It’s official: Mayor Lightfoot closed the Chicago lakefront, the city’s many parks and the 6060. Now Chicagoans will have no choice but to obey the state’s stay-at-home order.

That’s not all that went down today. Here’s what happened in coronavirus news around Chicago and the state.

News

8:55 p.m. Little Village dress shop switches to making face masks during coronavirus shutdown

Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

It was Friday morning, March 20, and the dressmakers at Novias Davila were altering about a dozen dresses so they’d be ready for final fittings.

By that afternoon, Gov. J.B. Prtizker had issued his stay-at-home order, shutting down all non-essential businesses.

But if the Little Village shop’s normal work isn’t officially essential, it has kept its employees busy making one item that is: face masks.

“We heard on the news that there was a shortage of masks and we really wanted to help our community the only way we know how,” said manager Patty Navarro. “So we started making masks in a way to help our community overcome this.”

Canceling those final fittings was a costly move. This is the start of a busy time for the Little Village shop, with hundreds of pending orders during the peak wedding and quinceañera season.

Reporter Manny Ramos has more on Novias Davila’s story.

8:23 p.m. Stuck-at-home Chicagoans have rushed to foster animals

Provided

Applications to foster pets have skyrocketed in Chicago, a blessing for some nonprofit animal shelters trying to free up space in case they are called on for the short-term care of pets whose owners become hospitalized because of the coronavirus.

“We’re anticipating there might be a need for emergency sheltering,” said Lydia Krupinski, chief programs officer at The Anti-Cruelty Society, which is on the Near North Side.

About 300 kennel spots were open as of Wednesday, she said.

The feat was accomplished by placing four times the regular amount of foster animals in the past two weeks. A total of 152 pets found temporary homes in that time — seven rabbits, 64 dogs and 77 cats. (It would have been 78 cats, but a kitten named Porcupine was returned because it didn’t get along with a blind dog)

First-time foster applicants took in about half of the animals. Foster applications have also increased tenfold in the past two weeks, creating a waiting list of more than 300, Krupinski said.

See some of the cute foster pets and read reporter Mitch Dudek’s full story here.

8:11 p.m. UIC testing antiviral drug against the coronavirus as hospital sees ‘surge’ of cases

The University of Illinois at Chicago is on the front line in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic after staff began testing an antiviral drug Wednesday that could help hospitalized patients fight the coronavirus.

Dr. Richard Novak, chief of infectious disease at the university, said a study the school is participating in will help determine whether remdesivir, an antiviral drug that was initially tested against ebola in West Africa, could lead to more positive outcomes for COVID-19 patients.

Half of the patients in the double-blind study will receive a placebo and the other half will receive remdesivir, with the results being sent to the National Institutes of Health. UIC is one of about 75 testing sites for the drug, Novak said, along with Northwestern University.

“We don’t know if it works,” Novak said Thursday. “It could be a total failure, but if you don’t do this type of testing, you won’t know the answer.”

Reporter Matthew Hendrickson has the full story.

7:58 p.m. City looking at using McCormick Place East for hospital overflow

Bracing for a flood of up to 40,000 hospitalizations, Chicago may set up thousands of beds at the McCormick Place East building to help area hospitals deal with the coronavirus outbreak, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Thursday.

In the coming weeks, the pandemic could lead to “40,000 people who require acute care in a hospital setting. That number will break our hospital system,” the mayor told reporters at a news conference called to announce her unprecedented decision to shut down some of Chicago’s most popular gathering spots, including the lakefront.

Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said there are “dozens and dozens of patients right now in intensive care units on ventilators in Chicago.” Hospitals “do have capacity right now, but they may not very soon.”

Reporter Fran Spielman has the full story.

7:24: p.m. New application schedule for unemployment could speed up claims, officials say

Facing an unprecedented influx of Illinoisans applying for unemployment benefits in the wake of the COVID-19 shutdown, state officials Thursday announced a new application schedule to help speed up claims to the overloaded system.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security is now asking people whose last names start with the letters A through M to file claims online on Sundays, Tuesdays or Thursdays.

Last names beginning with N through Z should file claims on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays.

