Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said city restaurants won’t be ready to reopen to outdoor dining by May 29 but she hopes they will be ready in June. Lightfoot made the comments after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker opened the door to potentially lift the restriction on sit-down dining next week.
Health officials on Thursday announced 2,268 new known cases of the coronavirus. There were also 87 additional deaths confirmed, bringing the death toll to 4,607 since the pandemic began. Statewide, there have been 102,686 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Illinois also has hit its highest total for the number of COVID-19 tests administered in a single day, officials said.
Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
7:41 p.m.: Preckwinkle ‘profoundly disappointed’ after Cook County Board OKs sharing COVID-19-positive addresses with first responders
Cook County Board members narrowly approved a resolution Thursday to share addresses of COVID-19 patients with first responders, following an emotional debate about the measure’s intention to safeguard front-line workers versus fears it would violate individuals’ privacy and civil rights.
Commissioners voted 9-7 with one member abstaining from the resolution, which would direct the Cook County Department of Public Health to disclose locations of those testing positive for the coronavirus with 911 dispatchers in suburban Cook County every day for two months.
While the measure by Commissioner Scott Britton, D-Glenview, is only a recommendation, department of public health spokesman Kim Junius said the Cook County Department of Public Health will follow the address-sharing practice because of the board’s instructions. That’s in spite of public health co-administrator Rachel Rubin’s warning before the vote that the practice was inadequate and dangerous for both citizens and first responders.
County Board President Toni Preckwinkle agreed with Rubin, saying it’s guaranteed the address-sharing plan would contribute to the systemic racism that black and Latino communities suffer.
“I’m profoundly disappointed,” Preckwinkle said after the measure passed. Read more here. —Alice Yin
7:02 p.m.: Illinois opens first high school-based test site in suburban Rolling Meadows
One of the state’s new coronavirus testing sites is also the first one to open at a high school.
Rolling Meadows High School in Chicago’s northwest suburbs will open at 8 a.m. Friday for free testing – after pushing back the date to accommodate Wednesday’s car parade honoring graduating seniors.
The site was chosen in part to try to provide testing to underserved communities that have been hit hard by the pandemic, though the local mayor admitted some residents did voice concerns. Read more here. —Karen Ann Cullotta
6:30 p.m.: Southland records fewest number of weekly COVID-19 deaths since March
The number of Southland deaths attributed to COVID-19 this week dropped below 100 for the first time since late March, according to a Southtown analysis of county data.
As of Thursday afternoon, 800 south and southwest suburban residents had died from the virus, according to the analysis.
At least 548 people in South Cook County and 252 people in Will County have died of complications from the virus since March 19, according to data from the Cook County medical examiner’s office and Will County public health officials.
The South Cook County patients who died — 288 men and 260 women — hailed from 55 different communities and range in age from a 19-year-old Riverdale man to a 108-year-old Evergreen Park nursing home resident.
The vast majority were elderly and many were residents of long-term care facilities.
More than 56% of the South Cook patients who died were at least 75 years old and more than 82% were at least 65 years old, according to data from the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
Only 9 of the 548 people who have died of COVID-19 in South Cook County were under 40. Read more here. —Zak Koeske
4:38 p.m.: Malort made of Anti-Hero IPA released Friday as a creative solution to a serious problem: kegs expiring due to coronavirus
When a pandemic hands you old beer, you don’t make lemonade. You make Malort.
In this case, the old beer was 160 kegs of Revolution Brewing’s flagship Anti-Hero IPA that were about to fall out of code while most bars and restaurants remain closed to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
Rather than dump the beer, Revolution teamed up with Chicago’s CH Distillery to create a first: Malort made from beer.
The product, which goes on sale Friday at Revolution, CH Distillery and Binny’s, pairs two modern Chicago icons: the city’s top-selling craft beer and the city’s most iconic spirit, an intensely bitter liqueur that doubles as a civic badge of pride.
But it’s also a playful solution to a serious problem for breweries large and small: What to do with all those useless kegs? Read more here. —Josh Noel
4:27 p.m.: University of Chicago is latest school to get sued for tuition refunds
A University of Chicago student seeking refunds for tuition and campus fees has filed a federal class-action lawsuit against the school, making it at least the second local college to face litigation over its response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The most recent lawsuit, filed Wednesday on behalf of U. of C. student Arica Kincheloe, alleges the school breached its contract to provide in-person experiences when it closed down dorms and moved classes online in early March.
