Monday live updates on coronavirus: Illinois receives wrong masks from feds
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Keep up with all the coronavirus news in southwestern Illinois
Stay updated with the events in southwestern Illinois that have been canceled or postponed because of coronavirus concerns.
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Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker says feds sent wrong type of masks
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced during a Monday news conference that hospitals in Madison and St. Clair were two of the counties that would receive new stocks of personal protective equipment, or PPE, sent in from the federal government this week.
During the conference, Pritzker again criticized the federal government for not fulfilling its promises of providing enough PPE and tests. He mentioned that while Illinois received masks from the government in the latest shipment, they were not the N95 masks he had asked for and which medical experts say protect health care workers on the front lines.
Pritzker asked Illinois businesses to donate any medical supplies to local health departments and asked citizens to continue efforts of helping each other, whether that is donating money to nonprofit organizations, sewing face masks or following social distancing guidelines.
Mascoutah School District food service employee tests positive for coronavirus
A Mascoutah School District food service department employee has tested positive for COVID-19, the district announced Monday.
The food service worker helped prepare meals that were handed out on March 22, but people who received the meals had “ a very low risk” of exposure to coronavirus, the district said.
“In an effort to remain transparent, we felt it was important to inform all of our families of the district’s first known case of COVID-19. Based on the information we know and with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anyone who picked up a sack lunch on March 22 would be at a very low risk for exposure,” the district said in a message to parents and employees.
On March 22, “the employee had no symptoms and had no contact with anyone picking up meals. Under advisement from the St. Clair County Health Department, we notified any employees that had close contact with the employee who tested positive,” the district said.
SIU president says student reimbursements could total $5M
By The Associated Press
Southern Illinois University’s Board of Trustees voted Monday to give the school’s president the authority to reimburse students for some costs as instruction has moved online due to the coronavirus outbreak.
In handing university President Daniel Mahony the authority to reimburse the students, the board did not specify how the reimbursements should be handled. However, it gave Mahony the flexibility to make that determination in consultation with chancellors of the Carbondale and Edwardsville campuses and the dean of the school of medicine.
Mahony said he anticipates reimbursements to students could total between $4 million and $5 million.
Cases in southwestern Illinois increase
Correction: A previous version of this story stated Randolph County had 4 cases.
The number of COVID-19 cases in southwestern Illinois has increased to 72, according to state and local statistics on Monday.
Here’s a breakdown of the cases:
▪ St. Clair County: 41, two deaths
▪ Madison County: 16
▪ Clinton County: 6
▪ Monroe County: 4
▪ Washington County: 1
▪ Randolph County: 2
▪ Bond County: 2
The St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency said Monday that 294 people have been tested in St. Clair County. There have been 41 positive cases, 201 have been negative and 52 are pending.
School bus driver tests positive
Belleville High School District 201 informed parents Monday that a school bus driver who has helped deliver lunches to Belleville East students since the high school campuses were closed March 17 due to COVID-19 pandemic has tested positive for the virus.
In an email to parents, District 201 Superintendent Jeff Dosier said the administration became aware of the positive result on Sunday night.
Based on information from authorities and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the students who received the free or reduced-cost sack lunch from the bus have a low risk of exposure, Dosier said.
The district is advising families along the route to self-monitor by taking their temperatures twice a day and to keep an eye on other respiratory symptoms like coughing, shortness of breath and sore throat until 14 days after March 29.
According to Dosier, the employee was assigned to a Belleville East High School bus route that delivered approximately 15 meals per day.
For more on this driver, go to bnd.com.
More National Guard members activated
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has activated about 115 additional Illinois National Guard soldiers and airmen, including some based at Scott Air Force Base, in support of COVID-19 response operations to bring the statewide total to 380 activated, officials said on Monday.
“About 80 of these additional Illinois National Guard members will help with communications and reporting between county health departments throughout the state and the State Emergency Operations Center,” according to a news release from the National Guard.
About a dozen Airmen from the 183rd Wing based in Springfield, the 126th Air Refueling Wing based at Scott Air Force Base, and the 182nd Airlift Wing based in Peoria, will manage the medical operations center and information collection in Springfield for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Illinois Department of Public Health, the release said.
Previously, the state said approximately 50 soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company based in East St. Louis would support medical warehouse operations in central Illinois.
St. Clair County announces second COVID-19 death
A woman in her 30s is the second person to die from the coronavirus in St. Clair County, the health department said Sunday.
The first death in the county, a woman in her 80s, was announced Friday.
Both women who died had underlying health conditions, authorities said.
