Thursday live coronavirus updates: Pritzker says state fairs likely to be canceled
Illinois state fairs likely to be canceled
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said during his press briefing Wednesday that it is unlikely the Illinois and DuQuoin state fairs will take place this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Illinois State Fair is scheduled for Aug. 12-23 in Springfield and the DuQuoin State Fair is scheduled for Aug. 28 to Sept. 7.
As of Wednesday, the fairs’ websites said they were still scheduled to happen. But all events at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield through May 31 have been canceled.
Agreement avoids nursing home strike
Illinois nursing home employees who were threatening to strike on Friday have reached a tentative agreement with facility owners on a two-year contract, according to a press release from SEIU (Service Employees International Union) Healthcare.
The contract provides “significant wins that will help safeguard both workers and residents through the current pandemic and beyond,” it stated.
The Chicago-based union represents people who work for nursing homes, child-care centers, home-care services and other health-care operations in the Midwest. That includes more than 10,000 employees at more than 100 nursing homes in the Illinois Association of Health Care Facilities.
According to the union, the contract provides an increase in baseline wages, allowing all employees to earn more than $15 an hour; greater wage parity across geographic regions; hazard pay during the COVID-19 pandemic; additional paid sick days for coronavirus-related testing, illness or quarantine; and provisions that ensure employees won’t have to work without adequate personal protective equipment.
“The contract gains are a testament to the courage and commitment of workers who were poised to strike at 64 facilities in order to protect themselves and the residents for which they care during this time of unprecedented vulnerability and risk,” the press release stated.
All Southern Illinois counties have cases
Southern Seven Health Department on Thursday reported the first lab-confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis in Pope County, which means that all of Illinois’ 17 southernmost counties have reported coronavirus cases, according to The Southern Illinoisan.
The Pope County patient is a man in his 40s, according to the health department, which also reported two additional cases in Pulaski County and eight new cases in Union County.
Union County has seen a spike in the past week. The health department reported a total of 57 lab-confirmed coronavirus cases Thursday. Of those, eight people are considered recovered. Seven days ago, the county had only 15 cases, including five recovered.
One Union County resident previously diagnosed with COVID-19 has died. Several county cases confirmed in the past week are tied to outbreaks at workplaces outside of the Southern Seven region, which includes Alexander, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski and Union counties.
Illinois to receive $25 million for testing
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, working through the Health Resources and Services Administration, has awarded $25 million to 45 health centers in Illinois to expand COVID-19 testing, according to a HHS news release on Thursday.
That’s part of a nearly $583 million allocation to 1,385 HRSA-funded health centers in 50 states, the District of Columbia and eight U.S. territories under the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Engagement Act.
“Widespread testing is a critical step in reopening America, and health centers are vital to making testing easily accessible, especially for underserved and minority populations,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said. “Further, because health centers can help notify contacts of patients who test positive, they will continue playing an important role in cooperating with state and local public health departments.”
Health centers can use the funding for the purchase of personal protective equipment; staff training; public outreach; procurement and administration of tests; laboratory services; notification of exposed contacts; and expansion of walk-up and drive-thru capabilities.
For a list of award recipients, visit https://bphc.hrsa.gov/emergency-response/expanding-capacity-coronavirus-testing-FY2020-awards.
Flyovers to salute essential workers
The Missouri Air National Guard will salute first responders and other essential workers with B-2 stealth bomber flyovers on Friday as part of a national effort by the U.S. Air Force during the coronavirus pandemic, according to KTVI Channel 2.
The Guard’s 131st Bomb Wing will do the flyovers in six communities across Missouri just after 5 p.m. That includes St. Louis, Camdenton, Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Jefferson City and Springfield.
The flyovers will include a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber assigned to the 509th/131st Bomb Wings. The 131st Bomb Wing, based at Whiteman Air Force Base and Jefferson Barracks, is the only National Guard wing to fly it.
The Guard reminds residents to follow strict social-distancing guidelines and refrain from gathering in large groups while viewing the flyovers.
Missouri meat packer dies from COVID-19
An employee of a Missouri pork plant where hundreds of workers tested positive for the coronavirus has died, the Kansas City Star reports.
The city of St. Joseph announced the man’s death Wednesday night, noting that he was a Buchanan County resident in his 40s with underlying health conditions. The man tested positive for COVID-19 on April 22, according to an email from city spokesperson Mary Robertson. She verified that he was an employee of Triumph Foods, a local pork-processing plant.
A total of 412 employees and contract workers from Triumph Foods received positive results for COVID-19 after testing efforts ramped up last week, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported. The workers weren’t symptomatic at the time.
