aftermath of something like this, it actually will lead to an increase and spread. It’s almost ipso facto.”
He’s right. So if the goal is, as the Tribune points out and even supports, to keep the curve below a level that doesn’t overwhelm the healthcare industry, how does a much more robust reopening accomplish that goal?
Pritzker didn’t move the goalposts, the Tribune did.
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* Sun-Times…
State Supt. of Education Carmen Ayala in a Facebook live interview with State Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch this week laid out a number of possibilities for how school might look in the fall, including a return at “full force” — but said it will all depend on how controlled the pandemic is statewide in the coming months.
She specifically referred to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s 5-point plan for reopening the state that he revealed Tuesday, which said schools could potentially be a part of Phase 4, requiring the region in which a district is located to have seen a “continued decline” in virus infection rates and hospitalizations.
“How soon we start the school year, that will all depend on the phase we are in, come August, come September,” she told Welch, a Democrat from Westchester. “We will have to see where we are with the coronavirus to determine how much we can gather, if it’s going to be 10, if it’s going to be 50, what that might look like.”
What’s certain, she said, is summer school will be held remotely. After that, she wants districts and schools to prepare for various possibilities and come up with a “plan A, plan B and plan C.”
There could be remote learning in the fall, or “we may see a combination where some children are allowed to come to school on certain days, or we take the upper grades and we are able to spread them out in the school building with social distancing norms,” she said.
The full interview is here. Rep. Welch has been doing a weekly show. Last week, he interviewed the governor’s chief of staff. The week before, he interviewed Chasse Rehwinkle at IDFPR.
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Read the IDPH session guidelines
Thursday, May 7, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* We’ve talked a bit about the IDPH guidelines for the General Assembly when legislators return to session. But I thought you might want to see the entire document, so here it is…
Mission and Purpose:
This document provides guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to the members of the General Assembly and legislative staff in response to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Illinois. These recommendations will ensure the public health and safety of legislators, legislative staff and other support personnel.
Travel and Stay in Springfield:
• Members who either share a residence or a hotel room in Springfield, use individual hotel rooms in order to continue the practice of safe social distancing.
• Public transportation and ridesharing should be used for essential travel only. When possible, drive yourself.
Upon entry to the Illinois State Capitol:
• IDPH recommends that the Secretary of State (“SOS”) should have the Capitol Police screen all those entering the capitol for a temperature of 100F degrees or greater and/or other symptoms.
• SOS should have a robust sanitizing practice in the Capitol multiple times a day, with special attention to door handles, elevator buttons, and other frequently touched surfaces.
• SOS should maintain limiting the number of people into the State Capitol (only state employees directly supporting session, which means excluding lobbyist and the public).
• If a member is feeling ill, they should NOT travel to Springfield for session. While in Springfield if a legislator becomes ill or symptomatic, they should call their doctor, a nurse hotline, any telehealth hotline set up specifically for COVID-19 or an urgent care center. If they are experiencing symptoms, they should return home and follow the guidelines provided by their physician.
• If a member has a serious underlying medical condition they should NOT travel to Springfield for session.
• IDPH advises that members 65 years of age or older should consider NOT traveling to Springfield for session.
• The common areas that include the Rotunda, and the House and Senate galleries should remain closed to the public.
• Signs should be displayed around the state capitol reminding staff and legislators to wash their hands and practice social distancing (i.e. coughing or sneezing into elbow, and using hand sanitizer)
In- Person Floor Debates and Voting:
• IDPH recommends only requiring necessary staff in the chamber. Those would include the following: Chair, parliamentarian, clerk, member presenting the bill and one appointee from each caucus to ask questions, essential doormen and sergeant at arms, and essential staff support for substantive items.
• Only necessary members should be on the floor and voting, per the leader’s agreement in advance and only enough to meet the minimum quorum requirements. Members should be arranged so they are six feet away from the next member. This may require having members occupy the gallery space.
In- Person Committee Hearings and Voting:
• IDPH recommends all meetings, such as committee pre-meetings, caucuses, and negotiation sessions for bills, should be conducted via phone or video conferencing system in advance.
• If committees are held, bills should be agreed upon prior to committee, to avoid unnecessary debate.
• Only necessary staff should be present.
• Consider only the minimum number of legislators necessary to establish a quorum (i.e. Chairman, Vice Chairman, Minority Spokesperson and limited designated members).
• If debate must take place, agree to vote the bill on a partisan roll call so that Chair and Minority Spokesperson of each committee can perform the business of their caucus.
• Only two larger committee rooms should be used so that members can be arranged six feet away from the next member.
• Only legislators should be there, witnesses who want to testify must do so by providing written testimony that can be read into the record (rather than in person).
• Members of the public can still engage with the democratic process by live steaming, engaging with their legislator by means of communication that include emails, telephone, and by filing an electronic witness slip.
• Capitol staff should stay in their workspaces as much as possible or continue to work remotely if possible. If Capitol staff need to report to work, staff’s workspaces should be six feet away from each other.
Upon adjournment:
• IDPH recommends social distancing and isolation for at least seven days post legislative session.
Thoughts?
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Nursing home strike averted
Thursday, May 7, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Frontline nursing home workers who were poised to start a historic strike on Friday have reached a tentative agreement with nursing home owners for a two-year contract with significant wins that will help safeguard both workers and residents through the current pandemic and beyond.
The agreement impacts over 10,000 members of SEIU Healthcare who provide care to residents at the 100+ nursing homes of the Illinois Association of Health Care Facilities. The contract gains are a testament to the courage and commitment of workers who were poised to strike at 64 facilities in order to protect themselves and the residents for which they care during this time of unprecedented vulnerability and risk.
The workers won significant contract gains, including:
• Higher baseline wages bringing all workers above $15 an hour and establishing greater parity in wages across geographic areas
• Hazard pay for all workers for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis
• Additional fully paid sick days for COVID-19 related testing, illness or quarantine for duration of the crisis
• Provisions ensuring that employees are not required to work without adequate PPE as determined by regulatory agencies for the duration of the crisis
All of the major contract gains will help safeguard the health and safety of workers and the residents for which they care—at a time when both are vulnerable to the risks associated with COVID-19. While residents are at increased risk of the virus due to age and compromised health, workers face increased negative impacts from coronavirus due to their history of poverty wages, lack of paid time off, and the underlying health conditions that often accompany poverty. Additionally, a majority of workers are African-American, and a disproportionate number of African-American lives have been claimed by COVID-19.
Significantly, the agreement continues to build on the progress made by nursing home workers in recent years to lift wage standards for the industry.
The tentative agreement was overwhelmingly supported by members of the bargaining committee, but must be ratified by the larger group of members who will be impacted by its terms.
*** UPDATE *** Illinois Association of Health Care Facilities…
The Illinois Association of Health Care Facilities is proud that is has negotiated the largest wage hike in our history for our employees. With base pay raises up to 24%, the IAHCF has achieved the Fight for $15 ahead of the city and state for our dedicated employees on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. This two-year contract includes $2 per hour COVID bonus pay for all 10,000 employees during the duration of the stay-at-home order and beyond, as well as expanded paid sick leave. While negotiations have ended, this insidious virus has not. We are grateful a walkout was avoided, and that our heroic staff members will continue caring for our vulnerable seniors as we fight this battle together.
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Our Democracy Could Be Decided By A Coin Toss
Thursday, May 7, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Democrats, who have a supermajority in both legislative chambers, were assumed to control the 2021 remap. However, a move by the Census Bureau could delay population data being sent to the states until July 31, 2021 putting that control in jeopardy.
If census officials win a delay, the Illinois Constitution outlines a process that calls for the appointment of an eight-member commission, split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, to draw maps. If they cannot agree, a ninth member – either Democrat or Republican – is randomly chosen, allowing either party the opportunity to gerrymander to their partisan advantage.
Our democracy is too important to be left to a game of chance.
We need an independent, nonpartisan redistricting commission to determine maps that are fair and equitable for all communities across Illinois.
Let’s end partisan gerrymandering and create a process that gives power back to the people.
To learn more about the effort for Fair Maps (SJRCA18, HJRCA41) visit, https://www.changeil.org/policy-priorities/redistricting-reform/.
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* Oy…
A further 3.2 million Americans sought unemployment benefits last week as the economic toll from the coronavirus pandemic continued to mount.
The new applications brought the total number of jobless claims since mid-March to 33.3 million.
That amounts to more than 15% of the US workforce.
However, it was less than the 3.8 million a week ago and down from the record 6.9 million for one week in March.
* Illinois estimate…
The U.S. Department of Labor estimates 74,476 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of April 27 in Illinois, according to the DOL’s weekly claims report released Thursday. […]
During the week of April 20, the U.S. Department of Labor estimates 81,245 new unemployment claims were filed in Illinois.
During the week of April 20, there were 3,169,000 new claims filed across the U.S.
The U.S. Department of Labor estimates 102,736 new unemployment claims were filed during the week of April 13 in Illinois
*** UPDATE *** Yikes…
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) today released new statewide data showing the department processed 74,476 new initial unemployment claims for the week ending May 2, and with upward revisions from weeks past, has now processed 1,006,925 initial unemployment claims from March 1 through May 2. This nearly 12 times the number of claims the department processed over the same period last year, when IDES processed just 78,100 initial unemployment claims.
Statewide unemployment claims data, which reflects activity for the week prior, will be available on the IDES website every Thursday afternoon. Previous initial claims data has undergone an upward revision to properly account for a number of successfully processed claims. While the number of initial claims has slightly declined over the last two weeks, IDES may experience an increase when the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program becomes available on Monday, May 11, 2020.
Workers who believe they may be eligible for new federal benefits under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, must first apply for regular unemployment insurance before applying for benefits under PUA when a new application portal opens on Monday via the IDES website.
Claimants who receive an eligibility determination of $0 can then appeal that decision by providing verification of wages earned or they can submit a claim for PUA benefits. Claimants who have already applied for and been denied regular unemployment benefits can submit a claim through the new PUA portal when it opens. Receiving a denial for regular unemployment benefits is a mandatory first step in determining eligibility for PUA.
PUA provides 100% federally-funded unemployment benefits for individuals who are unemployed for specified COVID-19-related reasons and are not eligible for the state’s regular unemployment insurance program, the extended benefit (EB) program under Illinois law, or the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program (PEUC), including independent contractors and sole-proprietors. Up to 39 weeks’ worth of benefits are potentially available under the program for COVID-19-related unemployment claims.
IDES is contracting with Deloitte to implement and maintain the web-based PUA program. While a program of this magnitude would normally take up to a year to design and implement, the department worked swiftly to get the program up and running within 4 weeks.
PUA claims will be backdated to the individuals’ first week of unemployment, but no earlier than February 2, 2020, and will continue for as long as the individual remains unemployed as a result of COVID-19, but no later than the week ending December 26, 2020. The program is similar to the federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance program which provides unemployment benefits in response to local disasters.
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* Press release…
House Speaker Michael J. Madigan released the following statement Wednesday:
“First and foremost, we need to ensure the health and safety of members, staff and the general public is considered at all times when thinking about a return to Springfield. While the governor’s actions have reduced the curve and saved lives, it’s clear that Illinois is not out of the woods. Just yesterday, Illinois saw an all-time high in deaths, and it was recently announced that another 136 people died today.
“While I am eager to see a return to normalcy, we are talking about people’s lives, and any plan for a return to Springfield must have the health and safety of all those involved as a top priority, including the communities the members represent.”
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* Gov. JB Pritzker at his media briefing today…
Although nearly half of those who have been tested did not fill out their demographic information, of those who did 7.6% self-identified as Hispanic. Of these, more than 26,000 individuals, nearly 16,000 of them have tested positive for COVID-19. That’s a positivity rate of 60%. That’s nearly three times our state average.
As a point of comparison, for the half of people who left their race blank on their forms, about 18,000 tested positive for the virus. That’s 10%. We don’t know what portion of those unknowns might also qualify as Hispanic or Latinx. But what we do know is that our data from the start, until today, shines a concerning spotlight on which of our residents are most likely to get sick from COVID-19.
Remember to pardon all transcription errors.
* More from the governor…
Decades of institutional inequities and obstacles for members of our Latinx communities are now amplified in this pandemic. And while we can’t fix generations of history in the span of a few months, we must advance equity in our public health response today, everywhere and anywhere we can. My administration has made it a priority to enter into testing partnerships in as many areas around the state as possible, with a focus on communities, home to significant populations who are more vulnerable to this virus. We now have over 200 public testing sites in Illinois, a third of which are located in communities with a significant Latinx population, measured here as greater than or equal to 17%, which is the Latino population number statewide. […]
Of the seven drive-thru sites that the state does formally run, each offers bilingual support for Spanish speakers. And as we build on our existing contact tracing abilities at local health departments, we will continue to make a push for robust relationships with trusted partners in Latino communities and ensure our tracking capabilities reflect Illinois multilingual diversity.
* More…
At this time, face coverings are required in public situations where social distance cannot be maintained. And that applies only to those who are medically able to wear a mask.
I recognize that this is a new practice for many in Illinois and the entire United States, but it’s on us to change how we think about face coverings. Protecting your fellow Americans by wearing a face covering in public is a collective act of patriotism. And doctors will tell you it’s one of the best things that we can do for public health right now. There have been reports of misplaced assumptions about masks, leading to incidents of racial profiling against Latinx,and black Americans, especially men, as well as you know phobic attacks against Asian Americans. And I want to call on the public to help us stop these hateful incidents by speaking out and standing up for others in your community. If you witness or experience mask-related discrimination or any form of discrimination, please report the incident to the Illinois Department of Human Rights
* On to questions for the governor. Governor, what would you say to those who say Democratic governors are trying to keep their states closed for as long as possible in order to make better cases for federal bailout funds?…
I can only speak for this Democratic governor and I certainly have talked to enough, a number of others and I’ll just say that we are listening to the scientists and the epidemiologists, the doctors about what’s best for the people who live in our states. And that’s what we’re doing all of us. Indeed, I’ve talked to many of the governors across the nation. They have shared their epidemiological findings, as well they’re experts with us, and we have terrific ones here that we’ve shared with them.
