SPRINGFIELD – Hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Illinois declined significantly over the holiday weekend and into Monday, touching their lows since the state began reporting the figures daily in April.

There were 1,395 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of 11:59 p.m. Sunday as the number remained below 1,400 for three days after spiking to 1,651 on Thursday.

Of those hospitalized at the end of Sunday, 321 were in intensive care unit beds, the second-lowest number reported by the Illinois Department of Public Health during the pandemic’s presence in Illinois. The 304 reported at the end of July 4 marked the lowest in one day.

Ventilators in use by COVID-19 patients at the end of Sunday fell to 151 – the lowest IDPH has reported thus far.

The state also reported just six new COVID-19-related deaths each on Sunday and Monday, marking a low since March 25. That’s after death counts of 10 on Saturday and 17 on Friday.

Sundays and Mondays, historically, have had lower casualties reported by IDPH than the rest of the week throughout the pandemic, however, and IDPH warns in its daily releases that all data “are provisional and will change.”

A disclaimer reported daily reads: “In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered.”

The seven-day rolling positivity rate remained at 2.6 percent Monday for the seventh straight day after ticking downward from 2.7 percent.

Monday’s one-day rate was 2.9 percent, however, as the state reported 614 new cases among 21,134 test results reported, a lower-than-normal number coming out of the holiday weekend.

From Friday through Sunday, the state reported 868, 862 and 639 new cases each day with one-day positivity rates ranging from 2.3 to 2.5. Average daily test output for the three-day span was more than 31,000.

Thus far, there have been 7,026 COVID-19-related deaths reported by the state among 147,865 total confirmed cases. There have been 1.78 million tests results reported.

The recovery rate for those 42 days removed from a positive test is 94 percent, according to IDPH.

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SPRINGFIELD – The seven-day rolling positivity rate for COVID-19 tests conducted remained at 2.7 percent Monday as the state reported the lowest single-day death total related to the pandemic since March 30.

There were 14 deaths reported Monday after 15 were reported Sunday and 26 on Saturday, bringing the COVID-19-related death toll since the pandemic began to 6,902 among 142,461 confirmed cases statewide.

The Illinois Department of Public Health also announced another 738 confirmed COVID-19 cases out of 26,918 tests completed over the previous 24 hours.

There were a combined 1,432 cases reported Saturday and Sunday as the number of new cases has leveled in recent weeks.

The number of persons hospitalized due to COVID-19 continued to trend downward as well, with total hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients dipping below 1,500 over the weekend for the first time since the state began reporting the data daily on April 12, before ticking back up to 1,501 as of 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

COVID-19-related intensive care unit bed and ventilator usage dipped to their lowest amounts as well, with 372 and 187 in use, respectively, as of 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

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In a press release, the Pritzker administration cited significant progress in reducing new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, with the average 7-day statewide case positivity rate falling to just 2.5 percent as of June 20.

“Over the last four months, Illinoisans have pulled together with the common mission of keeping each other safe. By staying home and practicing social distancing, the rate of new COVID-19 cases continues to drop and each region throughout the state is prepared to move to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Science and data are the overarching guardrails for how Illinois will keep moving forward. By continuing to wear face coverings and following the guidance from health experts we can continue to safely reopen our economy and move forward together.”

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) collaborated closely with local governments, businesses, and other stakeholders in the development of guidelines for Phase 4. In all, more than 150 businesses and regional partners were consulted on the guidelines developed with IDPH to ensure alignment with the State’s Restore Framework and the latest public health data.

Phase 4 allows for the reopening or expansion of several key business segments – such as health and fitness, movies and theater, museums and zoos, as well as indoor dining at restaurants. Phase 4 also allows for expanded gathering sizes, increasing the limit from 10 in Phase 3, to 50 people or fewer. This expanded gathering limit extends to key activities like meetings, events, and funerals. 

Pritzker’s guidance includes:

• Meetings and events: Venues and meeting spaces can resume with the lesser of up to 50 people OR 50% of overall room capacity. Multiple groups are permitted given facilities have space to appropriately social distance and can limit interaction between groups. This includes activities such as conferences and weddings.
• Indoor and Outdoor recreation: Revised guidelines to allow select indoor recreation facilities (e.g., bowling alleys, skating rinks), as well as clubhouses to reopen. Indoor recreation to operate at lesser of 50 customers OR 50% of facility capacity with outdoor recreation allowing group sizes of up to 50, and permitting multiple groups given facilities have space to appropriately social distance and can limit interaction between groups; concessions permitted with restrictions.
• Indoor Dining: Indoor dining can reopen with groups of 10 or less, with tables spaced 6-feet apart in seated areas and with standing areas at no more than 25% of capacity.
• Museums: Can reopen with no more than 25% occupancy, and with interactive exhibits and rides closed; guided tours should be limited to 50 people or fewer per group; museums should have a plan to limit congregation via advance ticket sales and timed ticketing; concessions permitted with restrictions.
• Zoos: Can reopen with no more than 25% occupancy, and with interactive exhibits, indoor exhibits, and rides closed; guided tours should be limited to 50 people or fewer per group; zoos should have a plan to limit congregation via advance ticket sales and timed ticketing; concessions permitted with restrictions.
• Cinema and Theatre: Indoor seated theaters, cinemas, and performing arts centers to allow admission of the lesser of up to 50 guests OR 50% of overall theater or performance space capacity (applies to each screening room); outdoor capacity limited to 20% of overall theater or performance space capacity; concessions permitted with restrictions.
• Outdoor seated spectator events: Outdoor spectator sports can resume with no more than 20% of seating capacity; concessions permitted with restrictions.