The 412 cases were found out of 2,367 employees tested between April 27 and May 1. The plant remains open.
Resources for older people during pandemic
Thursday is National Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day, so the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Mental Health and the Illinois Department on Aging is sharing tips and resources for older adults during the coronvirus pandemic.
“Older adults, particularly those who are at a greater risk for social isolation, need our support now more than ever,” said IDHS secretary Grace Hou. “We want to be sure older adults and their loved ones know they are not alone.”
The agencies advise older adults to always wear face masks in public, practice social distancing, wash hands frequently, get six to eight hours of sleep per night, establish or keep a record of a daily routine and exercise and shower and groom regularly.
Those needing assistance can visit the Human Services website at www.dhs.state.il.us and click on HELP IS HERE; visit the Aging website at www.illinois.gov/aging; call the Senior HelpLine at 1-800-252-8966 (888-206-1327 for hearing impaired); or email questions to aging.ilsenior@illinois.gov.
Here are more links and resources:
- Distress: Disaster Distress Hotline or National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
- Food assistance: Meals on Wheels and Feeding America provide options based on ZIP Code.
- Transportation: Eldercare Locator for local services.
- Medicine: GoodRX or NeedyMeds.
- Medicare: Seek advice from the local State Health Insurance Assistance Program or Medicare.gov.
- Benefits assistance: BenefitsCheckUp.org provide options by state to help with utility bill payments, prescription drug costs and more.
More than 33 million seek unemployment
The U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday that more than 33 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits since the economy was largely shut down due to the coronavirus, according to the Washington Post. Economists warn that more than 40 percent of job losses could be permanent.
- The Small Business Administration has been so overwhelmed by demand for Economic Injury Disaster Loans that it has slashed limits from $2 million to $150,000 and blocked nearly all new applications.
- The 113-year-old high-end department store chain Neiman Marcus Group has filed for bankruptcy, making it the second major retailer to do so.
- A U.S. military member who works at the White House has tested positive for COVID-19, although President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have tested negative.
- Disproportionately black counties account for nearly half of U.S. coronavirus cases, according to a new study, and Hispanics are nearly twice as likely as whites to have lost their jobs during the pandemic.
- Some U.S. residents are beginning to inch out of their homes but most are staying put, even with eased restrictions, according to new cellphone-tracking data.
Plummer critical of state reopening plan
Illinois State Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, criticized Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan Wednesday, calling it a “baseless, modified year-long stay-at-home order.”
On Tuesday, Pritzker detailed his five-phase regional plan for reopening businesses in the state, outlining statistical hurdles each region must clear to gradually reopen. Those statistics include declines in positive tests and hospitalizations.
In a statement, Plummer questioned the plan’s accountability and transparency and accused Pritzker of overreaching his authority. He added that small businesses are being devastated due to being declared “nonessential” under the governor’s original stay-at-home order.
“Jobs, businesses, livelihoods, and much more are being permanently — and unnecessarily — lost by the Governor’s ham-handed approach to reopening Illinois,” Plummer stated.
Trump changes course on task force
A day after President Donald Trump announced that the White House’s COVID-19 task force would be “winding down,” he says the task force will continue indefinitely but shift focus to rebooting the economy.
The Associated Press reported that an anonymous White House official acknowledged the “signaling” of a task-force shutdown had sent the wrong message. The official said its members will instead shift as the “nature of the crisis” evolves.
Trump echoed that report in a tweet Wednesday, saying he may “add or subtract” members of the task force.
Childhood ailment may have COVID-19 link
Sixty-four children in New York state have been hospitalized with a mysterious illness that doctors don’t yet fully understand but that may be linked to COVID-19, the New York Times reported Wednesday.
In an advisory to health-care providers, state health officials said most of the children thought to have what has been labeled “pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome” had tested positive for the coronavirus or for antibodies to it.
The ailment’s symptoms reportedly “overlap” with those associated with toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki disease, a rare illness in children that involves inflammation of the blood vessels, including coronary arteries. Fever, abdominal symptoms and rash may also be present.
BJC facilities require face masks
Visitors to any BJC HealthCare facility are now required to wear face masks to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
The new policy took effect Wednesday and follows the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines, according to a statement from BJC, a non-profit organization with hospitals, clinics and other health-care facilities in Illinois and Missouri.
The policy also applies to patients and employees. Only children under 2 and people with breathing difficulties will be exempt from wearing a mask.
“This additional measure of caution inside our facilities is an important step, especially as we begin to resume some of our normal operations,” Dr. Hilary Babcock, director of infection prevention at BJC and an infectious disease specialist at the Washington University School of Medicine, said in a news release. “Many people already use masks when they need to be in public places where social distancing is difficult to maintain.”
