Coronavirus live blog, May 13, 2020: Common urges jail releases amid pandemic with #WeMatterToo video short

With 192 deaths in a 24-hour period, May 13 marked the worst single jump in fatalities during the coronavirus pandemic. Mayor Lori Lightfoot urged patience and warned that the reopening process of the city will be a gradual one.

Here’s what happened in the fight against the coronavirus in Chicago and around the state.

News

Common urges jail releases amid pandemic with #WeMatterToo video short: WATCH

Matt Sayles/Invision/AP

NEW YORK — Rapper and activist Common went into quarantine concerned about incarcerated people he has met during visits to jails, prisons and juvenile detention centers around the U.S. and who aren’t able to maintain social distance or adopt rigorous hygiene routines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“It’s a troubling time for them,” Common said, “because they are the people who usually are overlooked.”

On Wednesday, his criminal justice reform organization Imagine Justice launched a campaign with dozens of advocacy and activist groups calling attention to the threat that the coronavirus pandemic poses on millions of men, women and youths who are incarcerated in the U.S.

Read the full story and watch the video here.

7:35 p.m. Politicians pushing to reopen faster are ‘idiots,’ says expert, blaming those not following rules for continued rise in COVID-19 cases

An infectious disease expert from Chicago has a simple explanation for why the number of COVID-19 cases has continued to mount after strict social restrictions have been in place for nearly two months: “People aren’t following the rules.”

Dr. Robert Murphy, executive director of Northwestern University’s Institute of Global Health, warned that those disobeying the statewide stay-at-home order are exacerbating the public health crisis as he blasted the forces pushing to immediately reopen the economy.

“Look on the street. Only half of the people are wearing a mask,” Murphy said Wednesday. “There’s data from the phone companies about how people move. They’re moving around more. There’s definitely more traffic.”

While he said the pervasive toll is also attributable in part to increased testing and workers returning to their jobs, Murphy noted that keeping social distancing measures in place longer — and following them — is vitally important for beating back the coronavirus.

Read the full story by Tom Schuba here.

6:25 p.m. Wisconsin Supreme Court rules governor overstepped authority with stay-at-home extension

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Supreme Court has struck down Gov. Tony Evers’ order shutting down daily life to limit the spread of coronavirus – marking the first time a statewide order of its kind has been knocked down by a court of last resort.

The state’s highest court, which is controlled by conservatives, sided with Republican lawmakers Wednesday in a decision that curbed the Evers administration’s power to act unilaterally during public health emergencies.

The 4-3 decision was written by four of the court’s conservatives – Chief Justice Patience Roggensack and Justices Rebecca Bradley, Daniel Kelly and Annette Ziegler.

The court’s fifth conservative, Brian Hagedorn, wrote a dissent joined by the court’s two liberals, Ann Walsh Bradley and Rebecca Dallet. (The Bradleys are not related.)

The ruling, for now, immediately throws out the administration’s tool to control the disease for which there is no vaccine and comes at a time when Evers has already begun lifting some restrictions as the spread of the virus slows down for now.

It will force the Democratic governor and Republican-controlled Legislature to work together on the state’s response to the ebbs and flows of the outbreak – a dynamic the two sides have rarely been able to achieve before.

Read the full story here.

6:15 p.m. Lightfoot acknowledges differences with Pritzker during pandemic

Mayor Lori Lightfoot acknowledged Wednesday that she and Gov. J.B. Pritzker have disagreed while waging war against coronavirus, but they’ve tried to keep those differences in house.

While Lightfoot was on a brief spring break trip with her daughter, Pritzker was pressuring the mayor behind the scenes to call off the city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which the mayor did after cutting her vacation short.

When Pritzker closed schools across the state the first time around, he did it hours after Lightfoot vowed to keep Chicago Public Schools open.