Film production: Allow no more than 50% of sound stage or filming location capacity; crowd scenes should be limited to 50 people or fewer.

Industries with revised guidelines in Phase 4:

• Youth and Recreational Sports: Revised guidelines allow competitive gameplay and tournaments; youth and recreational sports venues can operate at 50% of facility capacity, 20% seating capacity for spectators, and group sizes up to 50 with multiple groups permitted during practice and competitive games given venues have space to appropriately social distance and can limit interaction between groups; concessions permitted with restrictions.
• Health and fitness centers: Revised guidelines allow gyms to open at 50% capacity and allow group fitness classes of up to 50 people with new safety guidelines for indoors, with multiple groups permitted given facilities have space to appropriately social distance and can limit interaction between groups.
• Day camps: Water-based activities permitted in accordance with IDPH guidelines; no more than 50% of facility capacity with group size of no more than 15 participants in a group, unless participants changing weekly.

Additionally, retail, service counters, offices, personal care (including salons, barber, nail salons), manufacturing and other industries allowed to reopen in Phase 3 will continue to operate at a reduced capacity.

During Phase 4, common public health standards remain in effect – including the use of face coverings and social distancing.

The state’s move to Phase 4 of the plan is expected to bring approximately 400,000 additional Illinoisans back to the workplace across all industries. 

Pritzker has not yet released any Executive Orders that may accompany the updated Phase 4 guidance. He has also said that he will not life restrictions until a vaccine or readily available, effective treatment for COVID-19 is available.

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fred@mahometnews.com

Area high schools are in the process of preparing their athletes to return to competition.

The IHSA permitted limited participation last week, allowing districts to conduct conditioning, agility and strength training exercises in small groups.

Oakwood chose to wait until this week in order to get its plan in place.

“We are taking a cautious approach for right now,” Oakwood football coach Al Craig said. “We are making sure all the ducks are in a row before we start.

“We have been meeting with the athletes once a week on Zoom and going over things we would have normally gone over. It has gone well.”

Craig fears the repercussions of doing too much too soon.

“I am just concerned with health and safety,” he said. “I don’t ever want our student-athletes or coaches in danger.

 “I’m also worried that too much at the beginning gets everything closed down again, then we lose August. We don’t want that. Nobody wants that.”

St. Joseph-Ogden and Villa Grove/Heritage began the process of restarting workouts last week.

Throughout the area, slow steps are the norm.

“Right now, they are student-athletes who we haven’t seen for multiple weeks,” SJ-O football coach Shawn Skinner said. “We are working on getting them in shape.

“Their core, legs and lungs are what we want to ensure are getting ready as we progress at this time.”

SJ-O athletes are at the school in shifts, taking advantage of the weight room.

“We have eight groups and those groups have six to eight kids,” Skinner said. “We have some groups going at 7 a.m., another set at 11 a.m. and another round at 5 p.m.

“Prior to working out, we have to check the kids in with a series of questions and we record their temperatures. We will do that every time we work out, at least during this stage of our return-to-play plan.

“We have essentially created small weight rooms outside on and around our track and sports fields. The workouts incorporate speed improvement, flexibility, strength and conditioning.”

The workout takes about an hour and the athletes remain with the same group every day. Sixty-five Spartan football prospects, from freshmen through seniors, worked out last week.

Skinner said his program is not far behind where he originally expected to be by mid-June.

“Our summer plan was to always be in the weight room three days a week, so from that standpoint we are moving forward with that plan,” Skinner said. “We have lost only about two weeks of summer workouts, so we are trying to stay positive from that standpoint.”

He said the school’s staff is doing everything possible to not put anyone at risk.

“Obviously we want everyone to be as safe and healthy as can be,” Skinner said, “so we’re being cognizant of spacing and what we touch; wiping down and cleaning equipment after every athlete uses that.

“For the athletes, we want to avoid over-taxing them early. Some of them have been working out at home, but several of them have not. It’s not a race to get back in shape in one week.

