The Rev. Jesse Jackson has canceled Saturday programming at the South Side headquarters of his Rainbow PUSH Coalition due to coronavirus concerns.
“Because COVID-19 is dangerous, we are shutting down our building this Saturday and are asking people to stay away from crowds and to follow the tips our elected and health officials are providing,” Jackson said in a news release.
The measure is cautionary; no one associated with the Rainbow PUSH is known to have the virus, according to spokeswoman Chinta Strausberg.
Several children’s programs normally take place on Saturdays, Strausberg said, noting the building will be closed not just this Saturday, but all Saturdays for the foreseeable future.
Jackson was slated to hold a news conference Friday at 2 p.m. about coronavirus awareness with health officials and other members of the faith community at Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters.
No further cancellations were scheduled, “but we’re taking this day by day,” Strausberg said.
Another sign Jackson, 78, is taking the pandemic seriously: He wore a medical mask this week while attending the African American Contractors Association awards gala at the South Shore Cultural Center.
