Illinois officials on Monday announced 974 new known cases of COVID-19 and 23 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known cases to 121,234 and the death toll to 5,412 statewide since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 20,014 new tests.
The new figures are the lowest single-day totals reported in a 24-hour period in nearly two months, when 899 new cases were announced on April 5 and 16 deaths were recorded on April 2.
Here’s what’s happening Monday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
2:36 p.m.: 974 new known COVID-19 cases, 23 additional deaths
State officials on Monday announced 974 new known cases of coronavirus, pushing the statewide total to 121,234. Officials also reported 23 additional deaths, bringing the death toll statewide to 5,412. —Jamie Munks
1:42 p.m.: No buildings and new rules, but Morton Arboretum becomes first to re-open after coronavirus closure
The morning did not seem extraordinary. People on their own or in pairs walked around Morton Arboretum’s Meadow Lake. A worker on a large mower cut grass, the machine’s noise unable to overwhelm all the bird calls, while another crew cleared tree limbs. Men on pricey bicycles zipped by on one of the tree preserve’s meandering roads.
But for all the quotidian goings on, Monday was nonetheless exceptional at the sprawling nature park in west suburban Lisle.
Morton became the first of the area’s major cultural institutions to reopen after almost all closed in mid-March to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Read more here. —Steve Johnson
1:37 p.m.: Protests erupting across the nation are threatening to upend efforts by health officials to contain the spread of coronavirus
Protests erupting across the nation over the past week — and law enforcement’s response to them — are threatening to upend efforts by health officials to track and contain the spread of coronavirus just as those efforts were finally getting underway.
Health experts need newly infected people to remember and recount everyone they’ve interacted with over several days in order to alert others who may have been exposed, and prevent them from spreading the disease further. But that process, known as contact tracing, relies on people knowing who they’ve been in contact with — a daunting task if they’ve been to a mass gathering.
And the process relies on something that may suddenly be in especially short supply: Trust in government. Read more here. —Associated Press
1:13 p.m.: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lifts Michigan’s stay-at-home order and says restaurants can reopen for dine-in service next week
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lifted Michigan’s coronavirus stay-at-home order Monday, letting restaurants reopen to dine-in customers next week and immediately easing limits on gatherings while keeping social-distancing rules intact.
The governor moved six remaining regions comprising 93% of the state’s population to phase 4 — “improving” — two weeks after she announced that two regions in northern Michigan could advance to that stage. Some businesses where close contact is necessary — gyms, hair salons, indoor theaters and casinos — will remain closed.
Retailers can reopen to customers without an appointment on Thursday and restaurants can offer dine-in service on June 8 — both with capacity limits. Day camps for children and pools can open June 8. Groups of up to 100 can gather outside with social distancing, up from a threshold of 10. Read more here. —Associated Press
12:10 p.m.: Unrest prompts Chicago Public Schools to suspend meal pickup, but restaurants step in to help
Chicago Public Schools temporarily closed its “grab and go” free meal sites Monday due to unrest in the city. But home delivery of meals continues, and officials hope to restart meal pickup on Tuesday, though that remains uncertain.
CEO Janice Jackson announced the suspension at a news conference Monday saying the decision was made “out of an abundance of caution” to protect workers, students and families.
She emphasized that delivery of about 18,000 meals a day would continue, and that anyone in need of emergency food delivery may call 773-553-KIDS (5437).
“This is an emergency,” Jackson said. “I hope that it’s just one day. We will continue to monitor the situation and see how things progress.”
Jackson also said that teachers should be addressing the ongoing violence in the city in the wake of protests over the death of George Floyd following his arrest by police in Minneapolis, calling the situation a “crisis.”
“I don’t think any teacher worth their salt needs me to tell them that this is a unique time and we have to stop and we have to actually talk to students and help them understand what’s going on,” she said. “That’s what’s going to be happening throughout this city today.”
After Chicago Public Schools announced the change, some restaurants, churches and food banks stepped up to help. Here is a running list of restaurants serving free lunch to CPS students and their families. If you want to be included in this list, please email us at food@chicagotribune.com.
Bohkeh This cocktail bar and restaurant will provide free lunch to kids in Albany Park and its surrounding neighborhoods from noon until it runs out. They ask that everyone wear masks and maintain social distance. 4716 N. Kedzie Ave., 773-754-0129, bohkehchicago.com
Paulie Gee’s Logan Square The pizzeria will be making more than 350 pizzas for CPS kids before boarding up the restaurant at 1 p.m. 2451 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-360-1072, pauliegee.com
Urban Grill Chicago This Uptown restaurant will offer free lunch to any CPS student who walks in between noon and 3 p.m. Choose from a hot dog with fries or five boneless wings with fries. People can also opt to sponsor a meal via Zelle. 1132 W. Wilson Ave., 773-754-7137, urbangrillchicago.com
Mi Tocaya Antojeria This Mexican restaurant is giving out 350 meals, starting at 11 a.m.. “Our restaurant is an antojeria made to make/share food of our heritage. To honor our ancestors, pay homage to the women whom created it and most importantly made with LOVE,” according to an Instagram post. 2800 W. Logan Boulevard, 872-315-3947, mitocaya.com
Cesar’s Killer Margaritas This Tex-Mex restaurant will have boxed meals available for pickup from 2:30-4:30 p.m. They ask that patrons practice social distancing and wear a face mask. 3166 N. Clark St., 773-248-2835, killermargaritasclark.com
Humboldt Park Montessori Bagged lunches offered for families from 12:15 p.m. until they run out. 2540 W. Division St., 312-613-7115, humboldtparkmontessori.com
A Just Harvest This Rogers Park food pantry is providing free hot meals from noon to 2 p.m. 7653 N. Paulina St., 773-262-2297, ajustharvest.org
—Robert McCoppin and Grace Wong
6:45 a.m.: CPS suspends food distribution Monday because of unrest, will announce if resuming Tuesday, even as state announces summer food program
The Chicago Public Schools will not distribute food at schools Monday “out of an abundance of caution” and because of the difficulty families and staff might have getting to schools, according to CPS.
