Illinois Newsroom is working to find answers to questions we’ve received from listeners about the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some of those questions. Stay-at-home order updates Q: When will quarantine be over? Governor J.B. Pritzker extended the stay-at-home order through May 30. However, with the new order, some restrictions have been lifted. As of May…
Latinx Population Testing Positive For COVID-19 At Highest Rate In Illinois CHICAGO – Illinois saw 2,270 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, bringing the state’s total to 68,232. 136 additional deaths in the last day brings the total fatalities to 2,974. The state’s Latinx population is becoming the hardest hit, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health…
The meat processing plant hit with a coronavirus outbreak came under scrutiny by health officials in March before it was cited for being more than 90% out of compliance with infection control practices last week. Public health officials said they visited Rantoul Foods – which had 47 confirmed cases of Covid-19 as of May 5…
Gov. Pritzker: 5-Part Reopening Plan Dependent On Infections SPRINGFIELD — Illinois’ governor on Tuesday outlined a five-phase plan for reopening the state as the threat from COVID-19 subsides, but there were no surprises here — the speed with which normal activity returns still depends on vigilance against the coronavirus. Under pressure to show signs of…
CHICAGO – On Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a new plan to gradually re-open the state in five phases. Under the Restore Illinois plan, each of the state’s four regions would return to non-essential business and other normal operations based on meeting certain thresholds over time. “Restore Illinois is a public health plan to safely…
As states move toward reopening their economies, officials are emphasizing the need to expand their capacity to test for COVID-19. But many say their…
Thirty homelessness prevention organizations across Illinois will receive grants totaling a collective $340,000. The money will be distributed by affordable housing advocacy organization Housing Action Illinois, and most of it comes from donations to the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund. Of the total money granted, $50,000 comes from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, which received…
Gov. Pritzker Warns Illinois Cities That Re-Open Could Put Communities At Risk CHICAGO – Illinois reported 2,341 new cases of COVID-19 Monday, bringing the state total to 63,840. 46 additional deaths in the last day brings the total state fatalities to 2,662. Gov. J.B. Pritzker also responded to news that the mayor of East Peoria says…
This story has been updated on Tuesday May 5 at 12:00 p.m. to reflect updated case numbers. One of the largest meat processing plants in central Illinois is battling an outbreak of coronavirus in which 21 cases of Covid-19 have been already been counted, a company official confirmed Monday. By late afternoon, that number stood…
Amber McKeag says her son Darrin received little braille instruction before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Illinois. Now, she says, he doesn’t receive any. McKeag and her family live in a rural part of Mercer County, on the Iowa-Illinois border. Her son, Darrin, who is about to turn 10, suffers from Bardet-Biedl syndrome. As a result,…
Illinois Reaches Record High For COVID-19 Tests Performed in 24 Hours CHICAGO – In his daily briefing Sunday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a new record high for COVID-19 tests performed in Illinois in a single day: 19,417. The state is reporting 2,994 new cases, bringing the state total to 61,499. An additional 63 deaths were…
As the coronavirus outbreak hit Illinois, many county jails lacked a standard cell needed to isolate infected inmates who had a respiratory illness, according to a review by CU-CitizenAccess and the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting of annual jail inspections. The inspections, conducted in 2018 and 2019 by a division of the Illinois Department of…
The latest readings of the Flash Index show the Illinois economy quickly shifting from growth to contraction during the coronavirus pandemic. The Flash Index has been above 100 for the past eight years, indicating economic growth in Illinois during that period. But University of Illinois economist Fred Giertz says that all changed as coronavirus stay-at-home…
An Illinois environmental group is joining a coalition in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s rollback of certain water pollution regulations. The lawsuit argues that the Trump administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule would loosen protections put in place by the Clean Water Act—threatening water quality in wetlands and ephemeral streams. Champaign-based environmental group Prairie…
This weekend marks the opening of Market at the Square, Urbana’s outdoor farmers market held in the Lincoln Square Mall parking lot. Although it will open as scheduled, there will be social distancing measures in place to protect shoppers and vendors. For one, all shoppers are required to wear masks upon entry and are required…