The lawsuit says U. of C. students specifically chose and have paid to enroll at a school that offers a hands-on curriculum, close interactions with faculty and peers and access to extracurricular activities, among other services.
“The tuition and fees for in-person instruction at (U. of C.) are higher than tuition and fees for online institutions because the former’s costs cover not just the academic instruction, but encompass an entirely different experience,” the lawsuit says.
A spokesman for U. of C. did not immediately comment on the lawsuit. A student group, UChicago for Fair Tuition, has criticized the school for failing to reduce tuition prices for modified classes despite having an $8 billion endowment at its disposal.
As students continue to voice discontent over the abrupt transition of coursework to online formats, more schools could face costly lawsuits.
Last week, two students filed a class-action lawsuit against DePaul University for largely the same reasons. That lawsuit also alleged breach of contract and demanded the school refund the difference in value between online and in-person courses. —Elyssa Cherney
4:13 p.m.: Illinois unemployment rate hit 16.4% in April as coronavirus-related job losses multiplied
Illinois’ unemployment rate rose to 16.4% in April, up from 4.2% in March, due to the COVID-19 health crisis, according to the state’s Department of Employment Security.
The state’s April unemployment rate was the highest recorded since the government began collecting data using current methodologies in 1976.
The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April was 14.7%, an increase from 3.6% a year prior and up from 4.4% in March.
The state lost 762,200 jobs in April across all major industries. The leisure and hospitality sector lost the most jobs — nearly 300,000 — over the month. The trade, transportation, and utilities sector lost nearly 100,000 jobs. Read more here. —Abdel Jimenez
3:55 p.m.: Lightfoot announces $1.2 million for mental health programs amid heightened anxiety from COVID-19
The city of Chicago will spend $1.2 million to expand treatment for people with serious mental illness amid heightened anxiety and depression over the coronavirus, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said on Thursday.
Lost mobility and a fractured sense of security have amplified existing despair in the city, Lightfoot said. And just as COVID-19 is especially deadly for people with pre-existing health conditions, Lightfoot said, the disease is having a particularly big impact on people who already have mental health issues.
“What we must not allow is fear to grip us and prevent us from being able to cope with this difficult time,” Lightfoot said.
To address the issue, Lightfoot said the city will give $1.2 million combined to Friend Health, Healthcare Alternative Systems, Thresholds, and Trilogy Behavioral Healthcare.
In a nod to the problems faced by many residents, Lightfoot said she allows herself to cry and feel despair over the crisis.
“I feel the weight of this moment every day. And, as a result, as part of my wellness routine, I’ve leaned into my faith even more. I make sure every day I have time just to be alone, to breathe and put the burdens of the day aside,” Lightfoot said. “I’m intentional about finding hope and love in the selfless acts of others. And I allow myself to cry and feel despair. That is also part of this moment.”
There will also be a telephone service people can call at 312-747-1020, Lightfoot said, regardless of income, health insurance or citizenship status. The city also will have a collection of self-help videos available at a “Windy City Wellness” website.
“If you need them, these services are here for you,” Lightfoot said.
Before the pandemic, Lightfoot faced criticism from progressive aldermen for backing off a campaign pledge to reopen the city mental health clinics closed by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel. —Gregory Pratt
3:01 p.m.: Pritzker reacts to Lightfoot’s announcement that Chicago restaurants likely won’t have outdoor dining until mid-June
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he has no objection to Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s announcement Thursday that Chicago restaurants likely won’t be able to provide outdoor dining until mid-June.
Under changes Pritzker made to the state’s reopening plan Wednesday, bars and restaurants across the state could begin offering al fresco seating as soon as May 29, but Lightfoot has said Chicago will require more time to make sure restaurants can reopen safely.
“The decision by a municipalities like Chicago to not have outdoor seating is completely up to them,” Pritzker said. He said that the state “tried to provide a baseline to protect people in various communities.”
Still, Pritzker said he didn’t anticipate that many communities would delay on allowing outdoor dining and drinking under precautions such as spacing tables at least six feet apart.