* Can the governor provide more clarity to churches regarding holding services, should they plan not to hold services larger than 50 people until their region has moved to phase five?…
Well you know that in phase three there can be gatherings church gatherings of 10 or fewer and phase 4 is 50 or fewer. So that’s the guidance that’s been given to me. I’m not the one providing that guidance, it really is what the scientists and epidemiologists are recommending.
* As an entrepreneur at heart could you talk about what areas of business and industry you see emerging post pandemic and how they might benefit state government?…
That is really interesting. So I guess I’ll just say that I think there are going to be a number of new businesses that get started as a result of this. I think you’ve already seen that at least before there is a vaccine. There are lots of entrepreneurs who have started mask and face covering businesses, others who are trying to address the medical needs that are associated with people who are in isolation, or people who are COVID positive. And of course, I think there’s no question there’s going to be an advanced effort to provide to make sure that we are ready for the next pandemic, and all the things that may be required for that whether it’s technology on your iPhone or other device, or making sure that we’re, you know, producing the PPE in the United States that will be available. So I think there’s there’s an awful lot that I can see happening after this pandemic is over.
* We’ve heard reports saying IDPH has hospital resource numbers are incorrect in the Edwardsville region. Is IDPH aware of any discrepancies and if so are they working to correct them, she mentions that the numbers on the resource website are higher than some of the hospitals are saying they have available…
Dr. Ezike: IDPH has a repertoire of a lot of information and the information that we have is what information has been given to us, so we have information that comes from each hospital. Every day we pull that information at midnight, the information we get from whoever is assigned to give it to us is what we have. If there are errors, we recommend people have the people who are entering that data give the correct information but information out is what was the information in.
* How can people safely open their quarantine circle, if at all, to family and friends who have also isolated? Can we safely hug or visit moms for Mother’s Day?…
Dr. Ezike: The whole point of where we are now is that, I think we’ve tried to stress that we still don’t have a cure, we still don’t have a vaccine, so we really aren’t that far from where we were a month ago or before we started the stay at home order. So, our elderly people are still at high risk, and we’ve had them, essentially, you know shelter in place, even you know my mother, or the kids can only drop something off at the door because we don’t want to expose her to any additional risks. So that really hasn’t changed and so we really don’t want to put anyone at risk especially our most vulnerable. So that really hasn’t changed.
Virtual hugs are still, I would say the order of the day. Expanding your circle will increase your risk of infection. It’s that simple. The more people you’re around the higher the risk of contacting a contracting the virus from someone in this new expanded circle. So, again we are trying to minimize the risk for everyone that’s why staying home with that nuclear established cell that you’ve had is the best way forward as you expand that you are absolutely increasing the risk of contracting the virus.
* More tests mean more cases, but with several days of 2000 plus cases a day, when might we see that reflected in our hospitalization numbers? Is there a good percentage of how many people will enter hospitals from these counts? Also, is there a percentage of COVID-19 fatalities that have included comorbidities?…
Dr. Ezike: In terms of cases go on to have a certain percentage of people who end up in the hospital, a certain percentage of the people who end up in the hospital ended up in the ICU. So we know that about 30% of our total positive cases have ended up in the hospital so, potentially, we could see that going forward. Again, we’re looking at the number of people who have been tested and as we’ve expanded testing, we have some less sick people who have had testing. So maybe that 30% won’t hold going forward but from previous numbers we’ve had about 30% of people end up in the hospital. So assuming we had the same mix of people getting tests that could be the same, but again, as the number of people tested disbanded, maybe this, the illness the baseline status of those people might not be exactly the same.
The last question was, is there a percentage of COVID-19 fatalities that have included comorbidities. Almost 90% of the fatalities have had an associated comorbidity, and we’ve seen that in in data across the world. Mostly, I actually have to add age, so age isn’t necessarily a comorbidity but it puts you in a higher risk status so we have seen people over the age of 65 who’ve talked about heart disease we’ve talked about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, diabetes, so there’s a list of conditions which are quite common in our population, along with elevated age. Please don’t forget pregnant women or people who have been recently pregnant are also at high risk, anybody who has an immunocompromised status may be a recent cancer patient or somebody who’s actively going through chemotherapy. So there are a lot of people that form that group that are in a higher risk category.
* Governor, the Restore Illinois plan will last for months or even years until we have a vaccine, a treatment or herd immunity. Do you plan to continue issuing 30 day disaster declarations and executive orders the whole time, or would you rather legislate the plan with the General Assembly knowing you might have to negotiate on some points?…
I don’t want to be in the position that I’ve been in which is to put in emergency orders.
But I’ll say that we’re going to work through this together I’ve certainly been in communication with many many legislators have worked with them to determine what aspects of these emergency orders need to be changed altered I talked yesterday about how we’ve included their opinions in the restoring Illinois plan. I hope that we’re out of this situation of COVID-19 being prevalent and no treatment and no vaccine out we’re out of the situation as soon as possible. And I’m, you know, watching very carefully to see if there’s a treatment or a vaccine that will come. Available very soon, but we’re no doubt about it we’re going to have to keep, you know, on top of this do it as best we can, you know, I’ll work with the legislature in any way that they would like to work together, but my job and their job is to help keep the people of Illinois safe and healthy.
* In terms of determining whether a certain region is ready to move to the next phase, will infection data be weighted for congregate settings like prisons and residential homes since they’re not necessarily representative of the community?…
I’ve heard this question before, but I want to point out that there are staff people who go in and out of these facilities all the time. And so even if you were to keep everybody in a nursing facility that’s a resident, which is the case now unless somebody checks out and goes home with their family, that you have staff coming in and out literally every day multiple shifts. Many of those people live in the areas that those nursing homes and prisons exist. And so I don’t think people should ignore the idea that there’s an infection in one of these kinds of good settings, thinking that it doesn’t have any effect on the community. So no we’re not ignoring those when the calculations are made about infection rates and, and the number of people who go into the hospital with COVID-19
* The CME plans to reopen its options pits as early as three weeks after Illinois stay at home order lifts. The exchange is asking traders to sign waivers and accept the risks because it can’t guarantee safety once the floor opens. Can you comment?…
I really can’t. I’m not sure what the circumstances are that are requiring that.
* One of our readers had to communicate to a fearful and scared group of employees at the office would be opening up June 1. Will employers be given guidelines about how to safely open up offices?…
Yes, in fact, we’re working with industry groups and with workers representatives unions and others as well as obviously with IDPH and experts in epidemiology and and understanding COVID-19 to make sure that the rules that are put in place for each industry. Manufacturing is different than warehousing is different than offices and so on.
All those rules will be made clear to people and indeed as you look in the plan that we put forward, you’ll see reference to IDPH safety guidance. And of course social distancing and face coverings will be the norm.
* Would you please reply to some of the pushback from business groups, especially restaurants, who say giving them no hope of even partially reopening until the end of June is much tougher than nearby states in near certain to result in mass permanent closures?…
Well, my first response to that is that I’m not the one that’s writing those rules for restaurants and bars, it is doctors and epidemiologists that I’m listening to.
And indeed, as many people I think understand these are situations where you are naturally going to be putting people close to one another, their servers who will be serving food which can transmit the disease, the infection, bartenders and so on. And so all of these things are playing a role in the decision making, I think by the doctors and epidemiologists. And, look, I also think that the public understands this and even if you flung the doors open on bars and restaurants today I think many people would say, I don’t want to be in a public location like that where it is more likely that things might be transmitted. But we very much want to get to opening the restaurants and bars, we need to see what the effect is on our hospitalizations and and infection rates across the state as we gradually open the economy. And as we saw, you know it is written into stage four phase which is just the next phase right after this phase three that might come up for some regions in June.
* Governor you are in charge of the State Fair. Given your own criteria is there any realistic way to consider holding the fair this year?…
I think it’s highly unlikely that we’ll be able to hold our state fairs. I’ve been to the state fairs, I think many people have you know that this will be many people packed together in buildings or even on pathways. So I do not believe that we’ll be able to open the state fair. But I do want to point out to people that as something I said yesterday, and I’m very hopeful for and that is, we have many treatments that are in the works. The researchers and experts are hard at work now there’s one that’s been emergency approved by the FDA called remdesivir. I hope there will be many others and maybe by the time these larger events roll around we might be able to have a treatment that’s very effective. And then I think there is the possibility.
* Some suburban republicans say the four groups hamstring communities with low COVID-19 numbers by lumping them with Chicago, could you respond?…
Remember that these regions are based upon the hospital regions for the emergency medical service regions that have been set up for decades by the Department of Public Health. So really they’re not based upon how many COVID positive people are in your particular village or town or city, but rather how many hospital beds and and health care workers how much health care is available. If and when there is a surge.
And let’s be clear, the virus hasn’t gone away. It is still out there, and nothing that we’re doing now is changing that fact what we have changed what has made things better. What has reduced the number of potential infections and the number of people going into the hospital and dying, is the fact that people have adhered to the stay at home order. And so the more we turn the dial up of, you know, allowing more and more interactions to occur in business and otherwise, the more risk that we’re taking. We’re going to be watching very closely, we all want the economy to open. I want it as much as anybody. And I’m the one, you remember I’m a business person, at least before I became governor I was a business person and I’m the one who’s debating these things with the scientists and epidemiologists, and they’re making cogent well founded arguments and I’m listening to the science.
* You’ve said all along that a 14 day decline is the benchmark you need to see to lift restrictions. Now it’s 28 days. What changed?…
I would say a couple things. There are a lot of differences between the White House plan that was put forward and our plan. But as you can see from the various plans across the country, each one has a slightly different set of criteria. What we’re watching for is the effect of the on hospitalizations on infections and so on.
But remember, we made changes just on May 1. So even if we were to watch this for just 14 days, what we’ve seen already is things are flat, not declining. So if I were to follow the White House plan to the letter, we would not even have begun the 14 days that is suggested in the White House plan. But instead what I’m suggesting is that if we have hospital beds available, if we have the ability to provide health care for people, and we can see that there’s a maintenance of that ability over a period of time, then we will be able to open things up. And I think honestly it might even be, because it’s different than the White House plan, indeed, you know, makes things more available to open up than the White House plan would in Illinois. I think we’re gonna have to be very careful. That’s why we have these 28 day periods.
* Some mayors decided to open up their city on May 1, could that cause businesses to lose their license if operating before the IDPH approves the region for their respective phase?…
They could. And you know the state often licenses some of these businesses so they absolutely could, and we will be looking at each of those businesses to determine whether we have the ability to do that. And when we could do that.
* The Lake County Sheriff’s office said Monday they will not issue tickets or be able to enforce the two-person a boat rule because they have not received any guidelines for for specific citations. Will you be providing more guidance to local authorities for enforcement?…
We absolutely can do that. I mean, it’s important that people adhere to the two person per boat guideline, it was really intended, we wanted people to be able to go out to go fishing, to be able to enjoy being on the water. But it’s important that people be able to enjoy social distancing while also being safe out there on a boat. So, we do want enforcement to take place and we’ll certainly be working with law enforcement as they ask us for assistance.
* With bordering states opening earlier in many cases, how will that affect your Restore Illinois plan both health wise and economically?…
Well, it certainly may make it more difficult because we will see potentially infections across the border. I can’t speak to the decision-making that’s been made in those states. What I can say is, I know that Governor Holcomb in Indiana shares the same goals that I do, which is to make sure that we’re keeping people safe and healthy. But I’m listening to the epidemiologists about what their best recommendations are in terms of timing and how we open these industries up. And I’m going to follow that, I’m going to do what’s best for the people of Illinois. I know people of Illinois want to do what’s best for themselves, which means to me, not going into these places that clearly are going to be, you know, potential hotbeds of infection, and then coming back into your community or into your home.
* This morning, you’re well aware of certain House Republicans held a press conference, they are calling for a couple of things. One, they want the legislature to come back into session. They say IDPH has provided safe guidelines for doing that. What would you say to Speaker Madigan and Senate President Harmon about getting lawmakers back into session? Republicans want to work with you and compromising as legislators for how we go forward and they feel you’re kind of just dictating a one person show…
Well that’s kind of crazy let’s just start with this. I have talked to the leaders on the Republican side, many Republican legislators. I’m frequently reaching out, listening to them ,I take a lot of notes, and I’ve done a lot of the things that they’ve asked. Along the way they are legislators I have great respect for the legislators on both sides of the aisle. And I am listening to them, they are acting as legislators and as a legislature, they are meeting in working groups, I know that Republicans and Democrats are sitting down talking about the budget they’re sitting down and talking about the Department of Human Services they’re talking about the various functions of government, they’re doing it, you know in committee style, Zoom conferencing and elsewhere and otherwise. So they’re doing exactly what I think they would be doing if they were in session having committee meetings, and they absolutely have the ability to get together in session. That’s one of the reasons that we didn’t just provide that, you know, for no reason we wanted to make sure that the legislature knew there are ways to do this now. Let’s also be clear that there are legislators who are concerned about getting together in, 177 of them, add in staff and all the other staff that work for them not to mention all the other people who work in the Capitol, and maybe members of the public. I mean that could be a potentially dangerous situation. That’s why we need the legislature to ask us for get you know what guidance they may need in order to get together, which were, you know, shown you that we’re willing to provide.
