Saturday live coronavirus updates: U.S. Steel considers hundreds of layoffs
U.S. Steel considers hundreds of layoffs in Granite City
About 700 U.S. Steel plant workers in Granite City have received possible layoff notices because of the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic but a company spokeswoman said the actual number may be lower.
“We have issued Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notices to approximately 700 employees who may be impacted by these actions,” spokeswoman Meghan Cox said in an email to the BND.
“As previously announced, on March 27, at Granite City Works, blast furnace ‘A’ has been temporarily idled due to the sudden and dramatic decline in business conditions resulting from the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic,” Cox said. “Blast furnace ‘B’ and additional operations including steel shops, casters and the hot strip mill will operate at a reduced level to reflect current demand.”
Madison County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler said Saturday that the county received notice on Friday about the possible layoffs.
“The Illinois WARN Act requires employers with 75 or more full-time employees to give workers and state and local government officials 60 days advance notice of a plant closing or mass layoff,” according to the Illinois Department of Labor.
Illinois death toll rises
llinois has 2,450 new COVID-19 cases and 105 additional deaths, health officials announced Saturday.
The announcement by the Illinois Department of Public Health brings the statewide total of coronavirus cases to 58,505 and the total number of deaths to 2,559.
Increased coronavirus testing continues to push count higher
From Capitol News Illinois
Illinois’ COVID-19 confirmed case count grew by nearly 2,500 again Saturday as a sustained increase in testing continues to drive the number upward.
“It really is a function of doing more testing,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said of the increased positive case count at his daily briefing on the virus Saturday.
There are now 58,505 confirmed cases in Illinois in 97 counties, including 2,559 deaths.
But the state reported another 15,208 test results, meaning about 16% of those resulted in positive cases. That number has gone down in recent weeks from a consistent appearance in the 20s to more frequently appearing in the teens. They had spiked, however, in the two days prior to Saturday.
There have been just less than 300,000 tests conducted in Illinois since the outbreak began, and the state has tested more than 10,000 residents daily for more than a week.
“We’re doing more and more testing, that is a very good thing,” Pritzker said. “It’s a very good sign, because more testing leads us to be able to keep more people at home who may have come in contact with those people so that we can have fewer infections across the state rather than more.”
Governor discusses regional reopening for Illinois
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said at least twice this week at daily news briefings that he is open to taking a regional approach to loosening rules put in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
On Wednesday, he said there is “more to come” on a regional reopening announcement. Then on Friday, the governor said he would consider gradually opening regions prior to May 30 that have seen infection rates and intensive care unit bed occupancy decreases for 14 days in a row.
“Because it’s one thing to say, well, half of our hospital beds are ICU beds are available, but if that number is 35, right, that’s a very small number,” the governor said. “And if the population … is such that the 35 beds wouldn’t be able to cover that population if there was a surge, then we are concerned about an area.
“So it has to do with much more than just a population in an area, and it has a great deal to do with how much health care is available in that area.”
State adds to list of outdoor areas that can reopen
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has expanded the list of state-run parks and recreation areas that can reopen.
The initial list of parks released April 23 included just six locations in southwestern and southern Illinois. On Friday, it included 17 more.
Here are the state-run sites in southwestern and southern Illinois that are now open:
- Beall Woods State Park in Mount Carmel
- Beaver Dam State Park in Carlinville
- Cache River State Natural Area in Belknap
- Cave-in-Rock State Park in Hardin County
- Dixon Springs State Park in Golconda
Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area in Carlyle
Ferne Clyffe State Park in Goreville
Fort de Chartres State Historic Site in Prairie Du Rocher
- Fort Massac State Park in Metropolis
- Giant City State Park in Makanda
- Hamilton County State Fish and Wildlife Area
- Horseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife Area in Miller City
- Kinkaid Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area in Murphysboro
- Lake Murphysboro State Park
- Lewis and Clark State Historic Site in Hartford
- Ramsey Lake State Recreation Area
- Red Hills State Park in Sumner
- Saline County State Fish and Wildlife Area
- Sam Parr State Fish and Wildlife Area in Newton
- Stephen A. Forbes State Recreation Area in Kinmundy
- Tunnel Hill State Trail in Vienna
- Washington County State Recreation Area in Nashville
- Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area in Whittington
Gambling still suspended in Illinois
The Illinois Gaming Board extended the suspension of all video gaming operations and casino gambling “until further notice.”