The department said it would not release further information about the second woman to protect her privacy.
Belleville, Shiloh hospitals accept donations of masks, goggles
The Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce said Monday that donations to help health care workers during the coronavirus pandemic are being collected at the front entrance of Memorial Hospital in Belleville and Memorial Hospital East in Shiloh.
The chamber said these are the items the workers need the most as they battle COVID-19:
▪ Masks of any kind, particularly N95 masks. This includes homemade masks, as well.
▪ Personal protection equipment, also known as PPE, of any kind
▪ Clorox/sanitizing wipes
▪ Goggles and safety glasses
Memorial Hospital is at 4500 Memorial Drive in Belleville and Memorial Hospital East is at 1404 Cross St. in Shiloh.
State, nation, world case totals climb
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, CNN and Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering, these are the latest coronavirus case totals as of Monday afternoon:
▪ Illinois: 5,057 positive cases and 73 deaths; 30,446 persons tested.
▪ U.S.: 160,020 positive cases and 2,828 deaths
▪ World: 777,286 positive cases and 37,083 deaths
St. Louis area coronavirus cases increase
The number of coronavirus cases in Missouri increased to 903, with 12 deaths, the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services reported Sunday.
St. Louis County now has 323 COVID-19 cases.
In the City of St. Louis, there were 102 cases as of Saturday evening.
SIUE will do more online recruiting
The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville campus is largely closed, with most students, faculty members and staff operating remotely to follow Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s coronavirus restrictions. SIUE’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions has canceled all in-person campus visits through the end of spring semester.
SIUE officials have moved some recruiting activities online. Virtual campus tours have always been available to prospective students at siue.edu/visit. Beginning Monday, the SIUE Office of Admissions will also offer virtual presentations by admissions counselors and online chats with SIUE student ambassadors.
Live 30-minute presentations by admissions counselors will take place at 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, providing information on scholarships, financial aid, the application process and campus life. Online chats with SIUE student ambassadors will take place at 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Students can register at siue.edu/visit.
“Despite the challenges associated with the coronavirus pandemic, SIUE is committed to providing information to prospective students and families,” said Kelley Brooks, assistant director of undergraduate admissions for campus visits. “With this added virtual option, prospective students and families can safely learn about our vibrant campus and engage with an admissions representative and student ambassadors. We hope these virtual options will help prospective students see all that SIUE has to offer them as a future student.”
The Office of Admissions also will offer a Virtual Transfer Visit Program for students wanting to transfer to SIUE. The online program will take place from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Friday, April 24. Registration is available at siue.edu/visit. For more information, visit siue.edu/admissions.
Postponed and canceled events
The News-Democrat has compiled a list of events in Illinois and St. Louis that have been canceled due to concerns about coronavirus.
You can find the list at BND.com.
Want to help? Here’s what you need to know
The BND has compiled a list of ways you can help during the coronavirus pandemic.
Go to BND. com to learn about the opportunities to volunteer your time or donate to help communities in the metro-east without putting yourself or others at risk.
You can sew face masks, read stories for people with vision loss and deliver meals to seniors.
If you know of a recognized charitable organization looking for help that isn’t listed, please tell us about it; send an email to newsroom@bnd.com or fill out the BND’s Southwest Illinois coronavirus service and assistance guide online at BND.com.
Get the latest news on coronavirus
BND.com will keep you updated through the day with information about the spread of coronavirus through southwestern Illinois.
You can also find the most complete and up-to-date information from government sites including:
▪ State of Illinois’ coronavirus page: coronavirus.illinois.gov
▪ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/summary.html
▪ Federal government’s coronavirus page: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
How to contact the BND with tips, concerns
If you have suggestions about something for the BND to cover regarding the coronavirus pandemic or if you see a report that sounds suspicious on social media or anywhere else, please drop us a note at newsroom@bnd.com and include a link. We’ll check it out.
If you’re a health care worker, we’d like to hear from you
The BND would like to speak with nurses, doctors and other health care professionals who are on the front lines caring for patients in doctor’s offices, clinics and hospitals during this difficult time. We’re interested in hearing about your challenges and rewards, frustrations and accomplishments. How is this affecting you? Send us an email at newsroom@bnd.com.
Recovering from COVID-19? The BND would like to talk to you
Have you recovered from coronavirus or are you in the process of recovering from COVID-19? We would like to hear from you on how you dealt with the respiratory disease. Send us an email at newsroom@bnd.com.
This story was originally published March 30, 2020 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Monday live updates on coronavirus: Illinois receives wrong masks from feds."
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