Saturdays are set aside for people who aren’t able to file during their allotted time, officials said.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has urged people to submit their claims online if possible, but the flood of people left out of work under his stay-at-home order has crashed the state system in recent days. More than 130,000 people have filed claims so far this month, four times the number who applied over the same period last year.

Officials say they’ve beefed up the claims system with new hardware infrastructure, expanded web storage capacity and extended call center hours.

People without internet access are asked to call in to file claims under the following schedule:

— Last names beginning A through M, on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.

— Last names N through Z, On Mondays and Wednesdays between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.

— Between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Fridays for those who can’t file during their allotted time.

— Mitch Armentrout

7:03 p.m. How much will you get in coronavirus aid? Here’s a calculator to help you find out

The Senate passed a $2 trillion coronavirus aid bill to help jumpstart the economy by cutting checks to individuals and businesses. It may sound too good to be true, but according to the Washington Post, more than 80% of Americans will receive a check.

According to the bill, adults with annual incomes of up to $75,000 should receive $1,200, plus another $500 per child. Those making more than $75,000 may also receive a check if they meet certain criteria. The money will be dispersed in April using either direct deposit or mailed checks.

So how much will you receive?

The Post created an easy calculator help individuals, couples and families determine how much the can expect to receive. You can access that calculator here and see a list of frequently asked questions.

— Alison Martin

6:33 p.m. Distillery donates 200 gallons of hand sanitizer to CFD

Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

Ravenswood-based KOVAL Distillery donated 200 gallons of hand sanitizer to the Chicago Fire Department on Thursday as the city’s number of coronavirus cases rises daily.

”This is a great, great gift — an opportunity to make sure that we have more than enough hand sanitizer,” said Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Richard C. Ford II.

As of Thursday afternoon, four CFD firefighters had tested positive for coronavirus and 15 were quarantined, Ford said, adding that the first person that tested positive within the department has already returned to work.

”Everybody is good right now, they’re a little worried, of course, because this is something new,” he said. “But this is not our first time with a disease — we went through H1N1, Ebola, MERS, MRSA, SARS — so, we’ll get through this.”

Distillery co-founder Sonat Birnecker Hart said KOVAL, known for its organic and kosher whiskeys, brandies, and liqueurs, started making the alcohol-based hand sanitizer last week and started donating it to first responders and retirement communities on Monday.

By Thursday, the company was manufacturing about 600 gallons of hand sanitizer every day and had temporarily halted production of whiskey, she said.

”I feel like this is a war and this is a war effort,” Hart said, adding that the company is “very lucky to be in a position to actually do something.”

Alongside KOVAL, Romeoville-based Magid Glove & Safety donated more than 2,000 respiratory masks and more than 40,000 gloves to CFD.

— Ashlee Rezin-Garcia

5:52 p.m. R. Kelly again trying to get out of jail — pointing this time to the coronavirus

Singer R. Kelly is launching a new bid for freedom based on the coronavirus outbreak, telling a federal judge he plans to live with girlfriend Joycelyn Savage in the South Loop if he gets out of jail.

However, other requests for release based on the virus have found little success so far in Chicago’s federal court. No confirmed cases have surfaced yet at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, where Kelly is being held. And Kelly faces the daunting task of persuading two judges — one in Chicago and one in Brooklyn — that he should walk free.

In fact, Kelly’s lawyers wrote in their 18-page motion filed in Chicago Thursday that they’d prefer the judge in Brooklyn rule first, to make sure Kelly did not just wind up “in the same unhealthy conditions, just in New York.”

Reporter Jon Seidel has the full report.

5:03 p.m. Chicagoans startled by emergency alert announcing lakefront closure

The city of Chicago issued an emergency alert just before 3:30 p.m. Thursday notifying all residents that the lakefront, adjacent parks and beaches, and other major outdoor recreation areas would be closed to the public until further notice.

The emergency notification popping up on Chicagoans’ cellphones jarred some city residents, who flooded Twitter with screenshots and expressions of anxiety:

On Thursday morning, Chicago police cleared the Lakefront Trail and beaches after an order from Mayor Lightfoot went into effect at 8 a.m.

“Dear God, stay home. Save lives,” the mayor demanded at a press conference Thursday afternoon. “Folks, we can’t mess around with this one second longer.”