When the decision was announced, Lightfoot did not join the governor. She told aldermen during a conference call that she was worried about security, but would have to live with Pritzker’s ruling and that the order was likely to drag on for longer than the April 7 deadline the governor set.

She was right. The governor ended up canceling in-classroom learning for the remainder of the school year, once again disappointing the mayor of a city where remote learning is more difficult because of the digital divide.

Read the full story from City Hall reporter Fran Spielman.

5:52 p.m. Cook County on pace to overtake Queens as county with most COVID-19 cases nationwide

Cook County has been the center of Illinois’ coronavirus outbreak, and now it’s on pace to become the county with the most COVID-19 cases of any across the United States.

As early as Thursday, Cook County could overtake Queens County, New York, as the county with the most cases, according to a Chicago Sun-Times analysis.

On Wednesday, Queens County reported 56,899 cases, according to data kept by Johns Hopkins University, while Cook County’s tally stood at 56,406 confirmed to have the virus.

But while data suggests New York’s outbreak is on a downward trend from its peak, Wednesday marked Illinois’ worst day yet with 192 coronavirus deaths. Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state health officials say the state could remain in a peak through June, with one projection estimating as many as 300 deaths per day.

Read the full story here.

5 p.m. Next phase of reopening Chicago will go slowly, keep lakefront closed, Lightfoot says

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday likened reopening Chicago to “slowly turning on a dimmer — “not flipping a light switch” — and said the leap to the city’s Phase 3 plan will not allow her to reopen the lakefront.

Last week, Lightfoot said people have been sending her “really interesting suggestions” about ways to reopen the lakefront — by doing it in phases and having segmented hours for particular activities.”

The mayor said she would consider those ideas whenever the city meets the rigid standards she has established to graduate to the so-called “Cautiously Reopen” Phase 3 of her five-step plan to slowly reopen the city.

But during a virtual speech to the Economic Club of Chicago, Lightfoot delivered a heavy dose of bad news to Chicagoans with spring and cabin fever: “Unfortunately at this point, we will not be ready to reopen our lakefront” because a “resurgence in cases is more than a risk. It is a very real possibility we need to be prepared for.”

Read the full story from City Hall reporter Fran Spielman.

4:35 p.m. Illinois suffers worst COVID-19 day yet: 192 deaths in 24 hours

Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Photo (file photo)

Illinois saw its deadliest day yet from COVID-19, with another 192 Illinoisans losing their lives, officials said Wednesday. It marks the highest death toll in a 24-hour period since the virus began its spread.

In total, 3,792 people have died from the coronavirus in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Public Health also reported 1,677 new cases, bringing the state’s total to 84,698. The state received 17,668 test results and has performed 489,359 total tests.

Wednesday also marked the 16th day with more than 100 lives lost, and resumed an especially deadly period for the virus in Illinois, bringing the number dead this month alone to 1,459.

On Tuesday, officials reported 144 deaths, a count higher than the previous two days, when the state saw fewer than 100 deaths each day. The governor’s administration released new projections on Monday from researchers that indicate the state will see a range of 50 to 150 deaths into June or July. Northwestern University, one of three universities involved in the state’s projections, has predicted a more dire range of 50 to 300 deaths.

Read the full story by Tina Sfondeles here.

4:04 p.m. DuPage sees ‘unusual spike’ in overdose deaths during coronavirus pandemic: coroner

The DuPage County coroner is reporting an “unusual spike” in overdose deaths in the past month that may be tied to increased isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the last three weeks, 20 people in DuPage have died from opioid overdoses, Coroner Richard Jorgensen said in a statement. Some days saw multiple die from overdoses, he said.

By comparison, in all of 2019 the west suburban county saw 96 opioid overdoses.

“We do not know if this is due to a change in the makeup of the drugs, drug usage on the streets or due to current COVID-19 related changes in society,” Jorgensen said.

“After review of the social aspects of the recent deaths, many of those who died were living alone, having personal or marital difficulty, depression and recent drug rehab or treatment.”