* Mayors out in DuPage County are saying how can you lump them in with Chicago, you’re going to kill our businesses. Other you know communities are saying, we’re being lumped in with larger areas where there’s a bigger problem, why not break it down closer to the 11 separate EMS districts and do it that way?…
Well, again, we were trying to this is all based upon hospital availability. We thought it would be better and more manageable for everybody if it was done in this number of regions I’m sure that there are a lot of opinions about how you could draw the lines. I know I spoke with one or another DuPage County mayors who want to just to draw the lines around their city.
And so my view is that no matter how we drew these lines, there were going to be people who might complain but remember why they were drawn. They were drawn because we want to make sure that there is healthcare availability, I had to point out to some mayors in areas that are around the Chicagoland area that many of the people that live in their villages or in their towns or in their cities, go into the city of Chicago on a regular basis, perhaps on a daily basis. And so when they say, well, but they’ve the problems in Chicago, but not here. That’s just wrong. You know the people who live there are going to places where there is a, maybe a higher infection rate and coming back to their village or their town.
* Is it realistic to hold some parts of the economy at bay for a vaccine that doesn’t exist or may not exist for 18 months, and can you provide more information on what a highly effective therapy looks like?…
Well, I’m not the one holding back the economy to, you know, from stage five, the COVID-19 virus is. That’s the thing that’s been causing the very high infection rates, the hospitalizations and the deaths. So I would pay attention to the fact that that’s still out there and the fact the reason that these rates have come down over the last two months has been because of orders that we put in place, and the fact that people across Illinois are obeying those.
Dr. Ezike: I think it’s pretty clear if we had something that would decrease the rate of fatalities, if we could decrease the rate of people ending up in the hospital, you know, something that maybe can shorten the severity such that people don’t end up hospitalized don’t end up in the ICU, anything like that would be a complete game changer in terms of people could say, well, maybe I could go out because it’s less likely that I’ll end up hospitalized, it’s less likely that I’ll end up in the ICU, it’s less likely that I’ll die. Maybe it’s something that would cause a situation where elderly people weren’t so disproportionately hit and so if you interacted with Grandma, you think that there’s a treatment should she get the virus, there’s a treatment that she wouldn’t die so it’s pretty clear like if we have something that is effective that we know can actually decrease either hospitalization rate or fatality, that would be a completely different story than what we have now.
* Indiana’s not using nursing homes, healthcare workers or prisoners when it comes to their positivity rate. Is that a better way to determine the rate in the general public?…
Dr. Ezike: I think Governor Pritzker answered that very, very appropriately. People work there. There are hundreds and thousands of people in a single facility, whether it’s a group home or a prison or a jail or a nursing home. People are going in and out every single day, and those people returned to communities. So those facilities are not separate from the communities. They’re part of the community. People make deliveries to those communities. It’s definitely part of the community. So I can’t separate it and say that that’s not part.
If there are significant outbreaks in the community that is a significant warning sign because we know that that that infection is in the community, it’s in the staff that work there that go back to their homes every night.
Gov. Pritzker: If I may just add to that. Remember that the nursing home residents that live in that area get sick and need a hospital, and they need a hospital bed, and they need an ICU bed and they may need a ventilator. And so that’s part of why, you know, we have to include those because you’re talking about the availability of health care when people get sick in that area. That’s also true for prisoners in a prison inmates in a prison there. That’s also true for group homes. So it doesn’t make sense to me to exclude the people who live in those residential communities or in those congregated settings from the calculation.
* Hinsdale approved a plan to close a downtown street so restaurants can have more space for outdoor dining. Under your plan restaurants can open in phase four. Can they have their outside seating only?…
That’s not in the recommendation of the epidemiologists and, you know, curbside delivery, pick up, drive through, delivery to the home. Those are all things that have been considered acceptable by the experts.
* What has IDES completed to make sure that the system will be up and running Monday for 1099 workers? And just in addition to that, we’re hearing there is continual continual problems with the website, people just cannot get through, they’re having to make, you know, hundreds of attempts to even get through…
So a couple of things. One is we’re going to talk about this later in the week we’re going to have a complete presentation, so people can see what’s being done and you know in terms of people trying to get on the website. The website actually has very good uptime so you know the the idea that the website is crashing for everybody, that shouldn’t be the case that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Having said that, I’m sure there are people who have had trouble. But remember that the many many many applications have been processed, 800,000 applications or more, and the numbers of people that we’ve seen that are having trouble are, you know, a fraction of that. That doesn’t make it any easier I know and so that’s why we’ve increased so significantly the ability for people to call in. And I know that even that can be difficult sometimes but I would ask for people’s patience and, and those who are having significant difficulty, they may be logged in, but not able to get their benefits and that may be because there is an arbitration that needs to take place that hasn’t yet taken place, and we’re working through all of those.
* When can things get back to normal at nursing homes and when can families visit their loved ones?…
Yeah, it doesn’t address that I mean obviously when we get to phase five, when, you know, we will not have the same issues. But look the great concern here is that this epidemic this virus is so dangerous for elderly people and particularly those in congregate settings so I’m deeply concerned about it. I couldn’t speak to what the timing would be for lifting restrictions on nursing homes but perhaps Dr. Ezike has an opinion.
Dr. Ezike: So again it ties into the same thing that we’ve been saying all afternoon, and there’s nothing in this situation has changed to decrease the risk for that most vulnerable population. When there is a game changer, when there is a treatment that would be able to counter the devastation that we have seen thus far in our long term care facilities, we can think about listening . Right now trying to open up visitation to create more [garbled] for this group that has already been so hardly hit, it doesn’t seem like the right thing to do. It doesn’t seem like an act of protection, it actually seems that it would be increasing their risk.
* How quickly do you expect to hire the 3800 people that you say you need for contact tracing?…
The contact tracing effort which we have been talking about is a robust, you know, we gave the estimate about maybe needing maybe 4000 people. We are not going to have 4000 people start at once this month, we will start to on board some people. Of course remember that contact tracing is something that is done by every local health department already, now people are you know trying to identify the cases. But the problem is, as the numbers have grown, we’ve gone larger than the than the staff that’s in place can do. So we have people at the local health department, we have community health workers, we have different people who are already have already been engaged in this kind of work before we have some of the grantees of IDPH that already does this kind of work. We have people who have signed up to be volunteers, through Illinois help so we are going to be using the resources that are in place to get started and then we’re going to scale up with time to get the full number that we need. But it’s going to be a gradual process and not something where you know we’ll have 4000 in place next week.
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* Dr. Ezike at today’s media briefing…
We have over the last 24 hours 14,974 tests with 2,270 being positive, that’s a 15% positivity rate. We’ve run a total of 361,260 tests for COVID-19. And we’ve had a total of 68,232 total cases. Over the last 24 hours, we were limited to 136 new COVID deaths, which brings our death total to 2974.
In the hospital we have 4832 individuals who are hospitalized with COVID 19 illness. Of those in the hospital 1231 are in the ICU and 80 patients are currently on ventilators.
* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced 2,270 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 136 additional deaths.
Cook County: 2 males 40s, 1 female 50s, 6 males 50s, 8 females 60s, 8 males 60s, 1 unknown 60s, 10 females 70s, 12 males 70s, 14 females 80s, 7 males 80s, 7 females 90s, 4 males 90s, 1 unknown 90s, 2 females 100+
DuPage County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 2 males 70s, 2 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 2 females 90s, 2 males 90s
Kane County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 3 females 90s, 1 male 90s, 1 female 100+
Kendall County: 1 male 30s
Lake County: 1 female 60s, 2 females 70s, 2 males 80s, 4 females 90s, 1 male 90s, 1 female 100+
LaSalle County: 1 female 80s
Madison County: 1 female 80s
McHenry County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s
Peoria County: 1 male 50s
Rock Island County: 2 females 90s
St. Clair County: 1 female 80s
Will County: 1 male 60s, 2 females 70s, 1 male 70s, 2 females 80s, 3 females 90s, 1 male 90s
Winnebago County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 68,232 cases, including 2,974 deaths, in 97 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have processed 14,974 specimens for a total of 361,260.
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COVID-19 roundup
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release from the Illinois Conference of Churches…
The Leadership Team of the Illinois Conference of Churches (ICC) believes sheltering-in-place guidelines save lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. We support careful, evidence-based steps to re-open the economy.
We believe that the health and safety of our wider community rises above individual autonomy in this unprecedented global emergency.
Limiting public excursions for anything but essential purposes and exercise and the wearing of masks in public while practicing social distancing are practical ways of showing respect for the communities where we live and serve.
But we don’t like it.
Those we love and serve are hurting.
We grieve the myriad losses our communities are experiencing, not the least of which is the loss of life. Even in the midst of this crisis, more have died in this country from the coronavirus than in the Vietnam War. Business owners, closed now for weeks, wonder how long and if they can hold on. Teachers and parents are struggling with teaching from home. Our front-line workers have held the line steadily with grace and courage. While some families are enjoying down time and togetherness, economic and social stresses are tearing others apart. Our state must rely on science-based directives so that we will properly protect the people who live here.
While the CARES Act, unemployment benefits, and other programs are helping some, many people fall through the cracks. Small businesses, the homeless, the seriously disabled are struggling. There is evidence that the fault lines of race and economic disparity that have always divided our communities may widen. The pandemic has caused many problems for Black and Brown people because of employment as essential workers. Many are not eligible for the stimulus money or unemployment. Health care is not an option for part time workers while pre-existing medical conditions plague Hispanics and African Americans.
While we do not know what science will indicate about coming back together for worship, movies, concerts, and even haircuts, we are hopeful that human kindness, not to mention the grace of God, will flourish just as wildly as springtime is blooming across our state.
We are in prayer for our beloved state and her people, particularly mindful of those whose lives and livelihoods are most endangered.
The Leadership Team of the Illinois Conference of Churches
We represent approximately seven million Illinois Christians in 13 denominations.
* We talked yesterday about IRMA’s report of problems at retail establishments caused by mask-haters. From the Sun-Times…
Stores have done their part to institute the policy meant to curtail the spread of the virus, said [IRMA CEO Rob Karr], whose association represents hundreds of retailers statewide. Under Pritzker’s extended stay-at-home order effective through May, merchants have posted signs and played recordings over sound systems about the face covering requirement.
“But retailers are in no position to enforce it,” Karr said. “We can’t physically restrain anyone, so anyone can walk right by, and we can’t do anything about it.” […]
“But it doesn’t take a huge problem. It takes one argument that turns into something more serious,” Karr said. “We want to avoid something tragic.”
Karr called on the state to issue “a clear direction that local law enforcement have the responsibility here” in enforcing the face covering requirement.
* This is a 430,000-square-foot facility employing nearly 2,000 workers that produces enough food for nine million meals each day…
There has been an outbreak of COVID-19 at a JBS USA pork processing plant in Beardstown, with at least 30 people having tested positive for the virus, officials said Tuesday.
“I can confirm an outbreak,” said Melaney Arnold, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The plant is located in Cass County, which as of Tuesday reported 44 positive cases including the infected JBS plant workers, according to Teresa Armstrong, public health administrator. There have been no COVID-19-related deaths in the county. […]
Armstrong said it is possible that beyond the 30 people who work at the plant — either for JBS or for contractors who provide services such as security, cleaning or cafeteria work — live in other counties and are being reported as cases there, she said.
* Tribune live blog…
Latino communities in Illinois see uptick in COVID-19 confirmed cases: ‘Physical distancing is a privilege’
For National Nurses Week, we asked Chicago-area nurses what their new norm looks like. Here’s what they had to say.
DuPage sheriff criticized for holding parade at same time people are being told to avoid large groups
Indiana Dunes closing Porter Beach due to crowds, park officials say
Child abuse cases spike in Kane County during COVID-19 stay-at-home order
New community college program will train people to be contagious disease contact tracers
Hinsdale to close downtown street so restaurants can have more space for outdoor dining
Fermilab physicists help design low-cost ventilator to fight COVID-19
Cars.com lays off 170 employees to cut costs during COVID-19 pandemic
Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago canceled due to coronavirus
Former CPS head Barbara Byrd-Bennett, convicted of corruption, moved from prison to Ohio halfway house as part of COVID-19 program
‘Mommy’s not coming back.’ Another Chicago-area nurse dies of COVID-19.
* Sun-Times live blog…
State rep wants to talk about race, face masks and why a cop stopped him outside a South Loop store
Amazon warehouse worker tests positive for COVID-19 after demonstrating for safer conditions
Uber to lay off 3,700 workers and CEO to waive salary
22nd employee contracts COVID-19 at Cook County Circuit Court Clerk’s office
‘Stay Home Save Lives’ gear inspired by Lightfoot memes to aid coronavirus relief
Two people are dead among 85 workers at CPS schools who have tested positive for COVID-19, officials say.
5 more Chicago Police Department employees test positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.
Will future generations understand what the Virus War of 2020 was really like?
Lake County judge tests positive for COVID-19
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Question of the day
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Today was supposed to be cheesecake day at the comptroller’s office. I will have to settle for morel pie from Maldaner’s…
* The Question: What do you miss the most from the pre-pandemic era? Explain.
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Republicans, biz groups knock Pritzker’s plan
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Dan Petrella at the Tribune…
Republican lawmakers in the Illinois House on Wednesday gave scathing reviews to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s regional five-phase plan to reopen the state’s economy.
“This plan does not work,” House GOP leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs said on a videoconference.
“This plan presumes that the governor shall rule the state for the upcoming months — and possibly much longer — if the vaccination is not available,” Durkin said. “I took an oath of office to faithfully discharge my duties in the coequal branch of government called the legislature. I did not abdicate nor relinquish my elected responsibilities to the executive branch.” […]
“Speaker Madigan, you set the calendar,” Durkin said. “Mr. Speaker and the House Democrats, get back into the game. Get your head out of the sand, and let’s go back to work.”
