Thursday live coronavirus updates: 4 factors will help determine when Illinois reopens
Here is a roundup of coronavirus news you need to know on Thursday:
St. Clair, Madison counties report new coronavirus deaths
Madison County officials announced three more deaths of coronavirus-positive patients in a news release Thursday, bringing the county death total to five.
The new deaths included a woman in her 60s, a woman in her 70s and a man in his 60s. Officials did not say whether the patients had underlying conditions.
St. Clair also reported two new deaths, a woman in her 60s with underlying conditions and a woman in her 80s with underlying conditions.
The previous reported deaths in the region occurred in St. Clair County, which now has 17; Madison County, which now has five; and Monroe County, five.
How is Illinois preventing nursing home outbreaks?
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said Thursday that the state wants to use COVID-19 testing to prevent future coronavirus outbreaks at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
“We have some aggressive measures that we are employing where we want to identify people who are the carriers,” Ezike said. “And of course, right now in congregate settings with visitation being essentially nil, it’s staff that probably are bringing in the virus. So we have an aggressive campaign for our congregate settings to try to test all of the staff that work in these settings.
“We think that if we can identify staff members who are positive — maybe they don’t know they’re positive — then we can get ahead of them potentially infecting the people that they’re charged to work with.”
It was the same day Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that the state’s testing capacity was increasing significantly.
Midwest governors work on when to reopen regional economy
Governors in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana and Kentucky announced Thursday they are working together to decide when to reopen the regional economy in the Midwest.
In a news release, they identified at least four factors they will consider:
- Sustained control of the rate of new infections and hospitalizations.
- Enhanced ability to test and trace.
- Sufficient health care capacity to handle resurgence.
- And best practices for social distancing in the workplace.
“Our number one priority when analyzing when best to reopen our economy is the health and safety of our citizens,” the governors stated. “We will make decisions based on facts, science, and recommendations from experts in health care, business, labor, and education.”
They said sectors of the economy would likely reopen in phases. In other words, everything will not reopen at once. The group of governors added that every state may not take the same steps at the same time.
“But close coordination will ensure we get this right,” they stated. “Over time, people will go back to work, restaurants will reopen, and things will go back to normal. “
St. Louis County, state of Missouri extend stay-at-home orders
St. Louis County is extending its stay-at-home order, County Executive Sam Page said in a tweet Thursday morning. He said mid-May is when he will revisit the order asking people to largely remain inside and away from groups of others.
“We have made progress, but now is not the time to weaken the social distancing policies that are working,” Page wrote in the tweet.
Later in the day, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced the statewide stay-at-home order was also extending until May 3.
As of Thursday, Illinois’ stay-at-home order was set to expire May 1.
Wisconsin extends stay-at-home order to May 26
The state of Wisconsin also extended its stay-at-home order on Thursday. Residents there are asked to avoid large gatherings and largely stay inside until May 26.
As part of the order, public and private schools will remain closed for the 2019-20 school year. But libraries will be allowed to offer curb-side pickup of books and other materials. And golf courses can open as long as social distancing requirements are followed.
MetroBus adjusting to ridership, coronavirus
MetroBus announced Thursday that it is increasing frequency during hours of peak usage on Missouri routes so riders can practice social distancing.
These are the changes:
- The #70 Grand will operate every 12 minutes from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and every 20 minutes at all other times.
Nine MetroBus routes will operate every 15 minutes during select daytime hours, every 30 minutes at other times of the day, and every 30 or 60 minutes during the evening - #10 Gravois-Lindell; #11 Chippewa; #16 City Limits; #61 Chambers; #73 Carondelet; #74 Florissant; #90 Hampton; #94 Page; #95 Kingshighway.
Four MetroBus routes will operate every 20 minutes during select daytime hours, every 40 minutes at other times of the day, and every 40 or 60 minutes during the evening - #4 Natural Bridge; #32 Dr. ML King; #35 Rock Road; #40 N. Broadway.
Seven MetroBus routes will operate every 30 minutes during select daytime hours, every 60 minutes at other times of the day, and every 60 or 120 minutes during the evening - #34 Earth City; #60 Shepley Lilac; #76 McDonnell Waterford; #77 Village Square; #78 Bellefontaine; #79 Ferguson; #97 Delmar.
Updated schedule information is available at metrostlouis.org.
Testing site opens in East St. Louis
The first metro-east COVID-19 testing site in a predominantly black community opened Thursday.
Referred patients will be able to visit Touchette Regional Hospital’s drive-thru collection site at 100 N. 8th St. in East St. Louis to have a sample taken and tested for free. Eligible patients can access the testing site from the 9th Street parking lot entrance. Staff and Illinois State Police will help direct patients to the right place.
Patients must first pass screening with a clinician by calling 618-646-2596. The clinician will ask questions about symptoms, possible exposure, age, work environment and underlying health conditions. If a patient meets testing requirements, they will be given a time to visit the site the same day.