Read the full story here.

3:26 p.m. Federal judge denies another bid to let churches worship despite Pritzker’s order

A federal judge shot down Wednesday another religious challenge to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, this time from a pair of churches that sought to conduct worship services with social-distancing guidelines in place.

U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman denied a request for a temporary restraining order in the case, writing in a 12-page opinion that Pritzker’s order “has nothing to do with suppressing religion and everything to do with reducing infections and saving lives.”

Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church in Chicago and Logos Baptist Ministries in Niles asked for a temporary restraining order Friday. Their lawsuit — one of a handful to challenge Pritzker’s orders — also pointed to the governor’s Restore Illinois plan. It laid out proposed social distancing guidelines the churches would implement if allowed to move forward.

State lawyers objected, pointing to an earlier ruling in federal court in which a church in Lena unsuccessfully sought a temporary restraining order blocking Pritzker’s edicts.

Read the full story here.

3:10 p.m. 5,000 face masks handed out in Little Village

Little Village lawmakers handed out 5,000 blue surgical masks at a neighborhood bank’s parking lot Wednesday with the hopes of curbing the spread of COVID-19 in what has become a major hotspot for the coronavirus in Illinois.

Ald. Mike Rodriguez (22nd) said the high caseload in Little Village is a reflection of the high number of “essential” workers who live in the predominantly Latino neighborhood.

“The biggest issue we have is that a lot residents who are deemed to work ‘essential’ jobs in industries where the proximity of workers lead to higher rates of the virus,” he said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the ZIP code that encompasses most of Little Village reported 2,210 cases of COVID-19 — more than any other ZIP code in the state, according to data released by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Read the full story here.

2:25 p.m. Madigan’s office outlines rules for state legislators’ return to Springfield

The Illinois House will reconvene next week at the Bank of Springfield Center to take up the state’s budget and other pressing issues during the pandemic.

House Democrats were told many of the details during a virtual caucus Wednesday morning, a day after Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he wants legislators back to both approve a budget and try to work on a state plan to help businesses and unemployed people.

Legislators will return May 20, according to a source. Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s chief of staff Jessica Basham outlined some rules attached to the unusual call to session, including that legislators must travel individually and also stay in individual hotel rooms.

No companions are allowed and there will be minimum number of staffers allowed on the floor of the convention center. The public will be allowed in the mezzanine only, and there will be a separate entrance for staffers, the source said.

Legislators will also have to wear face coverings at all times, and “cloth-based face masks” will be provided to those who don’t have one. Illinois State Police will serve as security for the session, the source said.

Read the full story by Tina Sfondeles here.

1:42 p.m. Preckwinkle offers plan to delay fees on late property tax bills

Homeowners would get a two-month waiver of fees on late property tax bills, under a plan unveiled Wednesday by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

“These are incredibly difficult times for our residents and this measure creates much-needed breathing room for Cook County property owners,” Preckwinkle said in a statement. “With residents and businesses facing so many challenges and difficulties because of the coronavirus, waiving late fees on property taxes is the right thing to do right now. This can keep residents in their homes and allow businesses much needed time to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Second installment of property taxes are due Aug. 3, but under the plan, homeowners could wait to pay until Oct. 1, without fear of fees. Typically, homeowners are charged a fee of 1.5% of the total taxes owed for every month the taxes are late arriving at the Cook County treasurer’s office.

Read the full report here.

11:11 a.m. Mysterious inflammatory syndrome striking kids in NY may be related to COVID-19

Amber Dean had recovered from a mild bout of the coronavirus and her family of five had just ended their home quarantine when her oldest son, 9-year-old Bobby, fell ill.

“At first it was nothing major, it seemed like a tummy bug, like he ate something that didn’t agree with him,” said Dean, who lives with her husband and three young children in the western New York town of Hornell. “But by the next day, he couldn’t keep anything down and his belly hurt so bad he couldn’t sit up.”