“The Gaming Board is monitoring developments regarding COVID-19 and will continue to make decisions based on science, public health guidance, and applicable law and rules,” the board wrote in a news release Thursday.
New testing site open in Cahokia
SIHF Healthcare announced Friday that a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site opened at the Cahokia Fitness & Sports Complex. It is the fifth SIHF Healthcare collection site to open in the metro-east.
The new site’s address is 509 Camp Jackson Road in Cahokia.
The public can call 618-646-2596 to be screened for testing based on their symptoms, possible exposure, age, work environment and underlying health conditions, according to a SIHF Healthcare news release.
If they meet the testing requirements, they will receive a window of time to arrive at the site, SIHF Healthcare stated. Results are expected to be available within about 48 hours.
The other SIHF Healthcare testing sites are in Belleville, East St. Louis, Granite City and Wood River.
Public housing in Southern Illinois gets $4 million
Housing authorities in Southern Illinois will get $4 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Illinois, announced Friday.
The money is from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. It can be used for management, maintenance and resident services in order to prevent and respond to potential coronavirus outbreaks in public housing, according to a news release from Bost’s office.
“As we continue working to stop the spread of coronavirus, many people are spending more time at home,” Bost stated in the release. “The last thing they should have to worry about is whether they will be safe from the virus in their own homes. These grants will help local housing authorities keep residents safe and make preparations to prevent or respond to potential outbreaks.”
Here’s how much money local housing authorities are receiving:
- The Housing Authority of the City of East St. Louis: $1.3 million
- St. Clair County Housing Authority: $541,851
- Housing Authority – City of Alton: $145,239
- Granite City Housing Authority: $121,665
- Madison County Housing Authority: $82,416
- Randolph County Housing Authority: $81,613
Southwestern Illinois coronavirus cases
Here’s a breakdown of the 1,242 COVID-19 cases in southwestern Illinois as of Saturday. These numbers are updated by 4 p.m. daily at BND.com.
- St. Clair: 518 positives, 41 deaths, 2,206 tests administered, 75 tests pending
- Madison: 345 positives, 23 deaths, 75 hospitalizations, 99 recoveries
- Clinton: 106 positives, four deaths, 454 tests administered, 19 recoveries
- Randolph: 109 positives, two deaths, three hospitalizations, 58 recoveries
- Monroe: 70 positives, 11 deaths
- Macoupin: 32 positives, 616 tests administered, 12 tests pending, 27 recoveries
- Perry: 29 positives
- Jersey: 13 positives, one death, nine recoveries
- Washington: 13 positives, seven recoveries
- Bond: Six positives, one death, 109 tests administered, nine tests pending, three recoveries
- Calhoun: One positive, one recovery
Southwestern Illinois nursing home outbreaks
Here are the latest numbers available on nursing homes and other long-term care centers in the metro-east that are experiencing coronavirus outbreaks.
ST. CLAIR COUNTY
As of Friday, May 1, this is the information on known or suspected COVID-19 patients either because of a positive test result or their symptoms.
- Four Fountains in Belleville - 53 patients and six deaths (Two more patients than what was reported Thursday).
- Memorial Care Center in Belleville- 43 patients and five deaths.
- Lebanon Care Center - 21 patients and two deaths.
- BRIA of Belleville - 12 patients and two deaths.
- St. Paul’s Home in Belleville - Five patients.
- Colonnade in O’Fallon - Two patients.
The St. Clair County Health Department provides updated numbers daily during 3:30 p.m. live streams by the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency on Facebook.
MONROE COUNTY
As of Saturday, April 25, this is the information on residents and employees at an assisted living facility who tested positive for COVID-19. The health department has noted no change in the number of people to test positive at the facility in daily updates since Saturday. On Friday, May 1, an additional death was announced.
- Garden Place Columbia - 29 patients and 10 deaths. (Two patients are from another county so they are not included in Monroe’s countywide total.)
CLINTON COUNTY
As of Thursday, April 30, this is the information on residents and employees at a long-term care center who tested positive for COVID-19.
- Carlyle HealthCare Center - 63 patients and four deaths. Of the patients, 42 are residents and 21 are employees. All of the people who died were residents.
MADISON COUNTY
As of Friday, April 24, this is the information on residents at long-term care facilities who tested positive for COVID-19.
- Edwardsville Care Center - 54 patients and 12 deaths.
- Eden Village Care Center in Glen Carbon - 11 patients.
- Stearns Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Granite City - One patient tested positive and one is considered a “case contact positive.”
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 May 2, 2020 at 12:00 AM.