“This will be a process and we have to ensure we avoid injuries, especially soft tissue injuries, as that could linger all season.”

Unless athletes were working out on their own, most had been away from regimented practices for more than 80 days. Skinner didn’t know what level of conditioning and fitness to expect from his returnees.

“I was really concerned with what shape we would be in,” he said. “Honestly, it’s better than I thought. It’s not good, but it’s not bad either.”

Villa Grove/Heritage football coach Heath Wilson has about 50 potential football players working out.

“At this point, I am just excited,” Wilson said. “Excited to get to start working with the players and coaches.

“A lot of our players are out of shape due to the stay-at-home order, so it’s time to do the work and get ready for the season.”

The staff at VG/Heritage is adhering to recommendations.

“First and foremost, we are making sure we understand and implement the guidelines appropriately,” Wilson said. “The safety of these athletes is very important. We have worked quickly to survey our players, break them into groups and get them in the weight room. 

“With seven coaches, we are able to divide and conquer. We have six groups that are working out three days a week. During this phase, we are focused on lifting and conditioning.”

The emphasis is not the same for coaches in cross-country and soccer as it is in football.

“The great thing about our sport, although it’s better to be together, it can be done solo,” SJ-O cross-country coach Jason Retz said. “Every athlete has the same ability to improve.

“We are simply going to control what we can control and enjoy each day as it comes.”

Retz expects a turnout between 40 and 50, including both the boys’ and girls’ programs.

“We meet once a week and have four groups right now,” Retz said. “They already have their own schedules they are working off, so we get together and they get it done.”

Bill DeJarnette is returning to the SJ-O soccer program he helped to implement. He has about 15 potential players thus far and they are divided into two groups.

“We plan to continue to add (groups) as we expand our recruitment,” DeJarnette said. “The workouts will vary within cycles.

“Cycle examples are Plyo, Long Slow, Intervals, fast twitch, strength and visualization, with constant evaluation of strengths and weaknesses so we can tune the workouts to address issues as needed.”

Conditioning is generally not an activity that teen-agers look forward to. This month could be an exception.

“We are excited to be back together, even if only for conditioning,” Villa Grove coach Jeanine Block said. “The girls are excited to see one another and are anxious for the next phase.”

Oakwood volleyball coach Lynn Anderson said the starting point is to make clear that the guidelines in place must be followed.

“My main concern is getting the players to understand we have regulations we have to follow,” Anderson said. “That is foreign to them, in a sense, especially with the sport.”

Block said she tries to keep things fresh and not repeat the same routine.

“Kids get bored without sport-specific activities,” Block said. “We are doing our best to make the workouts ‘competitive,’ but these girls are anxious to play volleyball.”

The unexpected break, which was mandated by the COVID-19 pandemic, took away from the ongoing changes around the SJ-O facilities.

“Prior to the virus shutting everything down, we were having a very good offseason,” Skinner said. “We had really built up some momentum in our weight room.

“Casey Hug, our athletic trainer, has assisted us in changing our strength and conditioning program and you could really see the kids’ bodies starting to change.”

A booster support group was helping to implement other additions and improvements,

“Our SJO Fan Club had purchased new equipment and Mr. Hug had updated our weight room,” Skinner said. “If we had returned from Spring Break, it would have been an entirely new facility for our kids.

“I can’t wait to get to use it in the manner we really want to soon. We hope that happens in early July as we enter the next stage in the return-to-play.”

The coaches have mixed feelings about what is in store in the weeks and months ahead.

“We will plan and work with the assumption that the fall season is a go,” DeJarnette said. “Even if not, there are no downsides to working together as a team every opportunity you get.”

Added Retz: “The opportunity to help student-athletes grow will continue to happen regardless of what the season looks like.

“Our goal is to help make better people. That will happen regardless if we get to race against other schools or not.”

Craig sees many issues that need to be resolved before games can again take place. He isn’t convinced that everything can fall into place.

“I would love to say I’m really confident, but I’m not,” Craig said. “I would say I’m somewhere between pessimist and optimist.

“I just need to see the logistics of games and locker room usage before I can become really confident.”

Block said now is the time to plan for the possibilities of what a new-normal may look like.

“I can see us playing, with precautions and possibly no fans,” she said. “We are looking at options to live stream games in case the parents/fans are not allowed to attend games.”

Anderson, too, wonders what athletic competition will look like once the games resume.

“My concern is whether we can just relax and play eventually,” Anderson said. “If we have to wear masks, wipe down balls, not touch each other, etc.

“Where is the consistency of just playing, when we have to worry with everything else? Hopefully, it won’t come to that. How confident about whether we have a season or not depends on the day and who I listen to.”

Skinner said this is a time of many questions, but few answers.