“The safety of our school community is top of mind, and we are closely monitoring the situation in our city,” CPS said in a note emailed to parents.
CPS has distributed food every day since soon after the Chicago Board of Education suspended in-person classes as COVID-19 infections because widespread in Illinois. Although CTA service was again running Monday, buses and trains still weren’t operating in a large area surrounding and including downtown, because of the unrest of recent days following protests over the death of George Floyd and looting and arsons that have broken out across the Chicago area in the wake of the protests.
“Based on the evolving nature of activity across the city, we are suspending grab-and-go meal sites and all other school and administrative office activities tomorrow, 6/1,” according to the note. “Staff will telework, and remote learning will proceed as scheduled.”
The move by CPS came even as Illinois State Board of Education officials announced the state will offer free meals to school-age children throughout the state over the summer.
The Illinois State Board of Education said more organizations are needed to participate in the summer food program, as the number of families relying on the assistance for meals when school isn’t in session has increased because of the coronavirus outbreak.
“COVID-19 has turned many families’ lives upside down,” said State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala. “Illinois’ summer meals programs help to ensure that one thing families do not have to worry about is where their children will get their next meal.”
As CPS has, schools have found safe and creative ways to provide food to students while schools have been closed, including curbside pickup and providing meals for multiple days at one time, Ayala said in the release. Those options will continue during the summer.
Schools, faith-based groups, local governments and nonprofit organizations are encouraged to participate, and meals are available to those age 18 and younger. Families may locate their summer food site by calling (800) 359-2163, texting “FoodIL” to 877-877, or visiting summermealsillinois.org.
CPS was expected to announce later Monday whether food will be distributed Tuesday. —Chicago Tribune staff and Associated Press
6 a.m.: Critics decry remote learning in Chicago Public Schools as unfair, say it ‘rewards those with privilege’
With virtual summer school weeks away and final grades soon due for the school year interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, critics of remote learning in Chicago Public Schools continue to push for change.
District leaders have presented the policy used to grade remote schoolwork as equitable, offering students time to improve their letter grades without the risk of failing. But a growing contingent of student activists and teachers say it has torn up the playing field for already disadvantaged students, in part because those who complete work on paper but not online are ineligible for letter grades.
Lane Tech College Prep junior Finley Williams said the “vast majority” of CPS students she’s aware of oppose the grading policy announced April 30. She cited widely circulated petitions with nearly 20,000 signatures in remarks last week to the Chicago Board of Education.
“It does not allow students without access to technology to raise their grades,” she argued, calling the incomplete a “thinly veiled fail” that penalizes students and “will doubtless result in thousands of students enrolled in virtual summer school.” Read more here. —Hannah Leone
6 a.m.: Rentervention helps tenants with their housing issues. With COVID-19, the timing couldn’t be better.
South Chicago resident Anita Jordan, 38, was having issues getting her landlord to make repairs in her three-bedroom apartment, including fixing water damage and holes in walls and ceilings, which meant she had to buy a convection oven because she couldn’t use the stove.
“There were some repairs that needed to be done on my unit that she was just not repairing,” she said of her landlord. “She was insisting on rent money. … And she would just give me: ‘I’m going to fix it’ and never would show up.”
After months of trying to get her concerns resolved, she reached out last fall to Rentervention.com, a tool touted as “a Chicago tenant’s best friend,” which helped her withhold a portion of her $700 rent so that she’s now paying $337 per month.
A collaborative endeavor of the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois, the Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing (LCBH) and Illinois Legal Aid Online, Rentervention is a free tool that helps Chicago tenants with myriad problems like Jordan’s. Rentervention guides people from any Chicago ZIP code through steps to address eviction notices, security deposit concerns or apartment conditions that affect livability or safety, said Hanna Kaufman, counsel for innovation & technology with the Lawyers Trust Fund (the original funder and creator of Rentervention). Read more here. —Darcel Rockett
6 a.m.: Association that helps visually impaired is struggling to reopen. ‘I can’t get things read, I don’t have activities. They are really integral to our lives.’
Several times a week, 72-year-old Marcia Trawinski would visit the downtown office of the Blind Service Association where a volunteer would spend a few hours reading nearly everything she got in the mail, from bills to census forms.
“If you think about your daily life, that covers most of it,” said Trawinski, who has been visually impaired most of her life.
Things changed more than two months ago when the nearly 100-year-old association closed its doors because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those who depend on the volunteers say they have been able to get some reading assistance over the phone, but it has been a challenging time.
Trawinski said she can still get help with what is sent by email, but “I can’t get things read, I can’t take care of snail mail, I don’t have activities. What used to take three steps now takes eight steps to get accomplished. They are really integral to our lives.”
As Chicago and the rest of Illinois begin to reopen, it’s still unclear when the association will resume office visits.
While the association was deemed an essential business and could have stayed open under the stay-at-home order, Executive Director Debbie Grossman said that was not an option because of the vulnerability of the people it serves, particularly the elderly with compromised health conditions. Read more here. —Sophie Sherry
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