URBANA – Since Aug. 16, when twice-a-week COVID-19 testing was made mandatory for students arriving back to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 679 positive COVID-19 cases have been identified among students, faculty and staff, according to the U of I’s public database. Most of these are among students who arrived back to campus already…
RANTOUL – At least eight migrant workers who were infected with COVID-19 waited several days before isolating because the company they worked for, Bayer, declined to pay for expedited tests, Champaign County health officials said. The company’s rejection came after its occupational health team had agreed to pay about $5,000 in quick testing for about…
As of last August 28, election officials in Illinois had received more than a million applications for vote-by-mail ballots for the November 3rd election. The high number was hoped for, as a new state law expands the use of mail voting as a way to curb the spread of COVID-19. The Illinois State Board of…
GREENVILLE – A private college in southern Illinois is working with the University of Illinois to evaluate the effectiveness of the U of I’s COVID-19 Shield program on containing the spread of the virus at a small, rural campus. The program relies on a rapid, saliva-based test developed by U of I researchers, as well…
CHAMPAIGN – Some Illinois school officials are upset that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has not extended waivers that would allow districts to continue serving free meals to all students under 18 years of age. In a typical school year, students must meet specific criteria to qualify for the USDA-operated National School Lunch Program. Families…
URBANA – The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign launched a public database Monday, which reports how many saliva-based COVID-19 tests are being performed on the campus each day — and how many positive cases have been identified. Out of 50,945 tests run on students, faculty and staff from Aug. 17 through Aug. 23, 311 positive…
URBANA – The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign begins its fall semester today, with tens of thousands of students back on campus for a mix of in-person and online classes. Things look different around campus, with students, faculty and staff expected to wear masks, practice social distancing and get tested for COVID-19 twice a week….
EDITOR’S NOTE, Sept. 29: This story is no longer up-to-date, as University of Illinois officials claimed the campus’ saliva-based test had received FDA emergency use authorization on Aug. 19, but an FDA spokesperson tells Illinois Newsroom the test has never operated under an EUA. For more information on the newly learned details, click here. URBANA –…
The Illinois State Board of Education is leaving it up to districts to decide how to reopen schools this fall. Some have chosen to continue remote learning, while others are bringing students back into classrooms amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. ISBE has strongly recommended that schools provide as much in-person instruction as possible. But state…
EDITOR’S NOTE, Sept. 29: This story is no longer up-to-date, as University of Illinois officials claimed the campus’ saliva-based test had received FDA emergency use authorization on Aug. 19, but an FDA spokesperson tells Illinois Newsroom the test has never operated under an EUA. For more information on the newly learned details, click here. CHAMPAIGN…
Michigan State, Notre Dame and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill have recently suspended in-person classes due to a spike in COVID-19 cases. New emergency orders affecting bars and restaurants in Champaign-Urbana are meant to prevent that from happening at the University of Illinois. The mayors of both Champaign and Urbana have issued orders requiring…
CHAMPAIGN – In the 2018 race for U.S. Representative of Illinois’ 13th congressional district, Betsy Dirksen Londrigan narrowly lost to Republican incumbent Rodney Davis. Now, the Springfield Democrat is making another run for Davis’ seat, and once again making access to health care her main issue. Hear Dirksen Londrigan’s interview via Zoom with Illinois Newsroom’s…
CHAMPAIGN – Twice-a-week COVID-19 testing is mandatory for all students, faculty and staff at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who intend to participate in campus life. Campus officials are now encouraging everyone on the Urbana campus to download and use the “Safer Illinois” app, which provides testing results, reminders and other personalized information. “We…
Illinois has now recorded more than 200,000 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic first arrived in the state.
URBANA – Gov. J.B. Pritzker visited a barbecue restaurant in Urbana Thursday to showcase the first round of grants from a new state program to help small businesses hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor says Illinois’ new Business Interruption Grants, or BIG, will help small businesses that haven’t been helped by the federal government’s…