At the local hospital emergency room, doctors suspected an appendix infection and sent him home with instructions to see his pediatrician.

It was only later, after Bobby’s condition took an alarming turn for the worse, that doctors realized he was among the small but growing number of children with a mysterious inflammatory syndrome thought to be related to the virus.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that New York is now investigating about 100 cases of the syndrome, which affects blood vessels and organs and has symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease and toxic shock. Three children in the state have died and Cuomo advised all hospitals to prioritize COVID-19 testing for children presenting with symptoms.

In New York City, which has reported at least 52 children sick with the syndrome, Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday urged parents to call their pediatricians promptly if their children show symptoms including persistent fever, rash, abdominal pain and vomiting.

Read the full report here.

10:13 a.m. Paul Manafort released from prison due to virus concerns

Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s onetime presidential campaign chairman who was convicted as part of the special counsel’s Russia investigation, has been released from federal prison to serve the rest of his sentence in home confinement due to concerns about the coronavirus, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Manafort, 71, was released Wednesday morning from FCI Loretto, a low-security prison in Pennsylvania, according to his attorney, Todd Blanche. Manafort had been serving more than seven years in prison following his conviction.

His lawyers had asked the Bureau of Prisons to release him to home confinement, arguing that he was at high risk for coronavirus because of his age and preexisting medical conditions. Manafort was hospitalized in December with a heart-related condition, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press at the time.

Read the full story here.

9:18 a.m. Status of Summer: What Chicago festivals, events are canceled, postponed

The coronavirus pandemic and Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s shelter-in-place order have dramatically altered everyone’s summer plans. Summer festivals, a staple of Chicago neighborhoods, have been forced to cancel or move their event to later in the year.

We’re tracking the status of the city’s festival and major events throughout the area as new cancellations and postponements roll in. We’ll be updating this list each time a new schedule change is announced.

Follow our live tracker here.

7:40 a.m. Chinese Americans in Chicago donate 1 million surgical masks to city’s first-responders

A group of Chinese American businessmen has donated 1 million surgical masks to first-responders and others in Chicago, saying Chicagoans did the same thing for China when the coronavirus emerged there at the beginning of the year.

“We are grateful to the frontline responders who are risking their well-being to protect Chicago neighborhoods,” said Citadel Securities CEO Peng Zhao, who organized the donation with his wife Cherry Chen.

The effort follows months of President Donald Trump blaming China for the pandemic.

On Monday, when a Chinese American reporter asked the president why he sees testing for the coronavirus as a “global competition,” he responded, “Maybe that’s a question you should ask China.” On Tuesday, Trump tweeted: “Asian Americans are VERY angry at what China has done to our Country, and the World. Chinese Americans are the most angry of all.”

Zhao and more than a dozen other Chinese American businessmen bought the masks and asked the University of Chicago Crime Lab to help distribute them.

Read the full story from Frank Main here.

6:36 a.m. Potbelly considers shutting 100 sandwich shops amid coronavirus pandemic

Potbelly, the Chicago-based chain of sandwich shops, said Tuesday it is considering whether to close 100 locations, or about 23% of its total, as it scrambles to cut costs because of the pandemic.

CEO Alan Johnson discussed the potential closings in his report of the company’s first-quarter earnings. Potbelly said it saw a dramatic downturn in its results once the coronavirus, which has forced closure of restaurant dining rooms, spread widely in the U.S. during March.

Johnson said its same-stores sales for January and February were up from the year before but then took a 68% dive during March. The company quickly furloughed a third of its corporate staff and cut corporate salaries, including those of top executives, by 25%.

Read the full report here.

6:10 a.m. Chinese Americans in Chicago donate 1 million surgical masks to city’s first-responders

A group of Chinese American businessmen has donated 1 million surgical masks to first-responders and others in Chicago, saying Chicagoans did the same thing for China when the coronavirus emerged there at the beginning of the year.