“I think many, many towns, cities and communities and counties across the state will in fact have outdoor seating for restaurants,” Pritzker said. “That’s a completely local decision.” —Bill Ruthhart
2:44 p.m.: Illinois hits new daily COVID-19 testing high
Illinois has hit its highest total for the number of COVID-19 tests administered in a single day, officials said on Thursday.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the state’s top health official, reported that 29,307 individuals had been tested in the last 24 hours “the highest test total to date.”
Ezike reported 2,268 additional cases of COVID-19 for total of 102,686 known cases of the disease in the state. She also reported an additional 87 deaths for a total of 4,607 known COVID-19 deaths.
Statewide, 4,107 individuals remain hospitalized with the virus, with 1,088 of those patients in the intensive care unit and 609 of them on ventilators, Ezike said. —Bill Ruthhart
1:45 p.m.: Chicago restaurants won’t be ready to open to outdoor dining on May 29
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said city restaurants won’t be ready to reopen to outdoor dining by May 29 but she hopes they will be ready in June.
Lightfoot made the comments after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker opened the door to potentially lift the restriction on sit-down dining next week. While “heartened” by Pritzker’s comments, Lightfoot said she wants a more robust plan to make sure restaurants can reopen safely. Read more here. —Gregory Pratt
1:17 p.m.: Illinois attorney general has lawsuit challenging Pritzker’s stay-at-home coronavirus order moved to federal court
After losing an initial ruling in state court, the Illinois attorney general’s office Thursday moved to federal court a lawsuit challenging the validity of the state’s stay-at-home coronavirus order.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office stated in its court filing that it was moving the case from state court because it involves U.S. constitutional rights of free religion and due process.
The suit, brought by state Rep. Darren Bailey, was set for a hearing at 1 p.m. Friday before Clay County Judge Michael McHaney, who had said he would resolve the case then.
McHaney had previously ruled that Bailey was not bound by Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive order shutting down most businesses and churches and requiring people to stay at home with certain exceptions.
Bailey is now attempting to broaden that ruling to make the order invalid for all citizens statewide. Read more here. —Robert McCoppin
1:04 p.m.: Cook County Board passes Sept. 30 disaster proclamation extension, property tax late fee waiver
Cook County Board members voted Thursday to grant president Toni Preckwinkle an extra 120 days of enhanced powers under a disaster proclamation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
Commissioners voted 15-2 to extend the disaster proclamation, which allows Preckwinkle to make decisions without the board’s direct approval, such as issuing executive orders, moving money around and procuring essential supplies such as personal protective equipment. Preckwinkle’s current declaration, approved mid-March, is set to expire at the end of this month.
“I want to just point out that this is not a power grab,” said commissioner Larry Suffredin, D-Evanston, a co-sponsor of the resolution. “A power grab is when you’re grabbing something for fun. This is putting yourself in a position where you create more stress because we’re dealing with such difficult matters.”
Commissioners Bridget Gainer, D-Chicago, and Sean Morrison, R-Palos Park, voted against the extension, stating that there needs to be more oversight of the government process. Gainer suggested a 30-day extension as an “eminently more reasonable” compromise. Read more here. —Alice Yin
12:45 p.m.: Amazon Studios seeking Chicago essential workers for new docuseries
Amazon Studios is casting Chicagoans for its docuseries “Regular Heroes,” which highlights essential workers who are making a difference in their community during the coronavirus pandemic. The weekly docuseries premiered May 8. Read more here. —Tracy Swartz
10:53 a.m.: Admiral Theatre is among a bevy of adult businesses suing to get a PPP loan. So far, the nightclubs are winning.
The federal Payroll Protection Program has hit a few bumps in the road since its rollout last month, from blowback over alleged preferential treatment for larger businesses to growing concern over loan forgiveness requirements.
Now it’s navigating a legal challenge from adult nightclubs including Chicago’s Admiral Theatre alleging the Small Business Administration shut them out of PPP funding.
At issue is a long-standing SBA restriction on loans to businesses that present live performances of a “prurient sexual nature.” Lawsuits brought by adult clubs in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan argue they should be eligible for federal emergency relief, just like any other small business.
“This is not an adult entertainment issue,” said Luke Lirot, a Florida attorney representing the Admiral Theater in the lawsuit, which was filed May 8 in Chicago federal court. “This a guy that sweeps the floor that’s not getting a paycheck issue.”