“Obviously, the threat of the virus is going to remain and it’s not going to change anytime soon,” he said. “What do we do if one of our players or coaches gets it? What will that look like? Also, how do we advance the workouts in the best/safest way; safe from a physical and spacial standpoint, but also an emotional and mental standpoint?

“These are real concerns that we need to be aware of and observe. We have a tendency as Midwesterners to have a blue color, tough-it-out, mentality. I think that we need to really reflect on that.

“If you’re feeling sick, if you have a sore throat, cough, etc., then maybe stay home a day or two. That goes against our mentality, but maybe we need to take a step back and realize it’s OK to miss a day of work, school, practice, if that means in the long run you’re healthier for it.”

He realizes that is easier said than done.

“That would require a huge change in our perception, and I am probably as guilty of this attitude as anyone,” Skinner said. “But it may be time to acknowledge we can take better care of ourselves and in the process take better care of those around us.”

Like others, Skinner knows it’s merely speculation as to whether there will be a season and – if so – when it would start and how it will look different from previous years.

“What we know is that at this time there is a strong desire and intention for there to be a return to school in August and with that a fall-sport season,” he said. “I’m working with that in mind.

“That’s all I can do at this point. If/when that changes, we will adjust.”

Retz said in one respect this year will be like all others:  There will be a need to deal with the unexpected.

“Each year brings different challenges and it will be fun to take these on one day at a time,” Retz said. “Distance running takes time.

“We’ll deal with any bump in the road there may be, but those bumps only help us learn and grow.”

The key word, Wilson said, is optimism.

“I have to stay positive and say there will be a season,” Wilson said. “I can’t imagine a fall without football.”

If the green light is given for competition, Anderson knows one fact for certain.

“We will be ready to play,” she said. “All athletes just want to get started, which might be a positive out of this whole deal.

“They will not take for granted anymore that things just always happen how they want it to. They know their lives can change that quickly now.”

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By PETER HANCOCK
Capitol News Illinois
phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com

SPRINGFIELD — While new unemployment claims remained historically high in the final week of May, the surge of new claims since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be starting to slow as a number of businesses begin to reopen after two months of forced closure.

The U.S. Department of Labor reported that 46,522 workers in Illinois filed first-time claims during the week that ended Saturday, May 30.  While that number would be considered shockingly high in normal times, it was actually 20 percent lower than the week before when 58,263 new claims were filed.

The number of workers receiving continuing unemployment benefits was also down about 5.5 percent from the previous week, to 720,580.

From March 1 through May 30, the Illinois Department of Employment security has processed more than 1.36 million unemployment claims, nearly 11.5 times the number of claims processed over the same period last year.

The agency also processed 98,757 applications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA, a federally-funded program for workers who lost their jobs for specific COVID-19-related reasons and do not qualify for regular unemployment. IDES also processed 42,119 applications for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, or PEUC, another federally-funded program that extends benefits to people who have already exhausted their regular state unemployment benefits.

Gov. JB Pritzker ordered the closure of many nonessential businesses on March 20. In the days before that, he also ordered all K-12 schools to close and restricted restaurants to delivery, drive-thru or curbside pick-up service.

Those restrictions remained in place until Friday, May 29, when Illinois entered Phase 3 of Pritzker’s reopening plan. Since then, retail stores, barber shops and hair salons have been allowed to open, with capacity limits, while bars and restaurants have been allowed to open for outdoor dining.

While the stay-at-home order was in place, however, the state of Illinois suffered a historic drop in revenue, according to the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, or CoGFA.

The biggest hit came in the form of retail sales taxes, which were down $182 million, or 23.1 percent.

CoGFA’s latest monthly report also detailed the extent of the economic slowdown. Based on the number of routing requests made to Apple Maps, driving was down more than 60 percent in the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago during the third week of March compared to mid-January. It remained down about 40-50 percent in April for both Illinois and the nation.

Those numbers steadily improved throughout May and are now back to about the same levels as before the pandemic, CoGFA said.

Also, restaurant reservations on the website OpenTable.com were down 100 percent in Illinois during April and May. And even in states that reopened sooner than Illinois, reservations were still down 60-70 percent.

CoGFA additionally cited data showing a large drop in hotel occupancy as well as new housing starts.

“Both the U.S. and the State of Illinois have a difficult path to walk as concerns between public health and economic health must be weighed,” the report stated. “The key to rebounding from this economic slow-down is to provide an environment where both customers and employees feel safe, while ‘reopening’ fast enough so that those employees who have been furloughed have a job to come back to. The longer it takes to ramp up economic activity, the more likely businesses will close down for good.”

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The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) released guidance on in-person instruction for summer school Thursday.

Part Two of the Transition Plan Advisory Workgroup’s recommendations for transitioning to in-person instruction provides recommendations for how schools can comply with IDPH health and safety requirements in Phase 3.