* Finke…
Under the timeline and criteria set out in the plan, [Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington] said, it could be “months or years” before the state fully reopens.
Durkin said the state’s hospitality industry will be destroyed under the timeline of the plan. If everything goes well, the earliest Phase 4 could be achieved is the end of June, he said.
“That will force bankruptcies and closures. This plan does not work,” Durkin said.
* More…
* Greg Hinz…
“Business is happy that he has a plan,” said Todd Maisch, CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. “They’re not happy with this plan.” […]
Under Pritzker’s order, “The earliest we’d be able to open is on June 26,” Illinois Restaurant Assn. President Sam Toia said. Those restaurants initially shut in early March. “I don’t know any business that can go 16 weeks with 80 percent or more reduce income and stay viable.”
Toia urged Pritzker to move restaurants from phase four to phase three, which sets lesser standards for testing, et al. Restaurants should have to require staff to wear masks and other personal protective gear and at least initially limit capacity, as has happened in some other states, Toia said. But moving restaurants to phase three would allow some to reopen by Memorial Day weekend.
“We obviously care about the health and safety of our team members and customers,” Toia said. “But let’s be realistic.”
I really think these folks are way over-estimating the eagerness of people to go back to eating in restaurants and using public restrooms. Right now, you’re only as safe as the covidiot closest to you.
After 9/11, lots of folks were criticized for still thinking they lived in a 9/10 world. I just don’t think the restaurant business, regardless of any executive orders, is going to be what it was for a while.
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What Darren Bailey has wrought
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) last month…
I’ve been talking with a lot of the health professionals, and I’m hearing a concise message that it’s time to get back to work.
The link is now broken, but I asked Rep. Bailey back then who he was talking to and here’s what he said via email…
I communicate directly with all of the County Health Departments and hospital officials in my district frequently. My comments are based on these ongoing conversations.
* Fast-forward to today when Rep. Bailey was interviewed by Fairfield radio station WFIW…
The law of Illinois in a pandemic, and any kind of a crisis such as we are experiencing, each county should be governed, monitored, laws or monitoring should be put in place, as each county public health office deems fit. If they need help, then they reach out to the state and the state can come in and help.
Fairfield is in Wayne County and the county is in Bailey’s district.
* But the way Rep. Bailey describes how he believes the system should work is not actually happening in Fairfield. More from WFIW…
The Barb Wire Grill in Fairfield opened yesterday and has weathered complaints filed against it to the Wayne County Health Department. After releasing a statement discouraging congregate settings in restaurants yesterday, the department approached the Wayne County State’s Attorney to render an opinion for a closure order from the Circuit Court.
* That health department statement was signed by the county’s public health administrator and two medical doctors who are both official county medical advisers. You should read the whole thing, but here’s an excerpt…
(W)e are finding it difficult under the current political landscape to impress upon sections of the population that we are not out of danger and that widespread community transmission could still occur. Once we experience widespread transmission, it will likely result in a medical surge forcing mass care and fatality management issues which may not be sustainable.
I’m guessing those folks weren’t on Rep. Bailey’s call list last month. /s
* Back to the story…
State’s Attorney Kevin Kakac said he was approached by the health department to render an opinion for a closure order from the circuit court. Kakac said the health department would have to produce, quote, clear and convincing evidence that the public’s health and welfare are significantly endangered by a person or group of persons who have been exposed to, or that are reasonably believed to have been exposed to COVID-19. Kakac says the department would have to prove all other reasonable means of correcting the problem have been exhausted and no less restrictive alternatives exist because Wayne County has had only two positive tests, both of which are out of quarantine. Kakac believes there is not currently a legal basis to support a closure order.
So, the public health departments “told” Bailey to open up when at least one didn’t, and while Bailey says local public health departments have all authority over these matters, they don’t, at least not in that county.
Great.
* Let’s move on to the restaurant owner, who says she will remain open…
Nobody says that I can’t. Nobody said that I can’t have people come in. The governor’s order, you know, he says that we’re not supposed to have dine-ins. But it goes against the Illinois constitution. And he was only able to do that for 30 days. And I think it was April 9th it ended, and he cannot extend that. That’s why Darren Bailey has taken him to court and is suing him.
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The full Wehrli-Mitchell exchange
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As we discussed earlier this morning, Rep. Grant Wehrli (R-Naperville) tweeted that Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell is the one who told him to “get a life” weeks ago…
Same Deputy Governor texted me to “Get a life” when I raised concerns about how IDES was handling unemployment claims. Anger management issues should never be on display when responding to a member of a co-equal branch of government @cljmitchell
I asked Wehrli for a screen cap of the exchange, but he declined.
* I also asked Mitchell and the governor’s press secretary and she sent it to me…
* From Jordan Abudayyeh…
Members of our staff are working long hours under a lot of stress. Lawmakers have continually asked for open lines of communication and members of our administration are always willing to discuss any issues that arise. But this crisis has made it clear there are two types of people: those who rise to the challenge putting aside ideology to help and those who snipe from the sidelines instead of offering constructive solutions.
Thoughts?
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Credit Unions Responding To COVID-19 Crisis
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
During times of national crisis credit unions step forward to take action in support of their members and communities. While many credit unions are offering extra financial support and relief through the COVID-19 pandemic, they are also reaching into their own pockets and hearts to support their community. Credit unions have:
• Written letters to residents at VA Medical Centers to lift their spirits
• Made and collected homemade masks to donate to local hospital staff
• Donated hand sanitizer and PPE to local organizations and hospitals
• Organized mobile food bank events and food drives
• Delivered meal kits to the elderly
Credit unions are financial first responders during times of crisis; but the mission of credit unions goes well beyond addressing financial needs and focuses on people helping people. Visit BetterforIllinois.org for more information on the credit union difference.
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* Press release…
With workers at nearly 70 nursing homes across the state planning to go on strike because of unsafe working conditions, several Illinois Senate Democrats wrote a letter to the Illinois Department of Public Health and many local health departments Tuesday requesting to know the amount of Personal Protective Equipment that has been distributed to those nursing homes and the process by which it was distributed.
“The hardworking people who put their own health on the line to care for our state’s most vulnerable population should not have to do so without proper protection,” said State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago). “Workers shouldn’t be left wondering when and if they’ll get more supplies, and management shouldn’t have to find and pay for most PPE that is needed out of its own pockets.”
The request comes from members of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus who have at least one nursing home in the district they represent where management received strike notices last week. Employees of 64 nursing homes across the state sent strike notices to management, saying facilities do not have enough PPE, safety protocols, and adequate hazard pay.
In an effort to stand up for those workers in their districts, the group sent a letter to IDPH and local health departments to ask how facilities are chosen to receive PPE and how much PPE these nursing homes have received since the start of the outbreak.
“When our nursing home staffs aren’t afforded adequate PPE, that puts worker and resident lives in danger,” said State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview). “PPE is scarce right now, but our frontline workers need these supplies in order to continue caring for those who need it the most.”
Late last month, WBEZ — a Chicago-based public radio station — reported 625 Illinois nursing home patients and staff have died from COVID-19. Nursing home deaths make up more than a third of the state’s COVID-19 deaths.
“We need to do everything possible to provide a safe environment for our nursing home workers, who day in and day out protect our most vulnerable loved ones,” said State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Schaumburg).
* HB5769 synopsis…
Creates the Personal Protective Equipment Responsibility Act. Requires an employer designated as an essential employer under a disaster proclamation issued pursuant to the Illinois Emergency Management Act or an executive order issued pursuant to the disaster proclamation to provide personal protective equipment to independent contractors and to all employees during the duration of the disaster proclamation or executive order. Defines terms. Authorizes the recovery of damages, including punitive damages, and attorney’s fees. Effective immediately.
* Hannah Meisel at the Daily Line…
A group of progressive lawmakers on Monday unveiled proposed legislation seeking a six-month “cancellation” on rent and mortgage payments for those impacted by the economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic. The proposal would wipe out rent payments for six months whenever Pritzker’s stay-at-home order eventually lifts, and it would defer home mortgage payments until late in the year. In addition, the bill would freeze rents and waive penalties for failing to pay property taxes. During a virtual press conference Monday, State Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Chicago) said 27 percent of Illinoisans were not able to pay their rent in April. She cited a much higher figure for the city of Chicago — approximately 67 percent. “We can’t even imagine what’s going to happen in May,” Ramirez said. “We need to take immediate, proactive and bold action.” The draft proposal released by Ramirez’s office would make the relief available to anyone suffering “any negative financial, medical, or other impact, on an individual or household because of Covid-19 and associated governmental orders, including…loss of income, furlough, hour reduction or other interruption to employment due to workplace, school, and other facility closures; or increased household, childcare, health care or other expenses.” The bill would also establish a Housing Relief Fund that Ramirez said she hoped would be funded by another major stimulus package passed by Congress, which would also benefit small landlords.
* Phil Luciano…
Dave Koehler is tired of talking about toilets.
The Peoria senator and his staff have been pounded with calls from constituents wondering why the state has kept shut Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area and Spring Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area. Many state parks got reopened Friday 1, but not those two.
The reason: they don’t have flush toilets and hand-washing sinks. Because of the coronavirus, the state insists state parks must provide both.
Koehler thinks that’s an overreach, especially as there’s an easy solution. Meantime, instead of helping constituents with unemployment benefits and other important matters, he has been busy explaining the state’s stringent bathroom requirements.
* Politico…
A confrontation was sparked the other day when state Democratic state Rep. Natalie Manley spoke harshly to a state Health Department worker about prisoners with coronavirus getting hospital care.
Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell responded with a text, telling Manley if anyone speaks to that employee again in such a way, “I will burn their house to the ground…the entire f—ing house.”
The governor’s office acknowledged the exchange got heated but said of course Mitchell wouldn’t burn down anyone’s home. “He was standing up for a public health employee who was berated for working to ensure prisoners were getting health-care,” Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh told Playbook.
Manley dismissed the exchange, saying “this is not a story… The focus needs to be on how hard people are working… Legislators are working very hard, as is the governor’s office and all his administration.”
Some Will County legislators are upset about the number of Stateville prisoners being treated at some local hospitals. It’s been a bone of contention for weeks. From WJOL almost exactly a month ago…
Stateville Correctional Center is a hot spot of coronavirus. One-hundred and twenty-five people have tested positive for COVID-19, 30 employees and 95 inmates. But the issue of where to send very ill inmates remains. Currently, St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet is still taking a huge majority of sick inmates. Illinois State Senator Pat McGuire says despite a plan by the Lockport Township Fire Protection District, the deputy governor has not signed off on it yet.
McGuire is hoping WJOL listeners will call the Deputy Governor, Christian Mitchell and ask him approve the plan. Call 312 814 -2121 or email, christian.mitchell@illinois.gov.
Mitchell got flooded with angry calls and emails after that. Trouble is, nobody really knew what they were actually complaining about.
* Meanwhile, Rep. Grant Wehrli tweeted today…
Same Deputy Governor texted me to “Get a life” when I raised concerns about how IDES was handling unemployment claims. Anger management issues should never be on display when responding to a member of a co-equal branch of government @cljmitchell
I asked Rep. Wehrli for a screen-shot of the entire exchange. He politely declined, saying the tweet “speaks for itself.”
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* I had some questions about the Illinois Department of Employment Security’s unemployment application system, so I sent them to the Pritzker administration and the governor’s press secretary Jordan Abudayyeh sent me a response…
Question: How many new servers have been brought online to handle IDES calls and how many simultaneous connections can the system handle?
Phones system: maximum number of caller capacity increased from 160 to 1700, we have a contract with Deloitte to stand up a call center to bring on additional people to answer calls. [I followed up and was told that Deloitte is scaling up to 200 workers and that some started this past Friday.]
IBIS Application: more than a 10x increase in server capacity; implemented best in class, real time application performance monitoring; and performed more than 30 configuration changes to optimize performance
Question: About how long does it take to cross-train workers to meet the federal guidelines and is this an ongoing process? How many have so far been trained?
It can take a year or more to train a staffer working with unemployment to understand the unemployment insurance program. This includes claims filing for regular, federal, military, and combined wage claims, resolving monetary eligibility issues, responding to employer protests, understanding employer charging, properly identifying non-monetary issues, overpayments, integrity, etc. Continuous education in all of these areas is required.
The Deloitte call center agents have received basic training, consisting of how to complete a claim application and the benefit rights information, which includes, but is not limited to, when and how to certify, how to file appeals information, payment options, able and available to work, reporting earning on certification when applicable, etc.
Question: Does IDES have a call-back system for people who can’t get through? If not, why not?
Yes. The call center has a call back function for those who select it. The claimant will keep their place in line and the system will automatically connect them to an agent.
Question: Is there any update to IDES’ PUA [Pandemic Unemployment Assistance] launch date [for 1099 workers]?
* OK, but what about this CBS 2 report?…
Gov. JB Pritzker has said there is no real backlog on jobless claims in Illinois.
But on Monday night, our sources said the backlog is real, and getting longer by the day. […]
The [IDES] employee sent a screenshot of unemployment claims that are yet to be adjudicated – 12,440 to be exact. All are out-of-work people waiting for interviews to find out if they can even get benefits.
The IDES employee said most were filed back in March and won’t even get interviewed until late this month – if then.
* Response from Rebecca Cisco at IDES…
For the weeks ending April 11 – April 25, which are the most recent periods for which data is available, 99.9% of claims have been paid in a timely manner as measured by USDOL guidelines.
The number reported in the CBS story, which attempted to reveal a 12,000 claim backlog, is highly inaccurate, misleading, and misrepresentative. The 12,000 number represents a number of current assignments in a system created to assist staffers in keeping track of the workflow action items that need to be conducted on any given day. This number is not indicative of claims, nor is it representative of a backlog. Assignments do not affect or interrupt claimants receiving benefits. Furthermore, there simply is no backlog of claims currently being processed, nor is there a backlog of claims to be paid.
