What you need to know about coronavirus and how it’s affecting southwestern Illinois
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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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Some high school students have been asked to self-quarantine, community centers for senior citizens have been closed, on-campus college classes have been suspended and events across the metro-east have been postponed as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus.
These are some of the ways everyday life is being affected by the virus, although there are no known cases of COVID-19, or coronavirus disease 2019, in the metro-east as of Thursday afternoon.
Here’s a roundup of what you need to know about the coronavirus:
What has been canceled in the metro-east?
Events include the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Belleville and other activities planned with the parade on Saturday. The canceled Belleville events include the Lucky Leprechaun 5K, the Ancient Order of Hibernians St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the Main Street Block Party.
The events will be rescheduled for a later date.
“City leaders along with leadership from the partnering organizations have decided it is in the best interest of the public and our city employees to delay the annual celebration,” said Mayor Mark Eckert said in a news release. “We want everyone to remain safe and use good judgment when managing our daily lives in the current environment.”
Also postponed are the March 19 Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois annual awards dinner, which will be rescheduled in the fall, and the 70th Annual Belle Scott Enlisted Dinner, which had been scheduled for Thursday night. A new date will be announced.
How are schools affected?
High school and elementary school classes have not been canceled in the metro-east but area colleges have altered their schedules.
Lindenwood University-Belleville said all on-campus classes will be switched to “virtual classes” until March 29.
“Residential students, who are on spring break through March 15, are strongly encouraged not to return to campus if possible,” the school said in a news release.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is extending spring break for on-campus students by one week through Sunday, March 22 because of the coronavirus.
“Until March 23, all in-person instruction and on-campus learning is suspended,” the university said in a news release.
McKendree University announced Thursday that all classes will resume online on Wednesday, March 18 and this will last until April 5. However, the regular online classes will start as scheduled on Monday.
Lindenwood, SIUE and McKendree all said there are no known cases of COVID-19 on their respective campuses.
What about high school sports?
The Illinois High School Association announced Thursday that it will limit attendance at the remaining state basketball playoff games to reduce the potential spread of coronavirus.
Sixty spectators per participating school will be allowed in the arena for each game at this weekend’s class 1A and class 2A boys basketball state finals.
What’s the status of East St. Louis students who took a trip to Chicago?
Twenty-three students from the Wyvetter Younge Alternative High School in East St. Louis returned from a trip to Chicago on Wednesday, and they have been asked to stay at home for up to 14 days, according to District 189 spokeswoman Sydney Stigge-Kaufman.
The students visited a number of places that included the possibility of encountering people from areas that have been affected by the coronavirus. The request for the students to self-quarantine was made as a precautionary measure.
How is this affecting community centers for seniors?
The Illinois Department of Aging has asked all Area Agencies on Aging to immediately suspend all group activities for senior citizens because older adults are among the “highest risk population group for becoming seriously ill from COVID-19.”
What about large crowds?
Gov. J.B. Pritzker mandated Thursday that no crowds over 1,000 should gather for the next 30 days in addition to canceling all major sporting events until May 1 to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
“The guidance I am issuing today is for the entire state of Illinois,” Pritzker said at his daily COVID-19 press briefing.
Also on Thursday, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson declared a public health emergency in St. Louis and banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people. The prohibition will go into effect immediately and remain until further notice. However, day-to-day school activities and religious events in the area are exempt from the ban.
What will happen with the Illinois primary on Tuesday?
For now, the primary will be conducted as scheduled.
However, three polling stations at senior living homes have officially been moved to alternative venues as a precaution in Madison and St. Clair counties.
Belleville Precinct #34, located at Westfield Manor senior living apartments, was the most recent of the three. St. Clair County Clerk Tom Holbrook said the polling location has been reassigned to the St. Clair County Housing Authority building at 1790 S. 74th St. in Belleville, just down the street from the apartments.
In Madison County, polling locations at Asbury Village in Godfrey and Meridian Village in Glen Carbon, both senior living centers, also were moved, according to Madison County Clerk Debbie Ming-Mendoza’s office.
How many people have been infected?
There no known cases of the coronavirus in the metro-east. In Illinois, the state Department of Public Health has been tracking the cases statewide and as of Thursday, there were seven new confirmed cases for a total of 32 cases in Cook, Kane and McHenry counties.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 36 people have died nationwide and there were 1,215 confirmed cases of the virus as of Thursday.
The virus was first identified in China this winter and is known as COVID-19, or coronavirus disease 2019.
What precautions should I take?
Dr. Clay Dunagan, the chief clinical officer for St. Louis-based BJC Healthcare and a professor in the infectious disease division at Washington University, has told the BND the ways to stop the spread of the coronavirus in the public are similar to the advice doctors give you to prevent the spread of flu.
▪ Keep your hands washed.
▪ Don’t touch your face.
▪ Try to stay away from people who are ill.
▪ If you get sick with a cold or respiratory infection, stay home, don’t go out in public.
▪ If you cough or sneeze, since that’s the dominant way to transmit the virus, use a tissue to keep particles from getting into the air.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 2:58 PM.
