Daywatch: End to social distancing and capacity limits nears, the Rev. Pfleger returns to St. Sabina and what to know as farmers markets come back

Nicole Stock, Chicago Tribune
·3 min read

Good morning, Chicago. Yesterday, state officials reported 342 new and probable cases of COVID-19 and 37 additional deaths. There were 48,500 doses of the vaccine administered Saturday, and the seven-day rolling average of daily doses is 37,455.

Meanwhile, as the nation gets closer to President Joe Biden’s goal of 70% vaccination by July 4, the question remains about how long the protection from the shots will last, and whether or not we’ll need a booster shot. Here’s what we know so far.

And in other news, the high temperatures this past weekend brought an early summer to Chicago. Here’s how our Tribune photographers captured people enjoying the warm weather.

— Nicole Stock, audience editor

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Gov. J.B. Pritzker says state’s June 11 reopening means an end to capacity limits, social distancing requirements: ‘Illinois will soon resume life as we knew it before’

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday made official what he’s been saying for months: Nearly all coronavirus-related restrictions on businesses and activities will be rescinded when the state enters the final phase of his reopening plan.

The state will lift remaining capacity limits, social distancing requirements and health screening mandates on June 11, removing the rules for the first time since Pritzker’s stay-at-home order went into effect in March 2020.

‘It’s good to be home’: The Rev. Pfleger returns to St. Sabina pulpit

The Rev. Michael Pfleger returned to a packed and jubilant crowd yesterday at St. Sabina Church — his first time leading a congregation in five months.

The long-tenured South Side priest famous for his activism had been sidelined from the pulpit as the Archdiocese of Chicago investigated complaints by two brothers who alleged in January that Pfleger sexually abused them in the early 1970s when they were minors. Pfleger was reinstated in May as senior pastor at St. Sabina, which celebrated his anticipated return at a morning service.

Summer school? Parents and teachers are just saying no, despite COVID-19 learning loss and federal relief funds to pay for it.

Despite the chance to tap into the roughly $8 billion in COVID-19 funds heading to Illinois schools, officials are finding it tough to recruit exhausted teachers and students for summer programs after a grueling school year like no other.

‘I can feel the clouds lifting.’ Many long-haul COVID patients report improvement post-vaccination, surprising medical experts.

A new phenomenon has surprised — and elated — medical experts: A growing number of COVID-19 “long-haulers,” those with lingering long-term symptoms linked to the virus, are reporting sudden improvement after getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

Initial research has found that 30% to 40% of these patients describe some symptom relief post-vaccination, the latest medical mystery posed by the new virus.

Farmers markets in Chicago adapted with preorders and no-touch shopping during COVID-19. Here’s what they’ll look like as Illinois reopens.

Produce lovers and farmers alike are celebrating the full-fledged return of farmers markets in the Chicago area this year. Not only are they beginning on schedule, but with COVID-19 restrictions lifting in Chicago on June 11 along with the rest of the state, farmers markets are once again serving as a place for neighbors to connect as a community. And while it’s a relief for vendors whose livelihoods depend on a robust schedule of markets, the 2021 season debuts a little differently than its pre-pandemic format. Here’s what you need to know.