* Back to CBS 2…
But our IDES source says it’s true those 12,440 people are receiving benefits but are waiting for interviews to make sure, as reported, they are actually eligible to get them. If an interview later determines they are not eligible, some or all of these people will have to pay the money back to the state.
Well, yeah. That’s how the unemployment system works. First, the station was repeatedly crusading on behalf of people who couldn’t get immediate assistance because they’d been found to have committed unemployment insurance fraud or other misdeeds in the past. And now this nothing-burger? Weird.
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* Tribune…
Illinois could lose close to $560 million in gas tax revenue this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, which may delay some big state road and rail projects, according to a new report. […]
But the report from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, a non-profit think tank, found that with road travel down by almost half, the state could lose $296 million to $559 million this year alone, depending on different scenarios. […]
The scenario for state funding could be even worse than the report predicts, and could extend into next year and beyond, said Frank Manzo IV, report co-author and the institute’s policy director.
“If we do not have more testing, if we don’t have more treatments and a clinically proven vaccine… there is a chance that our estimate is conservative,” Manzo said.
* Press release…
“As part of the Rebuild Illinois plan, annual revenues from the state’s Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) were expected to increase from $1.3 billion to nearly $2.6 billion,” said study-co-author and ILEPI transportation analyst Mary Tyler. “After applying the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s (CMAP) estimates on pandemic related travel disruptions to three scenarios, with travel disruptions lasting from 6 to 10 months, we found that the state could under-perform expectations on MFT revenue by between $300 million and $560 million in 2020 alone.”
That upper-end estimate uses a 10-month disruption model, with the virus being most acute through August. The lower-end is based on a 6-month disruption, with the most acute period lasting through May.
The study is here.
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Open thread
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Hmm…
Please keep your discussion polite and Illinois-centric. Thanks.
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React to Pritzker’s new plan
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois Manufacturers’ Association…
“Illinois’ economy has been devastated by this pandemic, which has put at risk not just lives but also livelihoods. While many manufacturers across the state have continued operating to produce needed medical products, safe and nutritious food, and equipment for our first responders, others are eager to start production and put people back to work,” said Mark Denzler, president & CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “We appreciate Gov. Pritzker’s focus on a plan that puts Illinois on a path to safely re-opening. Manufacturers are ready to unleash their full economic might to help restore our state’s economy.”
* Senate President Don Harmon…
“This is the kind of forward-looking plan that people across Illinois have been expecting. It offers hope during economic dark days while reminding everyone of how dangerous and deadly this virus remains. That another 176 people lost their lives to COVID-19 in the past day tells us that the enemy is still out there. We will get through this together by following the advice of medical professionals and public health experts.”
* Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza…
“I want to thank Gov. Pritzker for his carefully-thought-out, science-based approach to restoring Illinois, region by region. I appreciate the leadership, concern and compassion he has demonstrated to the entire state during this awful and deadly COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The governor’s Restore Illinois plan provides all of us with a predictable road map for reopening Illinois.
“If we all follow these guidelines, we will move forward. Not adhering to these protocols will move us backward, jeopardizing all of our shared sacrifice to date and lead to many more needless deaths at the hands of an invisible enemy. We all look forward to the days when we can all get back to normal. In the meantime, we need to exhibit personal responsibility and look out for each other. I believe we will get through this together.”
This post will be updated as responses come in. The House Republicans say they are still evaluating the plan.
* Rep. Mike Murphy (R-Springfield)…
“I’m glad the Governor has finally heard our calls for a regional approach to addressing COVID-19 and a plan for safely reopening our state. The unintended consequences of the one size fits all approach has been devastating for families and small businesses across central Illinois,” said Murphy. “However, the timetable for implementation in different regions, the ability of informed local officials to be a part of the decision-making process, and the vagueness of requirements leave too many unanswered questions. Saying it will be a regional approach is one thing, but if the decisions are still being made by someone from outside our region with limited local consultation, then we still risk being the victim of a one size fits all cure that does more harm than the virus itself.”
* Senate GOP Leader Bill Brady…
Ensuring the public’s health remains our top priority, and any loss of life as a result of this deadly disease is a tragedy. While it is important to have a plan that gives us hope, we need to look at it in greater detail. However, the question of why Illinois needs to maintain a 28-day window before moving between phases, as opposed to the 14-day recommendation of Dr. Fauci, which is what states like New York are using in their reopening plans, needs to be answered.
* This is all I’ve seen from the HGOP…
Nothing at all from Speaker Madigan.
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Rep. Buckner’s mask story
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The governor was asked about Rep. Kam Buckner’s tweet thread today and I should’ve posted it earlier. Via @ThreadReaderApp…
The revelation of reality sometimes stings in the most unassuming ways. Last Friday, @GovPritzker’s Exec Order requiring facemasks for those who venture outside went into effect. This EO was the right thing to do to protect Illinoisians in the face of this deadly virus.
It is a responsible move that will save lives and those who are using it as a reason to “stick it to the establishment” or start a contrived fight over “personal freedom,” are misguided and out of line. This includes @VP Pence.
Yesterday, however, the mask reminded of the gratuitous & unwanted attn given to those of us of a certain demographic while engaging in normal social acts and how quickly the objective can turn into the subjective based on implicit bias and prejudice
I went to a store to purchase some items. I wore what I think many people would wear to the store on a Sun. (when there is no church): a hoodie, sweatpants & gym shoes. I also had on my facemask & gloves per the Order (I was dressed like many of the other shoppers I saw).
When exiting the store I was approached by a uniformed officer who questioned the items in my cart. I explained to him I had just purchased them from the store he saw me walk out of. He asked to see my receipt, which was deep in my pocket. As I looked for it, he waited
After 30 seconds or so, I found it and gave it to him. He barely glanced at it and then asked for my ID. I complied. He walked to his car and was in it for a couple of minutes and returned both the ID and my receipt.
When I asked why he approached me in the 1st place, his response was: “People are using the coronavirus to do bad things. I couldn’t see your face, man. You looked like you were up to something.” Which begs the question, what does someone who is up to something look like?
As scores of masked people walked in and out without encumbrance I was reminded of the reality that I have been programmed to show as much of my face as possible and use certain cues to disarm anyone who might have a learned inclination to be suspicious of my very presence.
Yrs before the murder of Trayvon Martin, experience dictated to me the dangers that may wait to assail me for simply having my hood up. Because I guess that’s what someone who is “up to something” looks like.
When I was a teenager, a mentor, in one of a series of “talks” that are given to black boys on how to maneuver a society that often looks at you as a threat first, told me to “dress like a prospect and not a suspect,” in order to avoid situations like this.
I am a 6′4′’ black male from the Southside of Chicago & when not in a suit, I’m likely in a hoodie, jeans & Jordans. & depending on the time of year, a myriad of tattoos may be visible. I am keenly aware of not looking like I am “up to something,” but should I have to be?
I can’t help, but think about whether or not my friends of different races ever got the “prospect not suspect” talk. How many of them needed it for their survival? I think I know the answer. I’ve struggled with whether or not to say something about this publicly.
It’s been heavy on my heart. Not because it’s novel. It’s not. It has happened to me before & will probably happen again. Not because I am indignant that my law degree or being a State Legislator didn’t absolve me from this type of interaction. I never expect that it will.
It bothers me most because I can’t help but think of the dangers that are inherent for a number of black men who are just adhering to the mask rule and by doing so, look like they are “up to something.” This is not in the least bit an absolute indictment on any group.
It is an indictment on the whole of society for creating a climate where this is normal and this is ok. Where @HenryLouisGates gets arrested for entering his own home. I’ve said it before & I am sure I will have to say this again as this virus shines an uncomfortable light.
COVID will not break us. It will only reveal to us what is already broken. There’s a lot to be fixed.
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* Let’s talk about this first of the four regions. Do you see any of them, can you look ahead and Dr Zika and think that any of those four regions on May 29 might be moving to phase three?…
Remember this is a data driven and science driven plan, and so everybody will be able to watch, it’s hard for me to just pick out a region and say, what will happen in the future. There have been a lot of things that have happened that no one expected, so it’s hard for me to point at a region and say this one might go first. But I think that people will be able to follow it every single day going on the IDPH website, they’ll be able to see what the metrics are and whether they’re meeting those metrics.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* I thought we were already having gatherings of 10, why is it phase three that it’s only 10?…
We have actually have not we have essential gatherings of 10 that are available now things that fit in that essential category, but in the next phase it would be any gathering of 10 that people want to have.
* And then phase four is 50, not exactly a huge crowd either…
Again I’ll remind you, the virus is still out there and if maybe things will change. Maybe we will have a very successful treatment to offer to people and therefore we’ll be able to change the guidance for that phase. But as for now that’s what we see going forward.
* But to go from 50 to then everything’s open with phase five is a huge leap…
It is but remember that the gate for getting to phase five is that there’s a vaccine, or a highly effective treatment or that by virtue of herd immunity there just aren’t any new cases coming up.
* So schools, are you saying schools should not open until phase five?…
No, no schools can open in phase four, but again things going forward, Maryann will look different. There’s no doubt about it I mean already as you are walking the streets, you can see people are wearing face coverings. They will still need to do that in phase three, they’ll still need to do that in phase four if there’s no effective treatment that’s available, because people will still have the ability to get sick.
* It doesn’t sound important, obviously with so much going on and so many lives loss but when you say conventions festivals, let’s just say the word Lollapalooza so that folks who asked, you’re saying no way…
I’m saying that if you follow the data and you’ll look at how fast things could happen. I mean, like I said, if there is an effective treatment that comes out, and people can see that really you won’t get that sick if you get COVID-19, then I think, you know, all bets are off, you know you could, things could get worse.
* Let’s be honest, I mean we’re in May right now and that’s, July, August, that’s not going to happen…
I think people will make their own projections going forward about the likelihood of it. I’m hopeful, I must say when I see things like remdesivir getting approved and it having some effect for people who get sick, not you know not dying and you know being able to recover. That’s just one of 70 treatments that’s being examined right now and under trials. So I have some real hope that one of those or several of those will become available widely.
* We went from such few deaths the last couple of days, and still every single death is important. I’m not trying to minimalize, but to go to 176 is so many overnight are is every single one of those Dr. Ezike, are they all COVID… How are they classified because some are questioning truly are they all COVID related?…
Can I just answer it just the first part and then I’ll turn it over to the doctor, which is that one thing I think people should note is they should really look at a multi day average because, as you saw, we had 46 one day, and 170 to another and I even said yesterday, I think, in answer to a question from David McKinney, that you can’t look at one day’s results, and think that you know what direction things are going. And so you really need to look at a multi day average but I’d be happy to turn it over to Dr Ezike about the validity of whether somebody is considered COVID-19.
Dr. Ezike: No, everyone that is listed did have a test that was positive for COVID-19 so it’s not assumptions or guess there was a positive COVID test to confirm that that person had proven.
* Elizabeth Matthews at fox 32, again about masks, I do see facilities are being asked to bring in their own masks from home, even homemade masks at the Taylorville Correctional Center. Our inmates are getting face masks once a week, but not the staff. Is that what is being instructed from the state?…
Oh no that’s not being instructed, I don’t know why that would be I’ll certainly look into it, but I can tell you that we are providing PPE to every facility, Taylorville and every other facility that we control as a state to make sure that we’re protecting people who are either staff members at those facilities or residents.
* Several people have asked me about the Chicago Tribune article about a mutant more contagious coronavirus. Have either of you heard about this, is it possible that it’s a threat here in Illinois?…
Dr. Ezike: I’m not sure I’ve read the exact article that you’re referring to, but in my discussions with [garbled] I do understand that there are two very presentations that they’re seeing of this virus, so whether that’s different strains but there’s a much more lethal strain that’s harder to deal with on the ventilator they’re seeing. Just a more aggressive progressive illness that again the settings as they tried to adjust the settings on the ventilator they just can’t get the right ,settings to be able to help appropriately oxygenate these people and deal with the acute respiratory distress syndrome. And then we see others that don’t have that more malignant course and so I don’t know if that’s what you’re referring to, but I definitely have heard that described that this H variant and this L variant and so I know there’s some articles that have come out about that and I think that is that is well described in both the literature and what I’ve heard from clinicians, here in Illinois.
* Some businesses are already quietly opening with under 10 people and socially distancing, what kind of action might the state take against those businesses?…
Again what we’ve asked is local law enforcement, other officials at a local level should remind people that they can have their permits, their licenses removed from them for opening. There is action that the state can take and enforcement but we’re trying not to, we’re looking to ask people in their local communities to remind the folks who are going against the order that they’re putting other people at risk. And of course I think most people, as we know most people in Illinois are doing the right thing, and they won’t be patronizing those stores, knowing that they may be spreading the virus.
* Any reaction to President Trump last night speaking about cities and states that are run by Democrats, that the democrats in blue states are implying that they are the only ones asking for a bailout? Does Illinois need a bailout from the federal government, police, fire and teachers?…
It’s just so sad that the President has made this political. The fact is that every state, and I talked to Republican governors and Democratic governors, you can imagine what’s happened, in every state revenues have fallen off a cliff right because of stay at home orders or because people don’t want to go out those states that are dependent upon sales taxes alone and no income taxes. They’ve gone, you know, really truly into the deep end of the well. And then income taxes as you know in Illinois, we had to postpone collecting income taxes here, and did so because the federal government postponed federal income taxes until July. So everybody’s got this problem, it’s not a Democratic or Republican problem who are looking for more help from the federal government and we’re gonna get through this. Indeed, I was on a call with Governor Hogan, the Republican governor of Maryland, as well as many other governors with the White House, and we all were expressing the same thing which is, we’re all going to need help in this next package of relief, because remember states are providing states and local governments are providing the supports that people need. We’re the ones who are keeping the police on the streets were the ones who are, making sure that firefighters are available. We’re the ones who are providing the healthcare supports that people need when they’re having trouble with COVID-19 recovering from COVID-19, or just need to isolate because someone in their household may have COVID-19. And so we’re going to need help to make sure that we’re able to do all of those things. And going forward, this is not ending as you know this virus is still out there. And until we see a vaccine or a serious treatment, this is something that the states are going to be dealing with it is extraordinarily expensive.