Reporter Fran Spielman has more details on Lightfoot’s move to close the Riverwalk, 606 and lakefront.

4:12 p.m. Big Star relief program serving up free meals, groceries to out-of-work restaurant workers

Jolea Brown

Chicago’s culinary community is hurting. And Chicago is coming to the rescue.

With the closure of all dining rooms in Illinois due to the coronavirus outbreak, restaurant workers are feeling the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. On a broader scale, 13 million restaurant employees across the country — from dish washers to kitchen staff to front-of-house staff — are out of work for the foreseeable future.

Diners across the greater Chicago area are helping the industry with a flood of carryout orders, delivery and curbside pickup.

And in Chicago, a major culinary initiative is now in place to help ease some of the economic hardship facing unemployed restaurant workers.

Miriam Di Nunzio has more on this program. Check it out here.

2:43 p.m. Trump grants Illinois request for disaster declaration

President Donald Trump Thursday approved Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s requested Illinois Disaster Declaration, opening up a flow of federal resources in the wake of the state’s costly response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The disaster status will allow federal funding to be available for crisis counseling for affected individuals across the state of Illinois, according to a release from the White House.

Washington Bureau Chief Lynn Sweet has more details.

2:39 p.m. Pritzker dips into his millions to help nonprofits— as Illinois announces another seven COVID-19 deaths

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday planned to announce a fund to help the state’s nonprofits during the coronavirus outbreak, which will include millions from his own fortune and be chaired by his sister, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.

The governor’s office said Pritzker’s fund — of which he has contributed $2 million — will help nonprofits who are providing assistance with food and housing during the coronavirus response.

Also on Thursday, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Illinois public health chief, announced an additional 673 new cases, bringing the state’s total to 2,538 cases. She also reported another seven deaths, with Illinois’ death count at 26.

Read the full story from Tina Sfondeles.

1:40 p.m. ‘Dear God, stay home’ Lightfoot says after closing Lakefront Trail, 606

In a press conference Thursday afternoon, Mayor Lightfoot did not mince her words after closing the Lakefront Trail and 606.

“Stay home. Save lives,” the mayor demanded. “Folks, we can’t mess around with this one second longer.”

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Lightfoot said she was forced to close the public spaces because asking people to voluntarily stay home and avoid groups simply was not working.

“If you don’t stay home . . . we will be headed for a situation like what we are seeing play out in New York,” Lightfoot added. “We could be expecting upwards of 40,000 hospitalizations in the coming weeks,” she said. “That number would break the back of our health care system.”

City Hall reporter Fran Spielman has more.

1:23 p.m. Francesca’s restaurants offering rolls of toilet paper with takeout package

Chicagoans unable to get their hands on some much-needed toilet paper have a new option to turn to during the coronavirus shutdown: Francesca’s restaurants, which are offering rolls of toilet paper as part of a “Pantry Pack” offering that’s available starting Thursday afternoon for curbside pickup and delivery.

In addition to a usual dinner menu of Italian fare, the restaurants are offering a “Pantry Essentials” package for $47.99 that includes meats, cheese, vegetables, milk, bread, pasta, pasta sauce and three rolls of toilet paper.

The offer will be rolled out at all of Francesca’s restaurants Thursday, the Sun-Times was told by phone, after the company came up with the idea the day before. They’re open for curbside pickup and delivery from 4-8 p.m. daily.

So if you’re looking to score some toilet paper in addition to sliced prosciutto and Italian filoni, you can now get it without leaving the house.

– Satchel Price

12:32 p.m. What Duckworth said to her daughter while off mute during conference call

Many of us are at home, juggling work and kids, including U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., the mother of two young girls.

Duckworth’s youngest, Maile Pearl Bowlsbey, was born on April 9, 2018. The older daughter, Abigail was born Nov. 18, 2014.

On Wednesday morning, the Senate Democrats were having a conference call, and let’s let Duckworth’s tweet pick it up from there:

“So today I didn’t realize I was off mute and told the Democratic Caucus (including a couple recent presidential candidates) that “...mommy is working honey, please go potty and wash your hands then mommy will come downstairs.” How’s your working from home going?”