The screening line will be open until 2:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and collections will be taken from noon to 3 p.m. those days. Starting Monday, the screening line will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Testing hours will go from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Results will typically be available within a day.
Sheriff: Coronavirus shouldn’t keep people from worship
A southwestern Illinois sheriff wants people to know he is not going to stop them from attending drive-in church services during the stay-at-home order.
Perry County Sheriff Steve Bareis said he is trying to balance residents’ First Amendment rights with public health restrictions and risks during the coronavirus pandemic.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mandatory stay-at-home order limiting gatherings is in effect until April 30.
“I’m not willing to enforce a governor’s order to the point that it violates a Constitutional right if there’s not a public safety issue,” Bareis said in an interview.
Bareis thinks people leaving home to listen to services from inside their car are still adhering to “the spirit” of the governor’s order because they are following its social distancing guidelines. The coronavirus that causes COVID-19, a respiratory disease, spreads from person to person through coughs and sneezes. Experts recommend people stay at least 6 feet away from others.
National Guard soldiers working at local emergency management agency
Two Illinois National Guard soldiers are working out of the Madison County Emergency Management Agency during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the county.
In a news release, Madison County said the soldiers are helping the Illinois Department of Public Health keep track of hospital capacity needs, including the number of ventilators and intensive care beds available.
The county has at least 694 hospital beds, 47 of which are ICU beds, according to the Illinois Hospital Report Card, which gathers data on hospitals.
As of Wednesday, 33 people diagnosed with the COVID-19 respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus were hospitalized.
A total of 137 people in Madison County have had COVID-19, 50 of them have recovered and two have died.
MidAmerica Airport is getting $3.6 million
MidAmerica St. Louis Airport will receive roughly $3.6 million in grant money being awarded to airports throughout Illinois that are struggling because of plummeting revenues during the coronavirus pandemic.
U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth announced recently that a total of $69.99 million will be dispersed to struggling airports through Federal Aviation Administration, including MidAmerica. The funds were authorized through the Coranvirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.
The funds are aimed to help airport operators meet “ongoing needs” and to manage ongoing construction projects. MidAmerica will receive $3,658,446.
Museum wants to preserve history of pandemic
The Madison County Historical Museum is seeking donations from the public of materials or stories related to the coronavirus pandemic they are living through.
Materials could include flyers, postcards, signs, emails, drawings or other items that document the crisis, according to Museum Director Jon Parkin. Even face masks that have been cleaned can be donated to the museum.
“We want to include the heroic efforts of first responders, the plight of victims, the effects on businesses, schools and cultural groups, and the creativity borne of isolation,” Parkin said in a news release.
For more information about how to donate, visit edwardsvillelibrary.org/teen-historian-challenge.
Pritzker wants federal stimulus to help states fight coronavirus
Pritzker on Wednesday called on the federal government to approve another economic stimulus bill to support state governments during the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump last month signed a bipartisan bill for a $2 trillion boost to the economy as businesses and private citizens across the country are struggling and COVID-19 has claimed thousands of lives.
But Pritzker said during his daily news conference Wednesday that Illinois faces an estimated $2.7 billion reduction in revenues in the fiscal year that ends this summer and a $4.6 billion reduction in the next fiscal year.
Pritzker said the state plans to borrow $1.2 billion to support the state’s budget. With this move, the state’s total shortfall on the fiscal year 2021 budget is estimated to be $6.2 billion, Pritzker said.
Also, Pritzker said that the shortfall would increase to $7.4 billion if voters in November do not pass the constitutional amendment for the proposed progressive income tax. The state currently has a flat rate of 4.95%.
Southwestern Illinois coronavirus cases by county
Here’s a breakdown of the coronavirus cases in southwestern Illinois as of Thursday afternoon:
- St. Clair: 242 positives, 17 deaths, 55 hospitalized not in the intensive care unit, 19 in the intensive care unit, 11 on ventilators 1,066 tests administered, 83 tests pending
- Madison: 149 positives, five deaths, 33 hospitalized, 56 recovered
- Monroe: 50 positives, five deaths, 11 hospitalized, nine recovered
- Randolph: 47 positives, 29 recovered
- Clinton: 42 positives, 199 tests administered, seven hospitalized, nine recovered
Washington: Five positive cases
- Macoupin: 16 positives, 159 tests administered, nine recovered, two pending
- Jersey: Eight positive cases, five recovered
- Bond: Four positives, two recovered, four pending
- Calhoun: One positive, one recovered
- Perry: One positive
Local, state, nation, world cases totals
As of Wednesday, the latest statistics available showed:
- Southwestern Illinois: 565 cases, 27 deaths
- Illinois: 25,733 cases, 1,072 deaths
- U.S.: 629,264 cases, 26,708 deaths
- World: 2,127,873 cases, 141,454 deaths
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 April 16, 2020 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Thursday live coronavirus updates: 4 factors will help determine when Illinois reopens."
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