Friday live coronavirus updates: Fairview Heights chief clarifies police role
SIU Carbondale develops important testing ingredient
Southern Illinois University Carbondale microbiologists produced 10,000 vials of a substance used for COVID-19 testing and delivered the vials to the Illinois Department of Public Health this week.
They were the first state university to do so as Illinois struggles to keep up with demand for “viral transport medium.”
The medium is a fluid “with a specific formulation of salts, protein and other chemicals that maintains the genetic information of a virus until it can be tested,” according to a news release from SIU.
Microbiology professor Scott Hamilton-Brehm said the team plans to continue producing 10,000 vials per week.
“As long as we have supplies and people willing to help us, we can keep this pace,” Hamilton-Brehm said. “Our future challenge is keeping our supply line to the university.”
Fairview Heights police chief clarifies department’s role
Fairview Heights Police Chief Chris Locke said his department’s role in the coronavirus pandemic is “education,” not “enforcement,” in helping the public understand stay-at-home guidelines.
“When the stay at home orders were first given, we received many complaints of violations, which we answered by educating and seeking compliance. We will continue to assist, inform and request everyone’s cooperation. Our mission is not enforcement,” Locke wrote in a post on social media.
Locke said he decided to post the statement because he did not want concerns about “enforcement” to cause “community-police tensions.”
Financial trouble closes three St. Louis Catholic schools
Most Holy Trinity, Christ Light of the Nations and St. Joseph Catholic schools in St. Louis will close because of financial difficulty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Friday.
The Archdiocese of St. Louis is working with families, staff and faculty to help them with transitioning to another school.
SIUE to test COVID-19 protocols this summer
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville announced Friday most summer courses beginning in July will be held online.
If the state moves into phase four of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan, the university will offer “a small number” of face-to-face classes in the second summer session.
“These courses will pilot many of the new approaches and protocols that will be more widely deployed during the fall 2020 semester,” a statement from the university said.
All on- or off-campus summer events, camps and conferences are canceled through August 8.
SIU president to take part in higher ed committee
Southern Illinois University system President Dan Mahony will serve on a committee to “shape guidance on how campuses across the state can open safely this fall semester amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” according to a statement from the Illinois State Board of Higher Education.
Mahony was chosen to lead the SIU system in December.
SIU Systems says it will resume classes in August
Southern Illinois Universities System President Dan Mahony announced Thursday that plans are being developed for both SIU campuses in Carbondale and Edwardsville to be open for in-person education in August.
Mahony noted the campuses will continue to follow guidelines and directives set forth by the governor and health officials in order to be fully operational in August, a news release from SIU Systems stated.
“Our goal has not changed, but we now have additional information from the governor’s office and our own system-wide task force to provide a framework for fall planning,” Mahony said.
“Based on our internal discussions, which have been informed by expertise from faculty in our School of Medicine, we believe we will meet the Governor’s standards for reopening by August which allows schools and universities to provide on-the-ground education with approved safety guidance,” Mahony said.
Madison County cities sticking with Pritzker’s stay-at-home order
The mayors of most of Madison County’s largest cities are asking residents and business owners to continue to follow the statewide stay-at-home order after county board members passed a resolution aimed at reopening ahead of schedule.
On Tuesday, the Madison County Board of Health, which is comprised of county board members, approved a set of guidelines by which businesses could open, defying Governor J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home executive order put in place to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
By Wednesday, Mayors in Edwardsville, Troy, Collinsville, Alton, East Alton and Maryville had issued statements urging citizens to continue complying with Pritzker’s executive order this week. The city of Highland was the only one to publicly back the county’s resolution.
Illinois launches new website for job seekers
Job seekers and employers can connect through a new website Illinois introduced this week as the state deals with record unemployment applications because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The financial stability and success of our residents is key to getting Illinois’ economy back on its feet,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at his daily news briefing Thursday. “Illinois won’t be restored until our workers and families have the opportunities and resources they need to build and fill their lives.”
Get Hired IL provides an interactive search option for both workers and employers and can be found at www2.illinois.gov/GetHired/Pages/default.aspx.
Senate Republican leader calls for hearings on Restore Illinois plan
Illinois Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady is requesting hearings be held to discuss and amend Governor J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois Plan.
Brady requested the hearings through a letter to Senate President Don Harmon, a democrat. In Brady’s letter, he suggested debate over the plan be held in a public setting with social distancing and available technology when lawmakers reconvene in Springfield.
“I am requesting a public hearing to invite staff from the governor’s office to attend. This would allow members from both sides of the aisle to inquire about how they came to the conclusions in their plan, and what revisions they would accept to help get our economy back on track more quickly,” Brady wrote in his letter. “While our constituents are doing their part to contain the spread of this deadly disease, they are also concerned with the economic toll this plan will have on their businesses and communities.”
Southwestern Illinois coronavirus cases
Since the pandemic began, a total of 1,863 people in the region have tested positive for COVID-19 and 135 have died.
Here are the statistics for southwestern Illinois counties as of Thursday:
- St. Clair: 805 positives, 66 deaths, 4,203 tests administered, 28 tests pending
- Madison: 465 positives, 39 deaths, 89 hospitalizations, 194 recoveries
- Clinton: 148 positives, 13 deaths, 768 tests administered, five hospitalizations, 41 recoveries
- Monroe: 83 positives, 11 deaths, 29 recoveries
- Washington: 16 positives, 14 recoveries
- Randolph: 237 positives, three deaths, 1,188 tests administered, five hospitalizations, 159 recoveries
- Bond: 11 positives, one death, 203 tests administered, six tests pending, six recoveries
- Jersey: 18 positives, one death, 10 recoveries
- Calhoun: One positive, one recovery
- Macoupin: 39 positives, one death, 877 tests administered, 22 tests pending, three hospitalizations, 28 recoveries
- Perry: 38 positives, 29 recoveries
Nation, world coronavirus cases
According to data from John Hopkins University, this is how many people have been affected by COVID-19 across the nation and world as of 5 p.m. Thursday:
- United States: 1,411,466 people tested positive; 246,414 people recovered; 85,489 people died
- World: 4,426,937 people tested positive; 1,578,135 people recovered; 301,160 people died
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 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 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 15, 2020 at 12:00 AM.
.jpg)