Washington Bureau Chief Lynn Sweet has the full story.

12:10 p.m. Chicagoans react to closure of Lakefront, Riverwalk, and 606 Trail

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is making good on her extraordinary threat to shut down the lakefront and all of its parks and beaches to prevent Chicagoans from defying a statewide stay-at-home order aimed at slowing community spread of the coronavirus.

At Palmisano Park in Bridgeport, the four geese in the pond nearly outnumbered the people using the walking path Thursday morning.

Sam Charles/Sun-Times

Emily Amelio was there with her 2-year-old son — “a very active kid” in his own right — but she said she’d likely need to find new ways to keep him occupied if the city’s parks are closed beyond just those on the lakefront.

“I guess we’ll be indoors a lot,” she said. “I’m trying to come up with creative things that we can do indoors, but he loves rocks and mud and sticks.”

– Sam Charles

City Hall reporter Fran Spielman has more on the citywide shutdown.

11:10 a.m. REAL ID deadline pushed back one year to Oct. 1, 2021

Here’s one less thing to worry about: Getting that new high-security driver’s license. The coronavirus stimulus bill extends the deadline for states to meet the requirements of the REAL ID Act to “not earlier than September 30, 2021.” Acting Homeland Security Sec. Chad Wolf said in a statement on Thursday the REAL ID enforcement deadline is moved from the current October 1, 2020 deadline to October 1, 2021.

— Lynn Sweet

8:10 a.m. National unemployment claims quadruple previous record

Nearly 3.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week — more than quadruple the previous record set in 1982 — amid a widespread economic shutdown caused by the coronavirus.

The surge in weekly applications was a stunning reflection of the damage the viral outbreak is doing to the economy. Filings for unemployment aid generally reflect the pace of layoffs.

The pace of layoffs is sure to accelerate as the U.S. economy sinks into a recession. Revenue has collapsed at restaurants, hotels, movie theaters, gyms, and airlines. Auto sales are plummeting, and car makers have close factories. Most such employers face loan payments and other fixed costs, so they’re cutting jobs to save money.

As job losses mount, some economists say the nation’s unemployment rate could approach 13% by May. By comparison, the highest jobless rate during the Great Recession, which ended in 2009, was 10%.

Read the full story here.

7:02 a.m. CPS is buying new computers for students to use at home as e-learning continues during coronavirus shutdown

Chicago Public Schools officials said Wednesday they’re planning to buy new computers for students and are on the verge of releasing a more comprehensive remote learning plan as they continue preparing for extended school closures.

Up to this point, the district’s 640 schools have continued teaching in vastly different ways, though the majority are providing enrichment assignments instead of forging ahead with normal instruction.

Schools chief Janice Jackson has said the infrastructure doesn’t exist for a widespread e-learning plan to apply at all schools, mainly because of technology deficiencies such as a lack of computer or internet access among students.

But figuring out a way to ramp up e-learning is becoming increasingly important as the district’s 350,000 students, who have already been out of school more than a week, appear to be headed for a lengthy stay at home. Though CPS is currently set to stay closed until April 21, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker has mandated all state schools closed through at least April 7, several other states have already canceled the rest of their school year.

CPS will pay for the new devices using some of the $75 million that the school board approved Wednesday for the district’s coronavirus emergency response through at least the end of June.

Read the full story from education reporter Nader Issa.

6:01 a.m. Senate passes coronavirus rescue package on unanimous vote

The Senate late Wednesday passed an unparalleled $2.2 trillion economic rescue package steering aid to businesses, workers and health care systems engulfed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The unanimous vote came despite misgivings on both sides about whether it goes too far or not far enough and capped days of difficult negotiations as Washington confronted a national challenge unlike it has ever faced.

The 880-page measure is the largest economic relief bill in U.S. history. It is intended as relief for an economy spiraling into recession or worse and a nation facing a grim toll from an infection that’s killed nearly 20,000 people worldwide.

Read the full story here.