Following guidance allowed in Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois plan, under Executive Order 2020-40, limited face-to-face instruction can resume, but schools cannot yet return to pre-pandemic operations. 

Schools must prohibit more than 10 individuals from gathering in one space, require social distancing policies and require the  use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). In person summer school instruction will also require frequent hand washing, symptom and temperature checks before entering the school building, regular sanitization of buildings and equipment and the borrowing and sharing of items. 

Decisions regarding whether to conduct allowable activities during Phase 3 will remain at the discretion of local school authorities, in consultation with local public health departments.

“We are excited and encouraged to see Illinois move into Phase 3 of Governor Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala. “This progress is due in no small part to the dedication of students, teachers, and their families to staying home, social distancing, and wearing face coverings when in public. I am immensely grateful for these efforts and the sacrifices that school communities have made. While Phase 3 allows some in-person small group activities, we must continue to be diligent in following the required safety protocols to keep Illinois on the path to recovery.”

Under Phase 3 guidance schools will also be able to:

• Behind-the-Wheel Instruction — Students may participate in behind-the-wheel instruction. Vehicles must be cleaned and sanitized between each use and only two students and one instructor may be in a vehicle at a time.
• Child Find — Districts may conduct activities pertaining to the legal requirement that schools find all children who have disabilities and who may be entitled to special education services.
• Early Childhood, Special Education, and English Learner Screenings — Schools and districts may conduct in-person early childhood, special education, and English Learner screenings.
• Extended School Year — Districts may offer extended school year services, as appropriate, to students whose Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) require the service.
• Host Summer Camps and Other Programs — Schools and districts may allow buildings to be used for summer camps and other programs sponsored by third parties. Playgrounds may not be used.
• Individualized Education Program Meetings — Districts may conduct IEP meetings for families who have been unable to engage in virtual IEP meetings. These meetings should still be held virtually, to the greatest extent possible.
• Mediation and Due Process Hearings — Mediations and due process hearings may take place in person. However, it is recommended that mediation and due process hearings still be conducted virtually, if all parties agree to do so.
• School Registration — Staff may provide in-person registration for students and families, when necessary. Schools and districts should also provide remote registration opportunities.
• Special Education Evaluations — Districts may conduct evaluations that could not be completed virtually. Evaluations should still be held virtually, to the greatest extent possible.
• Staff Meetings and Professional Development — Districts may convene staff members for any appropriate training, planning, and professional development purposes.
• Summer Meals Distribution — ISBE highly encourages school districts to evaluate the needs of their students and community as they transition into the different phases of opening the state and continue to provide meals through the summer to meet the needs of their communities. The required Summer Food Service trainings can be conducted virtually. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently extended several key flexibilities through Aug. 31, 2020, to allow school districts to continue to provide non-congregate meals to meet the needs of their communities. Further, Public Act 096-0734 requires every public school in which at least 50 percent of the students were eligible for free and reduced-price lunches and has a summer school program must provide a summer breakfast and/or lunch to the students in the summer school and children in that community.
• Summer School — Schools and districts may conduct in-person summer school. Special populations, which may include students with IEPs, English Learners, and students who received incompletes during remote instruction, should receive priority consideration for services.
• Testing Centers — Schools may serve as testing sites for students.

Further guidance from the Transition Plan Advisory Workgroup will be coming on 2020-21 school year activities. 

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A University of Illinois’ COVID-19 task force has proposed that fall semester begins as scheduled on August 24 with face-to-face instruction and begin online instruction beginning at Fall Break on November 21. 

The committee was formed in April by Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost Andreas C. Cangellaris to consider strategies for Fall 2020 instruction in the context of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The committee’s draft report does not mean it will be the University’s final decision. 

According to a Mass Mail sent by Cangellaris on June 3, the task force focused much of its effort on evaluating the feasibility of a modified approach to on-campus instruction, including a combination of in-person and online classes. 

But, it is only possible if the University of Illinois meets all of the guidelines in Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan, has adequate testing and tracing protocols and meets cleaning guidelines. 

“This includes testing all campus community members as they return to campus in August, along with a robust continuous testing strategy,” Cangellaris wrote.

Students, faculty and staff will also be required to wear face covers as able and, when necessary, social distance both on and off campus. 

“The health and safety of the community must be the most important consideration in any decision about Fall 2020 instruction. ‘Normal operations’ (i.e., full face-to-face instruction) are highly unlikely to be a viable option for the fall given the current understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the guidance provided to us from our state’s officials about the anticipated state of the pandemic in Illinois in the fall,” Cangellaris wrote. 

In order to achieve these measures, the University of Illinois would need to host most classes at off-peak times, including evenings, while also utilizing non-academic spaces for classrooms. Passing time between classes will likely have to be lengthened and protocols for entering and exiting classrooms developed.