“We are grateful to the frontline responders who are risking their well-being to protect Chicago neighborhoods,” said Citadel Securities CEO Peng Zhao, who organized the donation with his wife Cherry Chen.

The effort follows months of President Donald Trump blaming China for the pandemic.

On Monday, when a Chinese American reporter asked the president why he sees testing for the coronavirus as a “global competition,” he responded, “Maybe that’s a question you should ask China.” On Tuesday, Trump tweeted: “Asian Americans are VERY angry at what China has done to our Country, and the World. Chinese Americans are the most angry of all.”

Zhao and more than a dozen other Chinese American businessmen bought the masks and asked the University of Chicago Crime Lab to help distribute them.

Read the full story from Frank Main here.

New cases

• Another 144 people have died of COVID-19 in Illinois, raising the state’s death toll to 3,601. Tuesday also marked a record-high number of new cases — 4,014 — although Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office said that positive count came from 29,266 tests results.
• Chicago police announced Tuesday two more cases of COVID-19, bringing the number of cases in the department to 504.
• A Lake County judge tested positive for COVID-19.
• Seven more COVID-19 cases were reported in Chicago Police Department.
• Two people are dead among 85 workers at CPS schools who have tested positive for COVID-19, officials say.

Analysis & Commentary

1:20 p.m. Future COVID-19 vaccine will be effective only if we insist on its widespread use

Charles Berg, a Hyde Park resident, wrote this letter to the Sun-Times editors:

In Wednesday’s Chicago Sun-Times, columnist Lynn Sweet wrote about the future availability of a vaccine and an editorial discussed the concept of “herd immunity,” in which vaccination would play a significant role. Both pieces failed to mention one significant — and troubling — point: the strength of the anti-vaccination movement in the US.

“Vaccine hesitancy” has many bases. Among them are religious and ethical concerns, anti-scientific and anti-medical biases and conspiracy theories. Some individuals complaining that social-distancing measures are a plot against our civil liberties also are active in the anti-vaccination movement.

Despite concerns, vaccination has provided significant protection in the past several centuries against many diseases that used to devastate human populations. Polio, smallpox and measles are examples of diseases driven almost to extinction by vaccination programs. Yet there have been recent resurgences; for example, worldwide measles cases increased by 30% in 2019. Such outbreaks can cost lives and millions of dollars to combat. I encourage readers to consult the data in articles online.

The bottom line is that a failure to use an available vaccine can result in outbreaks of disease and deaths that could have been prevented. To not vaccinate is to threaten the health of others. That is why proof of polio vaccination is normally required of children entering school.

Once a COVID-19 vaccine is developed, we may be faced with mandating its use.

Read this and more letters to the editor here.

6:18 a.m. Can we agree — when COVID-19 vaccines arrive, they need to be free?

Everybody agrees we need a COVID-19 vaccine. Multiple potential vaccines to save us from the coronavirus infections are in development. Can we agree on something else — when vaccines arrive, they need to be free?

Don’t be sidetracked because it was Sen. Bernie Sanders who pressed this point at a Tuesday hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Sanders, the Vermont Independent, made universal health insurance a centerpiece of his Democratic presidential bid.

This is not about Sanders. This is not about overhauling our health coverage system. Don’t get distracted.

A vaccine works if almost everybody gets it. That’s why schools have immunization requirements. You can’t enroll a kid in a Chicago Public School without a polio vaccine.

The Hispanic community in Chicago is particularly hard hit. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, D-Ill., who has been scrambling for solutions, told me, “Access to a future coronavirus vaccine, once it’s developed, must be readily available to all segments of society, including immigrants, regardless of their ability to pay.”

If everybody has insurance, a preventative vaccine would likely be covered. If everybody has extra cash, paying for a vaccine may not be a big deal.

But everybody doesn’t have insurance or cash.

Read the full column from Lynn Sweet here.