New cases

• Alvin Elton, who died Sunday from the coronavirus at 56, was one of the Northwest Side’s best-known and best-liked competitive dart players.
• Actor Mark Blum dies of coronavirus complications; starred in ‘Desperately Seeking Susan,’ ‘You’
• Illinois announces 273 new cases and 7 additional deaths, bringing the state death toll to 26.
• 2 Cook County chief judge’s office employees and 3 clerk’s office employees have tested positive for COVID-19.

Analysis & Commentary

7:40 p.m. EDITORIAL: Stay home. Save lives. It’s as simple as that, Chicago

We have no choice but to throw our support behind Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s decision to shut down the Lakefront Trail and other public spaces to try and slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Lightfoot had to do it, without a doubt. The virus is spreading rapidly here in Chicago and the rest of Illinois. Lives are at stake, plain and simple.

So, too, is the fate of our health care system and hospitals, already coping with dozens of COVID-19 patients in intensive care.

Just how dire are things? The Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board has more.

2:57 p.m. What’s in the coronavirus bill for Illinois: First details emerge

The U.S. Senate approved a $2 trillion coronavirus pandemic stimulus late Wednesday and the House is poised to pass it Friday morning.

“I’m glad the Senate came together on a bipartisan basis to unanimously pass this bill, which will help families in Illinois and across the country,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., in a statement.

“I’m proud to support this bipartisan compromise — even though it is not perfect — and will continue working with Senator Durbin to find more ways to help our communities weather this pandemic,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.

Details on conditions and rules attached to money flowing to states and other government and non-profit entities are not yet known. Many of the funds funneled through the state will be allocated based on population.

Read this analysis from Lynn Sweet to see what the bill could mean for Illinois.

1:22 p.m. Doing without tree-trimming and other city services will help us beat COVID-19

If the city decides to call a timeout on tree trimming, street sweeping, tree removal and other services until the coronavirus threat ebbs, the Sun-Times Editorial Board says it’s just something we have to live with.

It’s part of the new world we are living in.

No one likes staying inside or losing services, but both are necessary until we defeat the virus threat.

Read the full editorial here.

11:45 a.m. Whatever White Sox fans are feeling about the coronavirus shutdown — even anger! — it’s OK

We’ve been handed a lot of instructions about how to handle COVID-19 but very little guidance about how to handle the emotional effect the virus is having on us. There are no antibacterial wipes for dealing with the absence of something as trivial as sports.

Opening Day was supposed to be Thursday, with the Sox facing the Royals at Guaranteed Rate Field. But no.

Crises like these put life in perspective. We now know that the one thing that matters is taking care of each other (unless you’ve decided that you — and you alone — need 1,000 rolls of toilet paper). But we also really miss the things that have been taken from us. Why can’t both feelings be valid at the same time?

Read Rick Morrissey’s full column here.

7:44 a.m. Bailout might keep public transit from becoming a coronavirus casualty, but more help will be needed soon

As airlines, hotels and big industry line up for a massive share of the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package approved late Wednesday by the Senate, the Sun-Times Editorial Board is glad to see the nation’s public transit systems — a key, but oft-overlooked economic player — are in line for $25 billion in emergency funds.

Don’t pop the champagne corks just yet. The cash infusion would by no means be a panacea for mass transit. Urban areas would receive only $16 billion from the package. Rural areas would get the remaining $4 billion.

The CTA this week said it is losing more than $1 million a day as normally packed rush hour buses and trains roll around the city carrying little more than the operators behind the controls. Ridership is down 70% compared with this time last year, according to the agency.

Metra, meanwhile, is faring even worse. Ridership is down 90%, prompting the commuter rail agency to run trains on less-frequent weekend schedules seven days a week.

Read the full editorial here.

6:36 a.m. Please, now more than ever, keep the lakefront and parks ‘forever open, clear and free’

I get it. I get it. I get it.

There’s a lot of stupid people out there. There always are, and most of them don’t mean any harm. They just don’t seem to understand.

I understood completely Tuesday evening when two Chicago Police Department squad cars rolled through the park and broke up a large pickup soccer match.

I understand why the mayor is aggravated seeing groups gathered along the lakefront paths.

Let’s just hope that we can find a way to deal with this short of shutting down the best places most people have for letting off steam. Let’s try like heck to keep the parks open.

Read Mark Brown’s column here.