What we’re looking for though is support for the lost revenues that all the states have experienced. Nothing more, nothing less. It would not go to serve to help pay the pension problems, they know that is not what I’m seeking.
* State Representative Kam Buckner, perhaps you’ve seen on Twitter, his profile, the story of what it was like for him shopping with a mask, when he left asked for ID. Question made you feel as if perhaps he was not there honorably. What do you think of that?…
Yeah, I’m saddened by it I read the tweets and truth truly I think this is happening.
And it’s something that we’re looking into. We obviously believe that there is discriminatory behavior taking place here, so we’re going to make sure that we try to address it.
* Greg Bishop wants to know as the legislature appears to be gearing up, outside of the budget and addressing laws with sunsets, what else should the legislature accomplish this year?…
You know, I can tell you that it will be at least before, my guess is before May, that there’ll be a relatively limited number of things that can get accomplished, just by virtue of how difficult it is to get all of those people together in one place and then to ask people to stay overnight, where they may need hotel rooms or something else. And this is a big state and representatives come from all over the state hours away. So it may be very difficult to do a lot during the month of May, and certainly while we’re in the stay at home order and need to remain in this order.
But you know there are things being talked about. A question was asked yesterday about the Chicago casino bill and whether that could get passed. There you have to prioritize all these things a budget certainly is a priority high priority. So I would suggest that we start with the highest priority and work our way down.
* Are the nurses hired from McCormick Place being reassigned to nursing homes?…
Dr. Ezike: We are in fact providing some healthcare personnel to a variety of locations where there is a staffing problem. You understand that, that when people are tested positive, staff at a facility are tested positive, perhaps multiple of them, they need to isolate and there aren’t a lot of healthcare personnel available these days, because everybody is dealing with this crisis. Every healthcare person, or every member of the healthcare profession, even those who are retired have come back into it and still there is a bit of a shortage here so we are providing wherever we can some help to these facilities.
* How do we know this long plateau that we seem to be experiencing is not in fact, a baseline level of infection, until there’s a vaccine, or stronger mitigation?…
What I can say is that we’ve seen a directionally significant reduction in the R naught, you’ve heard us talk about that. We’ve seen directionally that coming down to a plateau in other places has led to a drop off on the proper side of the curve. And so we anticipate that this is not much different than that.
* How can a school with more than 50 students open safely in phase four? I’m assuming you’re saying that schools don’t have to abide by the 50 right?…
There would be strict IDPH guidelines for schools and we talked about this early on when we were trying to figure out if we needed to close schools or not, that, could you have classrooms of [garbled] kids meeting, if the restriction was 50 for example. And would that work and so the answer is IDPH is going to be working with schools on how they can best do this coming into the fall assuming that we’re in phase four.
* With the four regions, coming back to this news today, that you’ve identified Chicago and Cook County alone have by far the majority of the cases. How is it fair to a group, let’s say McHenry County with only 800 cases into that region when neighboring Winnebago county and Rockford had a close, 680, are these four regions set in stone? Are you willing to look on a closer county level?…
[This was done] many many many years ago as part of the IDPH plan for emergency medical services. That’s why they’re in the regions that they’re in. I know that someone living on the border of a county that might be in another region might have a differing opinion, but this is the way that the IDPH and public health professionals look at the state, because it’s really about hospital bed availability and the ability for us to manage a surge, if there are a surge of cases.
* Illinois base revenues in April fell $2.6 billion below last year. COGFA says it will put out revised estimates soon for FY 20 and 21. When will we see specific plans from the administration for adjusting this year’s and next year’s budgets?…
We’re again talking to members of the General Assembly, working together with them, I know they have plans, thinking about getting together in May. And so my hope is that we’ll be able to work together on a budget for the year. This is clearly the most unusual budget that anybody will have ever seen because, who has ever seen at least in our lifetimes. The drop off of revenue, because of a pandemic. And so there’s no doubt there’s going to have to be a lot of collaboration, even across the aisle to get things done.
* Where do things stand with your commitment to coordinate reopening with other Midwest governors, have you been meeting what will this coordination look like what areas are you focused on?…
Well, again, the coordination is a sharing of best ideas and a common set of of principles that we’re all operating on, that we don’t want to lift restrictions too fast and have a overwhelming of our hospitals, and so on, all the things that we’re talking about and you can see those reflected in the plans that other Midwestern governors have put out.
* Can you please explain in detail the testing and hospitalization thresholds to move from phase two, to phase three and then phase three phase four?…
I would just direct you to that there’s a plan that we put out and sent out to all the members of the media. If you don’t have it certainly our press secretary will send it to you. But that’s got the details in it.
Click here for that detailed plan.
* As regions of the state reopen if some are progressing through the phases in your plan more quickly than others, how do you address people moving between the different regions, would you implement restrictions to prevent infections between regions?…
We’re not restricting travel here. But this is an opportunity for people to start to move toward more normalcy, and certainly you know we want the entire state to enjoy more normalcy. And it’s just a matter of making sure that people who live in certain regions have access to health care, and that those hospitals are not overwhelmed.
* What are the state’s plans for operating nursing homes if workers follow through on their plans to start striking on Friday, has your administration talked to the owners who will ensure the residents care continues?…
We certainly have encouraged both sides to reach an agreement. I think there’s a desire on the part of both sides to reach an agreement. But, you know, but I wouldn’t put a plan out there. I think that they know that they must reach an agreement to make sure we’re taking care of our seniors.
* The Franklin Williamson bi-county health department has asked IDPH about enforcement guidance after West Frankfort Mayor Tom Jordan gave the go ahead to all city businesses to reopen. What guidance if any is IDPH offering?…
Dr. Ezike: So again, I have talked to local health department leaders, my local health department partners, they’re not they’re not law enforcement. We are trying to advocate the best things for overall the public’s health. I don’t want to put people in harm’s way by instigating altercations. I know that there is law enforcement that hopefully is supporting this order. supporting the measures and is going to be able to encourage people. It’s not anybody’s goal to round up people and put them in jail right. We don’t want to put somebody in a congregate setting to start with. So let’s just work together. We’re looking for people to take responsibility and do the right thing. We’re not looking to create a police state where we’re marching around and trying to put people in jail. We want to protect people’s health and we want everyone to help us do that and I hope that we can all understand why these things are in place so that we can affect the best possible outcome for the people of Illinois.
Gov. Pritzker: And I would just point out that elected officials who are encouraging people to gather to break these rules are in fact encouraging people to get sick. That’s what’s going to happen if you tell the people of your city, of your township, of your county to just go out and ignore these orders. These are doctors who are issuing these who are suggesting these things this is science and data. And I guess if you don’t believe in science and data and you’re an elected official, you’re not doing the public service that you ought to be doing for the people that elected you.
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*** UPDATE *** Click here to read the full plan in its entirety.
* Press release…
Building on data, science, and guidance from public health experts and after consulting with stakeholders across the state, Governor JB Pritzker announced Restore Illinois, a five-phase plan focused on saving lives, livelihood, and safely reopening Illinois.
“”We have to figure out how to live with COVID-19 until it can be vanquished – and to do so in a way that best supports our residents’ health and our healthcare systems, and saves the most lives,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Restore Illinois is a public health plan to safely reintroduce the parts of our lives that have been put on hold in our fight against COVID-19. This is also a data-driven plan that operates on a region-by-region basis, a recognition that reality on the ground looks different in different areas of our state.”
The five-phase plan is guided by public health metrics designed to provide a framework for reopening businesses, education, and recreational activities in each phase. This initial plan can and will be updated as research and science develop and as the potential for effective treatments or vaccines is realized.
The five-phase plan is based on regional healthcare availability and recognizes the distinct impact COVID-19 has had on different regions of our state as well as regional variations in hospital capacity. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has 11 Emergency Medical Services Regions that have traditionally guided its statewide public health work. For the purposes of Restore Illinois, from those 11, four health regions are established, each with the ability to independently move through a phased approach: Northeast Illinois; North-Central Illinois; Central Illinois; and Southern Illinois.
The five phases of reopening for each health region are as follows:
Phase 1 – Rapid Spread: The rate of infection among those tested and the number of patients admitted to the hospital is high or rapidly increasing. Strict stay at home and social distancing guidelines are put in place and only essential businesses remain open. Every region has experienced this phase once already and could return to it if mitigation efforts are unsuccessful.
Phase 2 – Flattening: The rate of infection among those tested and the number of patients admitted to the hospital beds and ICU beds increases at an ever slower rate, moving toward a flat and even a downward trajectory. Non-essential retail stores reopen for curb-side pickup and delivery. Illinoisans are directed to wear a face covering when outside the home, and can begin enjoying additional outdoor activities like golf, boating and fishing while practicing social distancing. To varying degrees, every region is experiencing flattening as of early May.
Phase 3 – Recovery: The rate of infection among those tested, the number of patients admitted to the hospital, and the number of patients needing ICU beds is stable or declining. Manufacturing, offices, retail, barbershops and salons can reopen to the public with capacity and other limits and safety precautions. All gatherings limited to 10 or fewer people are allowed. Face coverings and social distancing are the norm.
Phase 4 – Revitalization: The rate of infection among those tested and the number of patients admitted to the hospital continues to decline. All gatherings of up to 50 people are allowed, restaurants and bars reopen, travel resumes, child care and schools reopen under guidance from the IDPH. Face coverings and social distancing are the norm.
Phase 5 – Illinois Restored: With a vaccine or highly effective treatment widely available or the elimination of any new cases over a sustained period, the economy fully reopens with safety precautions continuing. Conventions, festivals and large events are permitted, and all businesses, schools, and places of recreation can open with new safety guidance and procedures in place reflecting the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Until COVID-19 is defeated, Restore Illinois recognizes that as health metrics tell us it is safe to move forward, health metrics may also tell us to return to a prior phase. With a vaccine or treatment not yet available, IDPH will be closely monitoring key metrics to immediately identify new growth in cases and hospitalizations to determine whether a return to a prior phase is needed.
As millions of Illinoisans continue working together by staying at home and following experts’ recommendations, the result has been a lower infection rate, lower hospitalizations, and lower number of fatalities than without these measures. As the state’s curve begins to flatten, the risk of spread remains, and modeling and data point to a rapid surge in new cases if all mitigation measures are immediately lifted. The governor and his administration continue to urge all Illinois residents to follow the state’s stay at home order and to follow the guidance issued by the state and public health experts.
Click here or on the image discussing the phases if you’re having trouble seeing the pic.
Discuss.
…Adding… I’ve asked what this “continues to decline” stuff means. For how long must these rates decline?
*** UPDATE 1 *** I’m told a multi-page plan is about to be sent out, so we’ll get the answer to that question I posed soon, apparently.
Pritzker clarified that Phase One ended on April 30. Phase 2 is where the state is right now.
*** UPDATE 2 *** The governor is going into more detail today…
IDPH will watch the identified health metrics closely to determine when regions have attained them so each can move from phase two, to phases three and four. And more specifically those metrics are:
First, a region must be at or under a 20% test positivity rate and increasing by no more than 10 percentage points over a 14 day period, and a region must have either not had an overall increase or must have maintained overall stability in hospital admissions for COVID like illness in the last 28 days, and a region must maintain the availability of a surge threshold of 14% availability of ICU beds of medical and surgery beds and ventilators.
Because May 1 marked the beginning of phase two in which we loosened and modified a number of mitigations, that is the first day for the 14 and 28 day measurement periods to begin, meaning that the earliest that a region can move to phase three is May 29.
Changes to mitigation strategies in each phase will impact the data in each phase. So the assessment period begins when each new phase begins. IDPH will be tracking each of the four regions on these metrics, and we’ll make that available data available online to you every day, so that the public can track it to. Importantly, just as public health indicators will tell us when to move forward at any time. They could also signal that we need to move backward. IDPH will be tracking metrics here as well, moving backward is honestly the last thing that anyone wants to do. But if the virus begins to attack more people or the healthcare systems are heading toward becoming overwhelmed in any region swift action will need to be taken.
We have named phase four “revitalization” because it is in this phase that everyone in Illinois will be rebuilding what school and work will look like for a while, until we reach the other side of this pandemic.
The only way that we can cross into phase five “Illinois restored,” with all the sectors of the economy running with completely normal operations is with a vaccine, or a widely available and highly effective treatment or with the elimination of any new cases over a sustained period of time.
It brings me no joy to say this, but based on what the experts tell us, and everything we know about this virus and how easily it spreads in a crowd, large conventions festivals and other major events will be on hold until we reach phase five.
* More from the governor…
I spent decades in business, so I understand the urge to try and flip the switch and reopen our entire economy. Here’s the problem: that switch simply does not exist with a virus that can’t currently be eliminated by medical science. And I won’t open the door to overwhelming our hospital system and possibly 10s of thousands of additional deaths by exposing everyone to the virus today just because a loud but tiny minority would like to indulge in that fantasy.
On that note, I do want to touch on the enforcement of these phases at the state level. We don’t have the capacity or the desire to police the individual behavior of 12.7 million people. Enforcement comes in many forms. And our first and best option is to rely on Illinoisans working together to see each other through this pandemic. But we are also working with local law enforcement, and I’ve asked for their assistance to monitor for violations and consider taking actions when necessary, but that is not the option that anyone prefers.