On Wednesday, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago handed the adult nightclubs a major victory, refusing to block a Wisconsin federal court decision that the SBA couldn’t deny a PPP loan to a Milwaukee gentlemen’s club based solely on the prurient ineligibility standard. Read more here. —Robert Channick
9:53 a.m.: Coronavirus ‘does not spread easily’ on contaminated surfaces: CDC
The uncertainty surrounding coronavirus has been a huge source of anxiety throughout this pandemic, as scientists have struggled to uncover not just a treatment for the disease, but also basic facts about its existence.
Though many have been concerned about infection through items like groceries or mail deliveries, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recently issued updated guidance saying that coronavirus “does not spread easily” from touching surfaces or objects. Read more here. —New York Daily News
9:28 a.m.: Will Trump wear a face mask at Michigan Ford plant? The company and the state’s attorney general think he should.
A day after threatening to withhold funds over Michigan’s mail-in ballot effort, President Donald Trump was set to visit the electoral battleground Thursday to learn how the medical breathing machines governors begged for during the height of the coronavirus pandemic are made.
But hovering over his visit to a repurposed Ford Motor Co. factory in Ypsilanti, outside of Detroit, is whether he will wear a face covering.
Trump has refused to wear a face mask in public, a practice that federal health authorities say all Americans should adopt to help slow the spread of the virus.
Ford says everyone in its factories must wear personal protective equipment, including masks, and that its policy has been communicated to the White House. Trump wouldn’t commit to wearing a mask at the plant when he was asked about the matter earlier this week. Read more here. —Associated Press
9:02 a.m.: State unemployment office has doubled call center staff taking jobless claims, but complaints continue
With the release Thursday of weekly jobless claims from the U.S. Department of Labor, Illinois hit a milestone: Since mid-March, when the state’s stay-at-home order took effect, closing nonessential businesses and sending people home, more than 1 million residents of the state have applied for unemployment insurance benefits.
The state office that processes those applications says it has doubled the number of workers in call centers that assist those seeking jobless benefits.
Yet on social media and in calls to their elected representatives, applicants continue to complain about busy signals and other problems. Read more here. —Mary Wisniewski
7:43 a.m.: Nearly 39 million US layoffs during pandemic; more than 1 million Illinois jobless claims since mid-March
More than 2.4 million people applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week in the latest wave of layoffs from the viral outbreak that triggered widespread business shutdowns two months ago and sent the economy into a deep recession.
Roughly 38.6 million people have now filed for jobless aid since the coronavirus forced millions of businesses to close their doors and shrink their workforces, the Labor Department said Thursday.
With the latest report, Illinois crossed a new threshold as more than 1 million residents have sought unemployment insurance benefits since mid-March. In the most recent week that ended May 16, 72,816 people in the state filed initial claims for benefits, a slight increase from the prior week’s 72,671.
Nationwide, the number of weekly applications for benefits has slowed for seven straight weeks, and last week the figures declined in 38 states and the District of Columbia. Yet historically, they remain immense — roughly 10 times the typical figure that prevailed before the virus struck. Read more here. —Associated Press
7:01 a.m.: City officials to announce mental health supports for Chicagoans
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and city Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady were scheduled to hold a news conference Thursday afternoon to announce “a package of mental health supports” for Chicagoans “facing challenges” because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the mayor’s office.
Details of the city’s plans weren’t available Thursday morning.
Mental health experts have said that social isolation driven by stay-at-home orders and other factors keeping people isolated during the coronavirus pandemic have led to increases in calls to crisis centers. Isolation and stress are often factors in people in substance-abuse recovery programs turning to drugs or alcohol again, even after long periods of abstinence, according to experts.
7 a.m.: Self-swab tests coming to 17 CVS drive-thru sites in Illinois
CVS Health on Friday plans to open COVID-19 testing sites at 17 CVS Pharmacy drive-thru locations in Illinois, the company said in a news release. A list of the expanded testing sites is available at cvshealth.com/covid-19/testing-locations.
The new testing locations will offer only self-swab tests, which will be available to patients meeting age guidelines as well as criteria from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the company. Patients must register in advance and can begin making appointments for testing starting Friday.
