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* Lynn Sweet…
Speaking from his backyard deck in Springfield, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Wednesday that Gov. J.B. Pritzker is calling the CEOs of major airlines to organize an airlift to haul personal protection equipment from China to Illinois.
Durbin also said Pritzker told him about an Illinois company with COVID-19 supplies to sell — yet was “playing hard to get” while seeking a better price from another state for this equipment now referred to in shorthand simply as PPE. […]
In an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Durbin said, “I talk to the governor almost every day and yesterday he said he felt like a shipping clerk. He was calling the major airlines that he knew the CEOs to be available, asking and begging them to help Illinois secure goods from China, PPE from China. […]
Durbin said the Illinois company was profiteering on the disaster and that was “unacceptable.”
* Elena Ferrarin at the Daily Herald…
Work to turn the shuttered Sherman Hospital site in Elgin into a facility for non-acute COVID-19 patients will take place as quickly as possible, officials said.
“We are in a race against time right now to see what we can get done in next three to four weeks as a relief valve for existing hospitals,” U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Col. Aaron Reisinger said Tuesday.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District has been assigned to work on the rehabilitation of three hospital sites, including the one in Elgin and MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island, Reisinger said.
* Cities have the right under the state disaster declaration to restrict access to any geographic area within their boundaries…
Some Chicago police officers Tuesday were assigned to check the identification of anyone who wanted to enter four historically violent West Side blocks in an effort to tamp down gang gatherings.
Under the order, issued by Harrison District Cmdr. Darrell Spencer, only people who live on those blocks would be able to enter them.
Several police officers said they were hesitant to follow those orders out of concern that the directive was not constitutional. […]
“Following 89 dispersal orders in the 11th District on Monday alone, the Department temporarily closed certain streets as part of a strategic and public health effort to disrupt the open-air drug market in the area and prevent excessive gatherings of people,” Guglielmi said in a statement. “During this time, only residents who reside on the streets are permitted to enter while others are directed to alternative routes.”
It’s akin to sealing off areas that have been slammed by a hurricane. Whether it’s wise to do it in this instance is another story.
* Press release…
Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot today joined Governor JB Pritzker to announce a new ‘Arts for Illinois Relief Fund’ to provide financial assistance to artists, artisans and cultural organizations impacted by COVID-19. The fund is a partnership between the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois and the broader philanthropic community. Arts for Illinois Relief Fund is administered by Arts Alliance Illinois in partnership with 3Arts and Arts Work Fund. To date, more than $4M has been committed from public and private sources to seed an upcoming statewide campaign that will provide additional funding to meet the growing and critical needs of the state’s creative sector.
Grant applications for artists, artisans and cultural organizations open today. The City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) has contributed $1 million to the relief effort, along with leadership gifts from Walder Foundation and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Fundraising activities will be co-chaired by First Lady MK Pritzker and First Lady Amy Eshleman, with support from other civic leaders. Individuals, corporations and charitable foundations are encouraged to donate to the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund by visiting www.artsforillinois.org.
* I’ve posted this UFCW press release before…
Local 881 workers must be designated as first responders for the remainder of the COVID-19 crisis. Governors in Minnesota, Michigan, and Vermont have taken this position, which will make retail workers eligible for free childcare, provide coverage for all coronavirus treatments, tests, and medicines if diagnosed or quarantined, and ensure that they have adequate access to PPE.
These minimum benefits come at a pivotal time as our members are working to sustain the food supply when demand is high, and schools are closed. Like the rest of us, grocery store, pharmacy, and food processing workers have children who are no longer attending school and are themselves at risk of getting sick. Everything must be done to ensure they can work and come home safely to their families.
I’ve been asking the governor’s office about it and received a reply yeserday afternoon…
The Governor is deeply grateful for the dedication our grocery store workers have displayed during this crisis. He is working with advocates and industry to ensure we’re implementing best practices to keep workers and consumers safe. National shortages in PPE have resulted in tough decisions being made between bad choices and less bad choices. The Governor is urging the federal government to step up, utilize the Defense Production Act, and work to end the national shortage of PPE we’re all dealing with.
So, the answer, apparently, is “No.”
* Related…
* U.S. emergency medical stockpile nearly out of protective gear as demand rises -officials
* A global ‘free-for-all’ to buy and sell face masks emerges amid coronavirus battle
* ‘They should assume their neighbors have it,’ officials say of COVID-19 pervasiveness
* County maps reveal suburban spread of coronavirus infections. Some of the highest numbers are in the northern suburbs.
* A crying doctor, patients gasping for air and limited coronavirus tests: A look inside a triage tent in Chicago
* Shuttered soup kitchens make life even tougher for homeless: ‘No sandwiches. No dinners. No nothing.’
* No layoffs in city government due to declining revenues and rising costs, Lightfoot says
* ‘Doing the best they can’: Southern Illinois towns give distance governing a go as COVID-19 limits interaction
* SIU culinary workers speak out about COVID-19 concerns after two students test positive
* Reaching Out in Crisis: 2 Altamont CNAs head to Chicago to aid COVID-19 patients
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 11:09 am
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Any chance we could see a plan from the governor on how to use the DPA differently? Or maybe Biden? I’d love to hear something actually concrete for a change.