It’s important to remember that we put this plan together not only because the state needs a plan, but because mayors need a plan, because small business people need a plan, workers need a plan every day Illinoisans need a plan. But this plan as vetted and data driven as it is, is a plan for responding to and recovering from a global pandemic in the 21st century, there is no modern day precedent for this. We are quite literally writing the playbook as we go. The scientists learn more about this virus every day. And we can, we will make our restore Illinois plan, smarter, as we move forward. I’m not afraid to redesign the playbook if the rules change.
He then went on to give a pep talk to the state.
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2,122 new cases, 176 additional deaths
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
[Headline was fixed. Sorry!]
* Dr. Ezike at today’s briefing…
To date, we have run a total of 346,286 tests for COVID-19, with 13,139 being reported in the last 24 hours.
Today we are reporting an additional 2122 new cases of COVID-19 here in Illinois, for a total of 65,962 cases. Unfortunately I’m also reporting the largest number of fatalities reported in a single 24 hour period with 176 deaths which brings us to a total of 2838 lives lost in Illinois associated with COVID-19.
Regarding hospitalizations, in the hospitals throughout the state we have 4780 people who were reported to be in the hospital, of those 1266 patients were in the intensive care unit. And of those Intensive Care Unit patients 780 were on ventilators.
On the recovery front, cases who responded to our survey continue to report recovery from this deadly virus. 47% of those surveyed within 14 days from their positive test report illness recovering. 74% of individual surveyed 28 days after their positive test, no longer experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and are reporting recovering.
* Press release…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced 2,122 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 176 additional deaths.
Bureau County: 1 male 90s
Clinton County: 2 female 80s
Cook County: 1 female 30s, 1 female 40s, 4 males 40s, 3 females 50s, 6 males 50s, 8 females 60s, 20 males 60s, 5 females 70s, 17 males 70s, 18 females 80s, 15 males 80s, 11 females 90s, 8 males 90s
DuPage County: 2 males 50s, 2 males 60s, 2 males 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 4 females 90s
Kane County: 1 male 40s, 2 males 50s, 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
Kankakee County: 1 female 90s
Kendall County: 3 females 80s
Lake County: 1 male 40s, 1 male 90s
Macoupin County: 1 female 40s
Madison County: 1 female 80s
McDonough County: 1 female 90s
McHenry County: 2 females 90s
Randolph County: 1 male 60s
Rock Island County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 60s, 1 male 90s
Sangamon County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s
St. Clair County: 1 male 60s, 2 males 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s
Union County: 1 male 80s
Will County: 2 females 70s, 3 females 80s, 5 females 90s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 65,962 cases, including 2,838 deaths, in 97 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have processed 346,286 specimens for a total of 13,139.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Oscar got his first haircut today since I don’t know when. The poor fella’s hair was matted, so off it went…
* The Question: Wellness check! How are you holding up?
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* I missed this story last week, but saw it in Hannah Meisel’s roundup today. Here’s Andrew Maloney at the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin…
Schiff Hardin received $591,857.95 for investigating sexual harassment complaints in House Speaker Michael J. Madigan’s office. Madigan hired Schiff partner Margaret “Maggie” A. Hickey, a former federal prosecutor and state executive inspector general, to audit the speaker’s office’s handling of complaints about bullying and harassment by Madigan’s former chief of staff and others.
The contract, worth $625,738 during fiscal 2019, extended to complaints made to and against other House Democrats and included an “overall review of the procedures of the Office of the Speaker for handling such complaints” as well as providing for “advice and counsel” on the subject. Hickey was hired in June 2018 and released a 200-page report in August 2019, substantiating claims of bullying and inappropriate comments against ex-staffer Tim Mapes.
“During this investigation, Ms. Hickey interviewed more than 100 people, including current and former [s]peaker’s [o]ffice workers, legislators and others involved in Illinois politics and the Capitol workplace. Specifically, Ms. Hickey interviewed more than 80 current or former members of the [s]peaker’s [o]ffice — including workers on the [s]peaker’s [s]taff and in the Office of the Clerk of the House — and more than 12 representatives from the Democratic [c]aucus,” the executive summary stated.
“Ms. Hickey and the Schiff Hardin team also reviewed thousands of documents, including personnel files, emails, text messages and legislative transcripts and journals.”
Linda Yun, a Schiff Hardin spokesperson, said in an emailed statement, “As of today, March 18, we have billed the Office of the Speaker approximately $606,000 for work performed under the contract effective July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019. Maggie Hickey has demonstrated tremendous leadership since joining Schiff Hardin as a partner two years ago, and her work continues to enhance our national white collar defense and investigations practice.”
Her report, released last August, is here.
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* Roll Call…
Most of the 10 most vulnerable House members are still Democrats, who are defending their majority. But with six months until Election Day, two Republicans join the list. […]
Republican newcomers include Illinois’ Rodney Davis, who clung to his seat during the 2018 Democratic wave and faces the same, well-funded opponent this year. […]
Davis held on by the slimmest of margins during the 2018 wave that swept Democrats into the majority, so he’s no stranger to tough races that attract a lot of outside money. His bid for a fifth term once again finds him up against Betsy Dirksen Londrigan and offers Democrats one of their few opportunities to oust a Republican. The race will be hotly contested, with health care taking a prominent role in the messaging. Dirksen Londrigan had a slight fundraising advantage with $1.6 million on hand on March 31 to Davis’ $1.5 million.
* Rodney Davis fundraising email…
***Urgent: Please read!***
Friend,
Today, Rodney Davis’ seat was listed as a “Top 10 Most Vulnerable” and Democrats are circling the wagons saying that they expect to flip it in November.
Our opponent Betsy “Leftwing” Londrigan wants to win here. If elected, she would be a key ally for Nancy Pelosi and the far Left. We can’t allow this to happen.
We wouldn’t be calling on you if this wasn’t urgent. Londrigan is using the Pelosi’s campaign arm, the DCCC, and its digital fundraising machine to outraise us by bringing even more national attention to this race.
Our team knows that nobody will fight for Downstate Illinois more than Rodney. Even during these unprecedented times, he is working across the aisle to make sure that Illinois has the resources it needs to help its citizens get through this pandemic.
Meanwhile…. Nancy Pelosi is eating ice cream in her kitchen and pushing a partisan, far Left agenda that is stalling much needed action in Congress.
It couldn’t be any more clear who the problem is. The far Left would rather watch America suffer than work with President Trump and GOP leadership to do what’s right.
Our opponent has already been endorsed by the far Left in D.C. and if she were to win this seat, it would mean that Nancy Pelosi would have another vote in her hands.
We need your help in this fight, Friend. Can you rush in $25, $15, $10, $5, or even just $1 to help us fight back against the unlimited resources of the far Left?
Rush in $45 to help Rodney Davis fight back! >>>>
Rush in $25 to help Rodney Davis fight back! >>>
Rush in $15 to help Rodney Davis fight back! >>>
Rush in $10 to help Rodney Davis fight back! >>>
Rush in $5 to help Rodney Davis fight back! >>>
Rush in Another Amount to help Rodney Davis fight back! >>>
Thank you,
Team Rodney
Downstate Illinois is the #1 target for Democrats this year, can we count on you to rush in $15, $10, $5, or even $1, to help Rodney win this race?
Donate Today!
P.S. Make sure you are following the CDC’s guidelines to protect yourself from Coronavirus!
* Betsy Dirksen Londrigan fundraising email…
We know that so many in our community have been impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19. We greatly appreciate you being a part of this incredible team, and please only consider contributing to our campaign if you are able to do so. Stay safe and healthy!
Richard — We have HUGE breaking news to share: Roll Call just named Rodney Davis one of the top 10 most vulnerable members of Congress and IL-13 the one seat in the entire country most likely to flip from Republican to Democrat in 2020.
Flip IL-13 blue
In 2018, Betsy came within less than one point of beating Rodney Davis and her rematch this November is poised to be just as close. Roll Call is calling our race one of Democrats’ “few opportunities to oust a Republican.”
Bottom Line: Protecting and expanding our Democratic House majority starts right here in Central Illinois.
With Rodney Davis now being named one of the most vulnerable members of Congress and a pure toss-up race by several election forecasters, Washington Republicans and their corporate and special-interests backers will amp up their efforts to protect Rodney Davis — and we need to be ready, Richard.
We’ve relied on this grassroots team every step of the way to ensure we have the resources we need to flip IL-13 blue. Will you step up with a contribution of $3 or more to help us raise $5,000 by midnight so we can build on this incredible momentum?
* DCCC…
“It’s no surprise that Congressman Davis ranks high on the list of ‘most vulnerable’ incumbents,” said DCCC Spokesperson Courtney Rice. “Between Davis’ continued attacks on Central Illinoisans’ health care and his record of putting special interests first, come November, Rodney Davis will find himself on a one-way, first-class flight back to Illinois.”
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* The Illinois Retail Merchants Association is receiving regular updates from its members about the issues around the new face-covering requirement in the governor’s revised executive order. I asked them to send me a roundup. Here it is…
DeKalb - Consumer Wearing Hunting Knife Refuses to Wear Mask
Have had 3 or 4 customer issues about asking them to wear a mask. One was somewhat disturbing. Very large man about 6 foot 6 with what I believe was a hunting knife told me that he would not wear a mask and we can’t legally ask him to put one on and he was going to shop in the store and asked how I was going to enforce it.
DeKalb—Employee is Assaulted
ASD politely reminded a male customer who was not wearing face protection of the Governor’s facial covering order. The male customer became agitated as customers near the area made inappropriate comments towards the male customer. The male customer then caused a disturbance in the store, stating that he is a disabled veteran and that he does not need to follow the Governor’s order. An associate who overheard the male customer yelling walked into the aisle where the male customer was standing, the male customer then took the glasses off of the face of our associate and threw them to the floor, knocked over a display and threw a cantaloupe bowl in the direction of another associate. The male customer then exited the store.
Peoria—Law Enforcement Officer in Uniform Refuses to Wear Mask
A police officer visited the grocery store without a mask. Several customers and the store manager challenged him on it. The officer told them he was making a political protest. The manager asked him to leave which he ultimately did but how do you get enforcement help when the police aren’t abiding?
Romeoville #1—Customer Threatened to Get a Gun
A customer was asked to wear a mask/face covering by an AP associate who was monitoring the door and the customer became irate. The customer then threatened to go to his car and get his gun and shoot the associate.
To make matters worse…
Romeoville #2—Mayor Advised Law Enforcement to Arrest Retail Workers Not Enforcing Mask Requirement
The Romeoville Mayor sent a police officer to let me know that going forward, we must refuse any individuals at the front doors that are not wearing a mask. If not, the store manager in charge will be arrested for reckless endangerment. He did not have any documentation of the sudden change.
Champaign—Law enforcement refuses to respond to mask calls.
Carbondale—Employees Threatened
I want to share with you the issues we are having at our Carbondale store around the face covering mandate. This is putting our Teammates and Customers in harm’s way. We have already had several issues at this location as we attempt to enforce this. The issues arise not only between Customers and our Teammates but also between Customers. The public is on edge and even a passive approach has sent several Customer’s over the edge to a point they are shouting at our Teammates. Our Teammates fear for their safety. When someone refuses to comply, we have had complying Customer’s verbally attack the non-compliance Customer. We should not be the police or enforcers. My fear is that these instances will escalate into a situation where someone will get hurt.
Bloomington, Champaign, Urbana, Springfield, Pekin and Peoria—No enforcement.
No enforcement will take place without stores placing a no trespass order on a customer.
Woodstock—Customers Verbally Abused Employees
Thru the first day and a half we have had approximately 10 customers who were verbally confrontational. I have not heard of or seen any police presence regarding the matter either.
Carbondale - Consumer Fights
We just had two customers getting into an altercation at my self-checkouts over why one guy had to wear a mask and the other did not. The younger gentleman walked up to the self-checkout attendant and asked her why the older gentleman was in the store without a mask. The older gentleman turned around from his self-checkout and said I will tell you why. The younger man said get out of my face and then it got heated. In the end the younger gentleman wearing a mask threw his items at the self-checkout attendant.
Fairview Heights - Miscellaneous Incidents
Following up on mask incident(s) this morning. We have had a number of customers not wearing face coverings, and when our greeter mentions the governor’s mandate they have been cussed, flipped the bird and insulted. The most egregious was a man who got out his phone and started taking pictures and video of our greeter, then confronted our exit person. I went out to change our sidewalk sign which had just arrived, and he was still outside taking video and accused us of denying him food.
IRMA is not asking for a total repeal of the requirement, but it’s clearly concerned with the facts on the ground.
* Related…
* The vital importance of wearing masks: For example, in Hong Kong, only four confirmed deaths due to COVID-19 have been recorded since the beginning of the pandemic, despite high density, mass transportation, and proximity to Wuhan. Hong Kong’s health authorities credit their citizens’ near-universal mask-wearing as a key factor (surveys show almost 100 percent voluntary compliance).
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Demand For Dialysis Soars Due To COVID-19
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The Illinois Kidney Care Alliance (IKCA) consists of health advocates and professionals, community and patient groups, health providers and businesses focused on raising awareness about those who suffer from kidney disease.
As hospitals prepared to care for patients with COVID-19, another unanticipated medical complication has emerged — kidney failure. Approximately 20-40% of those most severely ill due to COVID-19 have developed acute kidney injury.
IKCA advocates for those who suffer from kidney failure and their families. Patients currently on life-sustaining dialysis or waiting for a functioning kidney are among society’s most vulnerable people. IKCA urges dialysis patients to continue their treatment and to adhere to social distancing during these challenging times. For more information, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or visit our website.