The report also suggested that new and continuing students who do not return to campus for any reason must have access to courses and opportunity to make progress toward their degree. Instructional faculty who are unable to return to campus for reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic should still have opportunities to teach and engage students remotely, also.

The campus community will be able to share feedback on the report until June 10. A final announcement is expected to be made in mid-June. 

If Illinois has not moved to Phase 4 by the beginning of the academic year, the University “will have to adopt a fully online format,” Cangellaris wrote.

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There is still a lot to be learned about COVID-19. But as Illinois begins to reopen in Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois plan, one thing is for certain, COVID-19 is still prevalent.

“We don’t have a vaccine or a medication that for sure will treat COVID-19, so I think even though we’re going to be moving into this next phase and things are going to be opening up, we still really need to be social distancing as far as trying to stay six feet from other people,” Christie Clinic’s Dr. Jeanelle Murphy said.

While Phase 3 guidance provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health allows for gatherings of fewer than 10 people, Murphy said that it is still important for people to remember that they should stay within their family groups. If they choose to expand that group, they need to wear a mask when not six-feet apart.

“Even though we’re opening back up and the numbers are slowing, they’re still there; we’re still getting a bunch of new cases every day,” she said. “So, we’re still at risk. I feel like we definitely cannot go out and just act like everything’s fine and the virus is gone.”

Summer allows for opportunities that the colder months do not. Restaurants will be able to host outdoor seating, parks remain open and farmers markets are popping up here and there.

Murphy said outdoor gatherings, like barbecues, run a lower risk of COVID-19 transmission than indoor gatherings do.

“The virus definitely spreads easier inside than it does outside,” Murphy said. “So probably a little bit less of a concern if you’re getting together at a park than if you’re getting together inside somebody’s home. I think gathering outside would be much more preferred at this point.

“And again, if you’re not going to wear a mask then trying to stay six feet away from people that do not live in your home that is still the case even with these gatherings.”

This is important because 35-percent of people with COVID-19 do not show symptoms of having the virus. Murphy said even in two-person gatherings, if one is infected and transmits the virus to another person, that person could then transmit it to 2.5 to 3 people.

When meeting face-to-face with someone outside the home, Murphy best practice is to wear a mask.

Research has shown, though, that not all masks are created equal. The best mask for non-medical professionals is one made of multiple layers, preferably one silk and one cotton layer.

“As far as we know, COVID-19 is transmitted via droplets,” Murphy said. “And droplets are larger and they’re spread when somebody is coughing or sneezing, somewhat when they’re talking as well. So a mask, even a cotton mask is going to catch a majority of droplets.

“(The mask) is going to help when that person is talking; it’s going to help prevent the other person from inhaling in the droplets and therefore getting the virus.”

But what is unknown at this point is if the virus can be transmitted through aerosol droplets, tiny respiratory droplets that can remain suspended in the air.

“Cotton and silk together is very effective,” Murphy said. “That’s going to significantly decrease transmission, even for aerosol.”

Murphy said that “in an ideal world, we would not be opening up yet because there is still a virus out there” but looking at the whole picture including the economic impact is also important.

Reports of depression and anxiety are on the rise as business owners grasp with the reality of closing their doors and adults, who have never had to file for unemployment, have had to do so within the last two months.

Those who have never struggled with mental health issues may be now.

Murphy said a change in personality: someone who is usually outgoing becoming withdrawn, loss of appetite, confusion or extreme anxiety, such as cleaning all the time, are characteristics that may signal someone needs additional help.

“Doctors are open, family doctors are open, pediatricians are open,” she said. “You can definitely call and get advice. Counselors are offering telehealth and phone visits right now.”

The Illinois Department of Human Services has also set up a text line  (to help those struggling with with stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic. To access that line text TALK or HABLAR to 552020.

People seeking assistance will remain anonymous and will provide only their first name and zip code, which enables the service to link you to a counselor in your area who is knowledgeable about available local resources.

Murphy said that if a loved one has suicidal thoughts, they need to get immediate help at the ER.

She added that people should continue to feel comfortable seeking routine medical care, including vaccinations, and if they have an emergency, they should seek help in the ER.

“I feel like so many people have been kind of ignoring symptoms that they shouldn’t be because they’re afraid of the virus,” she said. “People still need to get medical care like always, we just call it head first.”

Being cognizant of the need to restart the economy, Murphy said that it’s important to go slowly.

“We should not go crazy, which is why Illinois has done it in phases,” Murphy said. “We’re not just going to all of a sudden open up school and open up the churches and open up restaurants, because that would be catastrophic.

“We’re going into the next phase where we’re going to open up businesses that were previously closed. We’re going to be allowing some get togethers with people outside of your home.

