Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what’s happening Friday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area
Illinois health officials Thursday announced 6,652 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 88 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 1,052,682 and the statewide death toll to 17,928 since the start of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden used a televised speech to unveil a $1.9 trillion coronavirus plan that includes $1,400 checks for most Americans, drawing praise from Gov. J.B. Pritzker and others.
And Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she wants the city’s bars and restaurants to reopen for indoor service “as soon as possible” and plans to discuss the issue with Pritzker.
Ultimately, it’s Pritzker who will make a decision about when bars and restaurants can reopen for indoor service. The city can set rules that are stricter than the state’s but not rules that are looser.
Additionally, Chicago will have six mass COVID-19 vaccinations sites up and running by next week, increasing the city’s capacity to give up to 25,000 shots per week, Lightfoot said Thursday. But the mayor again said the city isn’t receiving enough vaccines from the federal government, noting that it would take a year and a half to vaccinate the entire city at the current pace of distribution.
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Here’s what’s happening Friday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
7:05 a.m.: Preckwinkle to join Pritzker for COVID-19 update
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle will join Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday for the governor’s occasional coronavirus update, according to their offices.
Preckwinkle and Pritzker were scheduled to give an update on COVID-19 in a downtown media briefing midday. When he’s ventured out of town to give briefings, Pritzker and state health officials often have been joined by local health authorities and elected officials, and Chicago-area officials have joined the state briefings from time to time to discuss coronavirus restrictions or aspects of the fight against the pandemic.
In a statement late Thursday, Pritzker endorsed President-elect Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan, saying that he looks “forward to partnering with the Biden administration to accelerate vaccine efforts, protect the health of Illinoisans, provide meaningful economic support to our workers and small businesses and put COVID-19 behind us once and for all.”
Officials did not disclose any particular topic for Friday’s briefing, but many briefings lately have centered on the progress of COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
Check back for updates. — Chicago Tribune staff
6:40 a.m.: Did the COVID-19 pandemic affect George McCaskey’s decision to keep Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy? Yes and no, the Chicago Bears chairman says.
In early September, when many across the NFL still wondered if the league would be able to pull off a 17-week season amid the second surge of COVID-19, Chicago Bears Chairman George McCaskey was asked how the pandemic might affect his evaluation of Ryan Pace in 2020.
The answer then was that how Pace responded to the challenges of running a football team under the unusual circumstances most certainly would play into how McCaskey viewed the Bears general manager.
So it was no surprise Wednesday when McCaskey said the Bears’ handling of COVID-19 precautions over the last 10 months was a notable factor in deciding to bring back Pace and coach Matt Nagy for another season in 2021.
From August on, the Bears had nine players test positive for COVID-19. Four were on the active roster at the time of their positive test and one was a starter — center/guard Cody Whitehair. Three more players were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list because of close contacts.
The Bears announced only one coach, offensive line coach Juan Castillo, as having to miss a game because of being a close contact. Personnel within team buildings also were tested, but the results of those tests were not made public beyond general league numbers the NFL released each week.
Read the full story here. — Colleen Kane
6:35 a.m.: Pickleball has been a popular pandemic activity in Hinsdale. Perhaps too popular.
Hinsdale parks were busier than ever last year with the cancellation of so many other activities and events due to the pandemic, park officials said. And the pickleball courts, which opened in 2019, were also heavily used.
“Residents in the area will tell you the courts start(ing) at about 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m., they are just continually being used,” said Heather Bereckis, Hinsdale’s superintendent of parks and recreation.
The village parks and recreation department did a survey asking people who play on the pickleball courts in Brook Park, at Columbia and Third Street, for feedback.
The department has scheduled time for open or round robin play, in which people who show up take turns playing games, often getting in line by placing their racquet in the chain link fence.
But players have said that no one adheres to the schedule. Read the full story here. — Kimberly Fornek, Pioneer Press
<mark class="hl_blue">In case you missed it</mark>
Here are some recent stories related to COVID-19:
Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion coronavirus plan that includes $1,400 checks for most Americans.
As new COVID-19 cases emerge in CPS, families pleaded for reinstatement of locked-out teachers.
Illinois House members were told to self-quarantine after a positive coronavirus test at Springfield convention center.
Chicago’s health commissioner said the city will keep using COVID-19 tests that FDA says can give false negatives.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she’s pushing for Chicago bars and restaurants to reopen for indoor dining “as quickly as possible.”