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State delays $1.2 billion bond sale
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bloomberg…
Illinois delayed the planned auction of $1.2 billion of short-term debt as it faces record-high penalties to borrow on Wall Street because of the deep financial hit the state is being dealt by the coronavirus shutdown.
The worst-rated state had planned to sell about $1.2 billion of short-term tax-exempt general-obligation debt on Wednesday, its first borrowing during the pandemic, to ease the revenue shortfall in the last two months of the fiscal year. The deal has been moved to “day-to-day status,” meaning it will be sold if market conditions warrant.
With the economic slowdown raising the risk of Illinois having its bonds cut to junk, investors have driven the yields on its two-year debt to nearly 4 percentage points above benchmark, far exceeding every other U.S. state.
The timing of the sale was a little “strange” because there are a lot of short-term unknowns with state finances, said Daniel Solender, head of municipals at Lord Abbett & Co., which owns Illinois debt as part of its $27 billion in municipal assets under management.
“It’s not a complete surprise they delayed it,” he said. “There is the Fed program which hasn’t really been set up yet and states are still waiting on what Congress is going to do.”
This was supposed to be a bridge loan. The state would pay it back within a year.
…Adding… Related…
* County looks at other options besides furloughs: Macon County has just about enough money to last them through the June payroll.
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* As you already know, Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) has withdrawn his request for a TRO against the governor’s executive order. But the governor is pressing ahead with the Illinois Supreme Court…
The Governor maintains his request for supervisory relief under Rule 383, which included a request for a stay of circuit court proceedings. Given the changed circumstances brought about by Bailey’s decision to consent to the vacatur of the TRO he had sought and obtained, the Governor now seeks under Rule 383 resolution of the underlying legal question presented by this case—that is, whether the Governor acted within the scope of his authority under the Illinois Emergency Management Act (“Act”), 20 ILCS 3305/1, et seq., and the Illinois Constitution when he issued disaster proclamations and executive orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic—and a stay of the circuit court proceedings pending resolution of this supplemental motion.
More info about Rule 383 is here.
* Reasoning…
As detailed in the Governor’s April 29 emergency motion, the exercise of supervisory authority is appropriate here because the normal appellate process will not afford sufficient relief and because the resolution of the underlying legal question presented will have a profound effect on the Governor’s response to the public health emergency presently facing Illinois. The dissolution of the TRO, which will prolong the normal appellate review process, only heightens these considerations.
Indeed, the deleterious effects of the circuit court’s order—even though dissolved—will not cease unless and until this Court makes a definitive pronouncement on the scope of the Governor’s authority to protect the health, safety, and welfare of Illinois residents during a global pandemic. As one example, there are already indications that the uncertainty over the lawfulness of the Governor’s emergency actions has caused individuals to stop complying with the stay-at-home directives. Two days after the court entered the TRO, a COVID-19 positive individual living in Bailey’s district visited three stores in violation of the stay-at-home order. And on May 1, 2020, protestors gathered in Chicago and Springfield in violation of the stay-at-home order. Additionally, the initial entry of the TRO has caused litigants to file similar suits seeking relief from the stay-at- home orders. Similar lawsuits will likely follow in Illinois courts, which are already minimizing operations, and lead to a patchwork of conflicting orders when concerted guidance is needed. […]
Moreover, the mootness doctrine does not prevent this Court from reviewing whether the Governor acted within his authority. Courts of review generally will not decide questions that are moot, in the sense that “the issues involved in the trial court no longer exist because intervening events have rendered it impossible for the reviewing court to grant effectual relief.” But a reviewing court may decide issues that are moot under various exceptions to mootness, including the public interest exception, and the exception for issues capable of repetition but evading review. Accordingly, to the extent this Court determines that the underlying question is moot, it is not precluded from reaching the question because both of these exceptions apply here. […]
(T)here is unquestionably a likelihood of future recurrence of the question raised in this case. Bailey agreed to have the TRO vacated, but he did not voluntarily dismiss his case with prejudice. So in this case alone, the question is likely to recur. And, again, other litigation will certainly present the same question. Resolving that question sooner rather than later, after a period of needless uncertainty about whether the Governor’s executive orders are legally authorized, will greatly serve the public interest. […]
Indeed, Bailey, apparently seeking to manipulate the court system to his advantage, has reserved the right to have the same issue decided against the Governor. But he should not be given a veto over where, and when, the courts ultimately decide that issue. Instead, this Court should now take the issue that he first raised (and reserves the right to raise again) and decide it for the benefit of the Governor and all the people of Illinois.
…Adding… Chicago Daily Law Bulletin…
Bailey’s attorney Thomas DeVore said his client intends to file an amended complaint by the end of the week.
His initial complaint argues the governor cannot exercise his emergency powers beyond 30 days, and that the state’s authority to quarantine is delegated to the Illinois Department of Public Health and local health departments.
“I feel their request for the supreme court to intervene under these facts is unprecedented and is an insult to the honorable circuit court,” DeVore, an attorney with Silver Lake Group Ltd. in Greenville, said in an email.
26 Comments
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The consequences of reopening too soon
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WSIL TV…
West Frankfort business owners now have the option of re-opening stores and restaurants. Mayor Tom Jordan says city officials will not fine businesses if they decide to reopen. […]
West Frankfort businesses will have to continue following safety measures, such as social distancing, hand washing, and wearing a facial covering or mask.
Mayor Jordan says several businesses have told him that, although they welcome the choice to reopen, they’re nervous about going through with it.
“The governor has some authority. I mean, the beauty shops are worried about their licenses. The liquor stores are worried they’ll be fined and have their liquor licenses taken.”
As we discussed yesterday, all state licensed businesses better think twice about this.
Also, how do you cut someone’s hair from six feet away?
* The governor talked yesterday about businesses that reopen in defiance of the EO….
Well, I was a businessman before I became governor, and I have to tell you that I would not want to defy the executive order because I believe that I would be taking on liability if I did that. […]
It would not surprise me if insurance companies are found to not be required to cover you when you are defying essentially state law or state executive order.
And, remember, the executive order derives from state law.
* The businesses also need to think about local public health enforcement. I called the Franklin-Williamson Bi-County Health Department today and asked them what they were going to do…
We’ve put in a call to the Illinois Department of Public Health about what they want us to do as far as enforcement and we’re just waiting on a response from them.
I’ve asked the governor’s office for a response. I’ll let you know when I hear back.
34 Comments
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COGFA: “Perfect storm” slams April revenues
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* COGFA…
A combination of COVID-19 impacts, delayed tax filing deadlines, and comparative drop-off due to 2019’s “April Surprise”, all conspired to dramatically derail receipts as base revenues fell $2.740 billion. After managing to avoid much of the virus’ effects on March revenues, as foreshadowed in last month’s briefing, the impact on April’s receipts was unavoidable. In addition, the “tax day” deadline change to July 15th delayed approximately $1.3 billion in final payments into next fiscal year. And finally, the one-time nature of 2019’s “April Surprise” related to a surge in non-wage income taxes and federal sources, exacerbated this month’s comparative decline. April had the same number of receipting days as last fiscal year. […]
Gross personal income taxes fell a whopping $1.977 billion, or $1.678 billion on a net basis, while gross corporate income taxes dropped $482 million, or $377 million net. Again, the decreases were fueled by effects of COVID-19, tax day deadline changes, and the phenomenally strong performance of income taxes in April 2019. Sales taxes, after holding up in March due to receipts in “the pipeline”, couldn’t escape the economic shut down, as gross receipts dropped $143 million, or $146 million net. […]
Overall transfers fell $35 million for the month. Lottery transfers dropped $21 million as ticket purchases were likely impacted by stay at home orders. Other miscellaneous transfers were off $10 million, while no riverboat transfers were recorded as the Gaming Board has suspended casino operations [and video gaming] until further notice. Federal sources suffered a sizable $490 million downturn in April, despite increased Medicaid reimbursement percentages rising 6.2% due to the recently federally passed Families First Act. The decline in federal sources is largely tied to the “April Surprise” of 2019, whereby a voluminous amount of reimbursable spending was made possible due to the one-time surge of income tax receipts.
Personal income tax receipts dropped 48.5 percent below last April. Corporate income tax receipts fell 57 percent. Sales taxes were off 19.6 percent. Lottery receipts fell 29.6 percent.
* Fiscal year to date…
Excluding proceeds from the Treasurer’s Investment program as well as interfund borrowing, after incorporating April’s dramatic falloff of receipts, base general funds revenues have turned negative for the year—dropping $1.001 billion below last year’s levels [when those two items are included, the decline grows to $1.139 billion]. […]
With two months remaining in the fiscal year, gross personal income taxes are now down $1.113 billion, or $913 million net. Gross corporate income taxes are off $377 million, or $273 million net. While gross sales taxes are clinging to a $61 million gain [$102 million net], it is also expected to soon fall into negative territory. The performance of the remaining revenue sources continue mixed, but have experienced a combined $126 million decline.
Aided by gains associated to Refund Fund and Capital Projects Fund transfers, overall transfers to the general funds are still up $404 million. Federal sources, which have experienced wide monthly swings in performance this fiscal year, are now down $195 million.
Fiscal year to date, personal income taxes are down 5.8 percent, corporate income tax receipts are down 15.2 percent and sales taxes are up 0.8 percent (but that’s a lagging indicator because of how the taxes are remitted). Lottery receipts are down 17.2 percent and the state’s casino take is off 15.2 percent.
Income tax proceeds for the Local Government Distributive Fund were down $129 million in April vs. last April. Proceeds are down $75 million fiscal year to date.
* Related…
* $37.2 million in recreational pot sales in April
15 Comments
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House starts slowly bringing back staff
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Subscribers got the full memo yesterday. Here’s Ben Orner at Capitol News Illinois…
The Illinois House is taking the first steps to reopening its Capitol operations during the coronavirus pandemic.
A memo from Jessica Basham, chief of staff to House Speaker Michael Madigan, said that while staff have been working remotely for several weeks “there are certain functions that were not able to be performed while physically absent from the buildings.”
“Starting this week, about 30 staff are being directed to come into the office, with not more than about 10 staff in on a given day,” she wrote. “Most staff members will be in the office 4 hours or less per week, and no one is expected to be in more than 10 hours per week. Social distancing will be maintained at all times, and a cloth face covering will be provided to each employee.”
The Senate has had a skeleton crew operating throughout the recess.
* Meanwhile…
State Rep. Margo McDermed joined her colleagues in a letter asking Gov. JB Pritzker to call a special legislative session to work on opening up the state amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The House members said Pritzker should call the special session if House and Senate leadership “continue to refuse” to allow the Legislature to meet, according to the letter.
* And…
A draft version of guidance [for reconvening the GA] from the Illinois Department of Public Health obtained by the Chicago Tribune suggests attendance at future meetings be limited to state employees. Members of the public, including lobbyists and witnesses, can communicate electronically, with only legislators present for votes.
State police should screen everyone entering for signs of a fever and regularly sanitize all commonly touched surfaces. The guidance also suggests lawmakers 65 and over should consider avoiding traveling to Springfield for the session. Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan is 78.
“The priority is safety for everybody concerned,” Madigan’s spokesperson told the Tribune. “I don’t think there’s anything new as it relates to anything that would approach a timetable.”
Thoughts?
23 Comments
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New, more contagious strain identified
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* LA Times…
Scientists have identified a new strain of the coronavirus that has become dominant worldwide and appears to be more contagious than the versions that spread in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study led by scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The new strain appeared in February in Europe, migrated quickly to the East Coast of the United States and has been the dominant strain across the world since mid-March, the scientists wrote.
In addition to spreading faster, it may make people vulnerable to a second infection after a first bout with the disease, the report warned.
The 33-page report was posted Thursday on BioRxiv, a website that researchers use to share their work before it is peer reviewed, an effort to speed up collaborations with scientists working on COVID-19 vaccines or treatments. That research has been largely based on the genetic sequence of earlier strains and might not be effective against the new one.
Go read the whole thing. The study is here.
50 Comments
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Breen overreacts (of course)
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From yesterday’s media briefing…
* Yesterday the pastor at the church in Lena Illinois had services with dozens of people attending. Will the Illinois State Police enforce the court ruling next weekend or will you request the county do something to enforce that order?…
We have always asked local law enforcement, local officials to enforce these orders. And the best way to do that of course is a reminder to the pastor and to the parishioners that they’re putting themselves and others in danger by holding a service like this. The pastor filed suit, that suit failed. And it’s because people do have the ability to worship, and we’re trying to simply to keep people safe during this time of a global pandemic.
* So will you urge, I’m sorry if I missed it, will you urge local officials both in Chicago, which was going to bring me to my next question, and in any other county that is defying the gathering the stay at home and the gathering order of no more than 10 people. Will you urge authorities to step in and do something more than disperse?…
We’re asking them to disperse, so that’s the most important thing. We just don’t want people getting sick. Nobody, it’s not an intention that people will go to jail. I will say, however, that if people are persistently defiant, they can be put in jail. And I’m not suggesting that that’s the best answer or the first answer, but it is something that’s an option for local law enforcement.
* Rock River Times…
Lawyer for Lena church fires back at J.B. Pritzker over comment about jailing stay-at-home violators
A Chicago lawyer who filed a civil lawsuit against Gov. J.B. Pritzker on behalf of a Lena pastor fired back at the governor Monday, claiming Pritzker threatened churchgoers with jail for defying Illinois’ stay-at-home order.
“Pritzker’s latest threat of jail for people of faith is outrageous, and we will seek immediate relief from the court of appeals to defend our clients,” said Peter Breen, an attorney with the Thomas More Society.
Dude, your client ignored a federal judge’s ruling as well as the executive order.
60 Comments
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Open thread
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Please keep it Illinois-centric and be nice to each other. Thanks…
23 Comments
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