Comment by 588-2300 Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 11:19 am
===I’d love to hear something actually concrete for a change===
Yeah, so the White House ought to get on it. Stat.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 11:21 am
== … while seeking a better price from another state … .==
Trump has returned us to the Articles of Confederation …
Comment by Anyone Remember Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 11:21 am
===… was “playing hard to get” while seeking a better price from another state for this equipment now referred to in shorthand simply as PPE===
If there was a federal emergency management agency for things like this…
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 11:23 am
name of the company and owner should be talked about. and should not get any further Illinois business unless they help us.
Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 11:26 am
- the governor…Or maybe Biden? -
Do they need to cut up the President’s pancakes for him, too?
Comment by Excitable Boy Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 11:30 am
=== from the governor …Or maybe Biden?===
So you think POTUS is using it correctly… with governors clamoring for help?
Huh.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 11:32 am
===an Illinois company with COVID-19 supplies to sell — yet was “playing hard to get” while seeking a better price from another state for this equipment===
Internet shaming can solve that problem really quickly…just ask ImageNet Consulting. Publish the name of the company
Comment by Stu Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 11:32 am
Amalia - ==name of the company and owner should be talked about=
Couldn’t that be determined with FOIA of emails and phone records?
Comment by Anyone Remember Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 11:33 am
Bloomberg reports what most reasonable people assumed; namely that China has been outright lying about its cases. Apparently the stacks of funeral urns outside of crematoria weren’t the only tip. Probably underreporting in Russia, NK, Iran, Egypt and Saudi Arabia too per the story.
Comment by Just Another Anon Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 11:36 am
Yes additional pieces are needed, but getting an airlift going of supplies and PPE from China of all places is probably not the best idea right now, Sen. Durbin.
Comment by Responsa Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 11:45 am
===China of all places is probably not the best idea===
lol
That’s where most of it is made.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 11:46 am
@Anyone Remember, and Stu, sure, find it, get it out there. this is a war on the virus. those who find the best price are not helping.
Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 11:47 am
=== getting an airlift going of supplies and PPE from China===
Russia apparently is sending us supplies… even though we have no clue how the virus is there… this is to a call by Putin and POTUS.
Thoughts?
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 11:47 am
== So, the answer, apparently, is “No.”==
What the heck is this about, JB? You’re supposedly pro-labor, you raised minimum wage, but you scoff at helping the grocery store employees that supply us with food? The PPE shortage has nothing to do with granting emergency access to childcare or healthcare for these people. If these people can’t come to work - or worse, come to work while their sick and cause whole stores to close - we won’t be able to eat You folks on the governors staff that might be reading this, tell your boss that This Is Not Acceptable.
Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 11:52 am
Durbin may not know about the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, which could be activated to haul supplies from anywhere: https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104583/civil-reserve-air-fleet/ Also, price gougers should be called out publicly, and reported to the Attorney Generals as appropriate to where the business is located.
Comment by revvedup Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 12:03 pm
==but you scoff at helping the grocery store employee==
I don’t think that’s it. There isn’t enough PPE to go around and if the choice is nurses and doctors or grocery store workers then unfortunately right now the choice is going to be nurses and doctors.
This is exactly why the President needs to start ordering companies to make these supplies on a massive scale.
Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 12:24 pm
Why not use our military transports to move the supplies. Thought 45 said it was a war aginst the virus.
Comment by jimbo26 Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 1:12 pm
== I don’t think that’s it. There isn’t enough PPE to go around and if the choice is ==
Exactly - for PPE. Which is why I said “The PPE shortage has nothing to do with granting emergency access to childcare or healthcare for these people”. I’m sure they understand there isn’t enough PPE to go around, or at least they should. But that doesn’t preclude him from classifying grocery store workers as eligible for childcare and healthcare. I don’t know about where you’re at, but the people at the stores in my part of the state are scared to death right now being around so many strangers each day. JB’s done a fine job so far with all of this, but he has specifically directed these people to keep going to work because they’re “essential”. If that is the case, then the childcare and healthcare portions of the request shouldn’t be too much to ask.
Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 1:31 pm
The political and legal environment is fertile for workers to unionize and advocate for their economic improvement in Illinois. Instacart workers and others are pressing their issues with their employers by striking. These workers are doing vital, dangerous jobs so that many of us can follow stay at home orders.
Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 1:46 pm
Sorry, Rich, but the Tribune missed the boat on analyzing those Cook County numbers. In terms of number of cases, yes, there are some northern suburbs with high case numbers. But if you click on the option to view RATES, ie.., cases per population, you see a mostly different story.
The incidence rate is THREE times higher for African-Americans than non-Hispanic whites and the incidence rate for the Southern suburbs is nearly TWO times higher than for any other region in Cook County.
(The anomalies are Winnetka and Kenilworth, which have high rates as well. This may be due to greater access to testing.)
Comment by Data guy Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 1:52 pm
=== If people are arguing that the DPA should be run differently, they should be able to answer that with detailed specifics.===
Fully implement it.
“Next question”
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 2:49 pm
===they should be able to answer that with detailed specifics===
Nice spin. Actually, totally goofy spin.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 2:55 pm
a good reminder that “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog!” (reference to famous 1992 New Yorker cartoon)
Comment by JudgeDavidDavis Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 3:28 pm
=== Actually, it’s asking critics to put up or quit it with the politics.====
Fully implement it. Keep up.
===…doing anything less would be to withholding crucial information that could help people.===
Then POTUS, according to YOU… is withholding… impliment it. “Questions”?
=== Wouldn’t you agree…===
… that not fully implementing the Act is letting the country down? I do.
Also, pick a name.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 1, 20 @ 6:15 pm