At the test site, patients should stay in their cars and will be directed to the pharmacy drive-thru window, where they’ll be given a test kit and instructions; an employee will observe the self-swab process to make sure it’s performed properly, according to the news release.
Tests will be sent to an independent lab for processing and results are expected in about three days, according to CVS Health.
The 17 new drive-up testing sites in Illinois are part of the company’s plan to launch nearly 350 new COVID-19 testing locations across 14 states, and the company plans to announce additional testing sites in Illinois and across the country by the end of May.
CVS Health expects to have up to 1,000 locations nationwide offering this service by the end of May, with the goal of processing up to 1.5 million tests a month, pending the availability of testing supplies and lab capacity, according to the news release. —Angie Leventis Lourgos
6 a.m.: Ahead of Memorial Day weekend, sun and sand are calling. But when will the beaches open?
It’s almost beach season along Lake Michigan, the saving grace of cities known for polar vortexes and frost in May, but this summer, the coast might look a little different.
Some beaches will be entirely empty, aside from a federally endangered bird or two attempting to fledge chicks. Some might have joggers and bikers moving along but no stationary picnics or sunbathers taking any prolonged breaks. Some barely exist because of near-record high lake levels and worsening erosion.
For dozens of communities along Lake Michigan, the rules to reopen beaches are a patchwork — much like the national response to the pandemic. Read more here. —Morgan Greene
6 a.m.: Residents say they are being kept in the dark about COVID-19 as nearly 90 deaths are recorded at low-income housing in Chicago.
At least three people have died from COVID-19 in the senior citizens’ high-rise where Laura Brownlee lives, including a close friend she visited often.
But the landlord has said nothing about them to residents, who are more vulnerable to the disease and might want to take extra precautions, like following the advice of city health experts and moving out of such housing when there’s a heightened risk.
“These are senior suites up in here, seems like someone should be coming in and testing everybody,” Brownlee said by phone. “I’m already afraid it’s all over. And I don’t wanna go out like that.”
Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, which runs Kingston Place on the South Side, would not comment on the three deaths reported there by the Cook County medical examiner’s office as of May 19. “In order to respect the privacy of the tenants of the building, we do not release information regarding deaths or those who choose to be tested and are confirmed positive.”
A Tribune investigation found that residents at subsidized housing across Chicago have been told little, if anything, about COVID-19 cases where they live, even though they are generally older and in poorer health and therefore at higher risk.
So far, 89 people in low-income housing in the city have died from complications linked to the novel coronavirus. Half of them were older than 76, an analysis of data shows. Read more here. —Cecilia Reyes and Elvia Malagón
Breaking coronavirus news
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May 20
Here are five things that happened Wednesday that you need to know:
Illinois restaurants and bars can go al fresco as soon as next Friday as Gov. J.B. Pritzker nods to reopening pressure
Pritzker backs down, unmasked lawmaker escorted out: First day of legislature’s special pandemic session a mix of political drama and showmanship
Mayor Lori Lightfoot introduces new tenant rules, advocates say they don’t do enough to protect Chicago renters
Lightfoot says Chicago reopening “on the horizon” but warned against ignoring stay-at-home order
Three Floyds closes legendary brewpub indefinitely due to coronavirus, even as Indiana moves to reopen businesses
May 19
Here are five things that happened Tuesday that you need to know:
Gov. J.B. Pritzker preaches patience, expresses optimism as Illinois coronavirus metrics improve
Rent relief in Illinois could be on its way, as state legislators rush to pass bills during three-day session
Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s first year in office was filled with big moments and tough decisions. Then the coronavirus “changed everything.”
Fearful of a winter coronavirus resurgence, colleges including Notre Dame and Marquette will start fall classes early and shorten breaks
Mariano’s parent Kroger will not seek repayment from workers it overpaid during COVID-19 outbreak
May 18
Here are five things that happened Monday that you need to know:
Business owners now face misdemeanor charge if they reopen in spite of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says city will fine churches that violated social distancing rules
“Our movement man,” a fixture at Chicago protests, loses life to COVID-19
Uber laying off another 3,000 workers, raising more questions about the company’s future in Chicago
With a new, stricter grading system — plus warmer weather — Cook County is now getting a D on social distancing