The policy affects all BJC facilities, including Memorial Hospital East in Shiloh, Memorial Hospital Belleville and Alton Memorial Hospital in the metro-east.
Patients are encouraged to wear their own masks to appointments, but BJC can provide masks if needed. Those with respiratory symptoms will be provided medical-grade isolation masks.
Madison County to discuss reopening plan
Members of the Madison County Board of Health will meet twice this week to discuss a phased approach for reopening businesses.
The board will meet at 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday to discuss the plan at the direction of County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler.
“This is the most important issue we are facing as a county,” Prenzler said in a statement. “We are doing the best we can and need to work together on a plan to restart Madison County in a safe and responsible way.”
The board is advised by Health Department Director Tony Corona, the Health Advisory Committee and the Health Department Committee of the Madison County Board.
“The first meeting is to discuss core principles, recommendations and guidelines for how individuals and small businesses can ‘return to normal’ in a safe and responsible manner,” Prenzler stated. “The second meeting is to take any action necessary to ease the burdens on the citizens and businesses of this county.”
The meetings can be viewed at the county’s Twitch page, at twitch.tv/madisoncountyil.
St. Louis customers may need masks
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page announced Wednesday that some “nonessential” businesses reopening later this month will be asked to require employees to wear masks and may be allowed to deny service to customers without masks.
The announcement follows a decision by Page and St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson to begin a gradual reopening of the city and county on May 18.
Nonessential businesses opening in the county will have to follow several rules, including limits on crowd sizes and social distancing. Page said the county is mulling over rules that would allow businesses to deny service to customers without masks, but enforcement would most likely be left to the public.
Metro passengers will need masks
All MetroBus and MetroLink passengers will be required to wear face masks beginning Monday, and the collection of cash fares on buses will resume June 1.
“Face coverings need to fit over both the nose and mouth, and non-medical masks, scarves, handkerchiefs, bandanas and other types of cloth coverings are permitted,” according to a Metro Transit news release Tuesday. “Transit riders must wear their face coverings during their entire trip on a Metro Transit vehicle.”
The policy does not apply to children ages 2 and under or passengers who have trouble breathing, are incapacitated or are unable to remove face coverings without assistance.
The news release noted that Illinois already requires people to wear face masks in public places where social distancing is not always possible.
“To reduce the person-to-person contact between bus operators and passengers, Metro has been waiving the collection of cash fares on MetroBus since March 21, and riders have been boarding buses via the rear doors,” it stated, maintaining that it can safely resume fare collection on June 1.
Southwestern Illinois coronavirus cases
Here’s a breakdown of the 1,587 COVID-19 cases in southwestern Illinois as of Thursday. These numbers are updated by 4 p.m. daily at BND.com.
- St. Clair: 667 positives, 55 deaths, 2,847 tests administered, 49 tests pending
- Madison: 408 positives, 30 deaths, 80 hospitalizations, 116 recoveries
- Clinton: 116 positives, eight deaths, 570 tests administered, 20 recoveries
- Randolph: 205 positives, two deaths, 89 recoveries
- Monroe: 79 positives, 11 deaths, 29 recoveries
- Macoupin: 38 positives, one death, 758 tests administered, 14 tests pending, 28 recoveries
- Perry: 32 positives
- Jersey: 16 positives, one death, nine recoveries
- Washington: 14 positives, nine recoveries
- Bond: Eight positives, one death, 140 tests administered, six tests pending, three recoveries
- Calhoun: One positive, one recovery
Postponed and canceled events in region
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 are some ideas
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
Who to call about mental health
Here are some resources from mental health professionals for anyone struggling during the coronavirus pandemic:
- Touchette Regional Hospital’s new Mental Health Support and Resource Line to talk to trained therapy staff: call 618-482-7158
- Illinois Human Services Mental Health Division’s Call4Calm to text with a mental health care professional for free: text the word “talk” to 552020.
Centerstone of Illinois, Inc. for virtual mental health services: call 618-462-2331.
Chestnut Health Systems for virtual mental health services: call 618-877-4420.
Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous for virtual meetings: call 618-398-9409 or email metroeastnapr@gmail.com.
Regional Disaster Mental Health Volunteer response team’s new Support Line for health care professionals: call 618-381-5173.
Contact 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.
We’d like to hear from health care workers
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.
Willing to share your COVID-19 story?
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 7, 2020 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Thursday live coronavirus updates: Pritzker says state fairs likely to be canceled."
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