“The virus is still there and if we go crazy and we do not socially distance and we take off our masks, if we just forget about the virus, then it’s going to explode again. And we’re going to have to close again, because we do not have a vaccine and we do not have a medication that’s readily available and that works well.”

Still mitigating the impact on hospitals so everyone can continue to get adequate medical care is the goal.

Pritzker set up the Restore Illinois plan to move forward and backwards based on five metrics: positivity rate less than 20%, percent change in positivity rate, percent change hospital admissions, medical/surgical beds available, ICU beds available and ventilators available.

The medical advice all along has been to socially distance and wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer regularly.

The addition of wearing a mask was not a change in direction, but rather scientists learning more about how the virus is spread and what people can do to protect one another.

As medical professionals continue to learn more about COVID-19, a novel (new) virus, they are also trying to provide guidelines and information to the public in a responsible manner.”

Murphy said it is still important for people to trust the scientific community, including the CDC.

“We didn’t even know that wearing a face mask for the general public was going to be helpful,” she said. “Originally, the CDC didn’t think that we should wear masks, but then they completely changed that because it was found out that 35% of people don’t even have symptoms.

“So certainly having everybody wear a mask could potentially prevent a significant spread.It’s normal in science to change your mind as you learn more and that’s a good thing.”

A week ago, the CDC reiterated their findings that coronavirus does not ‘spread easily’ from touching surfaces or objects. Murphy said that medical professionals have known that the virus can live on surfaces, including plastic and metal for days.

“But what we don’t know is even though the virus is present will cause infection,” she said. “We don’t know that.

“The CDC really didn’t change their mind on that they’re just saying,” Murphy said. “(Touching surfaces is) not the main way that it’s spread. Can it spread from surfaces Yes, but we don’t really know to what extent.

“It could be a dead virus; we just don’t know yet. So that’s the problem with this virus is that there so many things we still don’t know at this point.”

Like the CDC, Murphy still suggests that people wash their hands frequently and do not touch their eyes, nose or mouth. She also said that people with immunodeficiencies might want to wipe down their containers with Clorox wipes as an added precaution.

“Again that’s not the main way that it spreads so it’s a lot less likely someone’s going to get COVID-19 from their groceries, they’re much more likely to get it from somebody that is in the store,” she said.

Researchers are also looking into if the virus may or may not spread through fecal matter. At this time, it does not appear that COVID-19 can be spread through the shedding of fecal matter through untreated water, like in a lake or river.

Murphy said that people are more likely to become infected with COVID-19 by being in close contact with an infected person.

“In other states pools are open,” she said. “If people decide to go to pools, they’re probably pretty safe in the water, as long as they stay six feet away from other people who are not living with them.”

As gyms reopen, visitors should also be cognizant of how close they are to other people working out. Gyms are allowed to hold outdoor sessions with no more than 10 people or one-on-one training in Phase 3. Murphy said that if while working out, a six-foot distance cannot be maintained, then a mask needs to be worn.

“Obviously when you’re wearing a mask you’re more likely to get short of breath, you’re not going to be able to exercise the way that you normally would because you are going to run out of breath faster,” she said.

“There’s different symptoms to watch out for like feeling dizzy or feeling overly short of breath, you need to stop. And, if necessary, take off your mask and take a break.

“If you can exercise outside and you can stay six feet away from people that are not living in your household, you don’t have to wear a mask.”

Murphy said it will probably take a full year of watching COVID-19 to fully understand how it acts during different seasons. Medical professionals do understand some about COVID-19 from its predecessors SARS and MERS, which have been around for nearly 20 years.

One aspect that doctors won’t have the answers for soon are the long term effects that COVID-19 has on the body.

With 5.8 million cases worldwide, including 1.7 million in the United States, according to John Hopkins University, Murphy continues to said people still need to be very cautious and remember that COVID-19 is still prevalent.

“Even though it’s opening up I think people still need to take it and follow all recommendations,” she said.

That recommendation extends to other states where guidelines may be different.

“If you go to another state and you’re not socially distancing there, and you pick it up, then come back here, that’s another case here, and then you’re going to spread it to three more people here.

“Still socially distance, six feet away from people, still wash your hands a lot and still wear a mask.

“I still think it’s important to follow the overall rules, and until we have a vaccine or a good treatment we just need to be careful.”

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SPRINGFIELD – The complexities of Illinois’ legislator pay laws were on display again this week as the state’s comptroller insisted in a video message that there will be no raises for lawmakers this year.

Comptroller Susana Mendoza, a Democrat and the state’s chief fiscal officer, emphatically said in a one-minute YouTube video there would be “zero” raises for lawmakers despite claims to the contrary.

“By law, there is a (cost of living adjustment) in the budget every year,” Mendoza said in the video. “But this year, the General Assembly voted to make the COLA zero, and I’m glad because it’s the right thing to do, especially in the COVID-19 crisis that has really hit our state budget hard.”

Mendoza should know, she said in the video, because she writes the checks in Illinois, and money not appropriated by the General Assembly cannot be spent. Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, said the same on the Senate floor, noting lawmakers intentionally appropriated zero dollars for raises this year.

Republicans, however, issued news releases and spoke on the floor Saturday claiming the budget included the automatic raises. The state GOP asserted on Twitter that one lawsuit from a “safe, entrenched legislator” could force the payment of the raises which the comptroller has unequivocally denied she will pay.

While Mendoza made clear there will be no raises this year, the exchanges highlighted the fact that an ongoing legal challenge leaves much uncertain in terms of whether legislators can halt their own pay raises legally.

At the crux of the issue is a section in the state Constitution and an Illinois law dating back to 1990 which provides for automatic COLA increases of roughly 2 percent to 3 percent every year unless lawmakers act to stop them. In fiscal Year 2009 and thereafter, lawmakers routinely did just that by including language in a budget implementation bill prohibiting the COLAs.

Lawmakers did not include that language in a budget approved last May, which allowed for a roughly 2.4 percent raise to lawmaker base pay for the first time since 2008, bringing it to $69,464 annually, not including stipends for legislative leaders and committee chairs and spokespersons.

This year, according to Mendoza and Manar, lawmakers went back to denying themselves a raise by specifically appropriating no money to pay for it. That approach is different than in years past, when lawmakers passed language prohibiting cost of living adjustments. The new approach was in large part a response to an ongoing lawsuit which deemed the previous method unconstitutional.

“We wanted to say in a very clear voice that we do not want the COLAs funded,” Manar said in a phone call Thursday. “There’s multiple places in a state budget where a COLA could be funded. And we took care of all of those things. And the final piece of that was putting a zero next to it, which is, I think, crystal clear what its intention is.”

The lawsuit in question was filed against Mendoza by former Senators James Clayborne and Michael Noland, both Democrats, who claim it was unconstitutional for lawmakers to deny themselves pay in each of those years because the state’s Constitution states “A member shall receive a salary and allowances as provided by law, but changes in the salary of a member shall not take effect during the term for which he has been elected.”

According to a 2019 “Preface to Lawmaking” publication of the state’s Legislative Research Unit, legislator pay was set by law until 1984, when the Compensation Review Act was enacted providing that a Compensation Review Board would make salary recommendations that would take effect automatically unless both houses of the General Assembly disapproved of them within 30 days.

The Board’s 1990 recommendation provided for salaries to be adjusted for inflation each year thereafter, using the federal government’s Employment Cost Index. While the Compensation Review Board was abolished in 2009, it was established that the 1990 plan – including automatic COLAs – would continue to be law going forward.

But because the COLA freezes since 2009 took place mid-term for most lawmakers, they violate the Constitution, according to Noland and Clayborne, and the former lawmakers claim they are due back pay for the raises they were denied.

“Contrary to statements that have been made in the press, the comptroller can — and in fact is obligated to — make these payments regardless of whether the General Assembly has specifically appropriated money for this purpose,” Michael Scotti III, the attorney for the former lawmakers, wrote in a letter to the comptroller last year.

A Cook County judge ruled in their favor last year, but the state has appealed the decision and neither lawmaker has received back pay. That case is likely to be appealed and challenged for years to come, according to the comptroller’s office.

“I’m not going to predict what a court says,” Manar said Thursday. “… But we’re not going to cede our authority as appropriators to an unnamed judge in a case that hasn’t even been filed.”

After last year’s raise went through, one first-term Republican senator filed a bill which he believes will abolish automatic COLAs without running afoul of the constitution.

Sen. Craig Wilcox, R-McHenry, said the latest exchange on lawmaker pay cause a rush of bipartisan support for a bill he has had sitting in the Senate’s Assignments Committee since February. His Senate Bill 3607 would end cost of living adjustments starting in 2023 – the year after each of the state’s lawmakers is scheduled to stand for reelection.

The date is important, he said, because it will be an action implemented after all lawmakers start a new term. Wilcox said he pursued the matter rather than taking part in the politicization of the COLA conversation.

“The point is this kind of negates the reason for Dems and Republicans fighting about words,” he said in a phone call Thursday. “It fixes the issue constitutionally going forward.”

Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton, D-Western Springs, is a co-sponsor on that measure. She said she was given assurances by budgeteers that there would be no raises in the budget, which is why she supported it. She also said she hoped Wilcox’s measure or something like it would pass when lawmakers return for fall veto session in November or later.

“Our budgeteers were very clear on that,” she said. “And that’s why they didn’t appropriate anything to the raises on the line item.”

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