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.

The post More businesses to reopen in Phase 4, groups of 50 will be allowed first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Return to Play Guidelines are aimed at student-athlete acclimatization and general physical fitness, and will not include any skill of sport training elements. The guidelines detail the allowable activities for student-athletes and coaches, as well as the safety precautions and social distancing that must be adhered to in order to maximize safety. 

“Our kids have been without sports and school for over two months, which has taken a toll on their physical and emotional health, said IHSA SMAC member Dr. Cynthia R. LaBella, the Medical Director at Institute for Sports Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “We purposely designed this first phase to focus solely on strength and conditioning so that kids can gradually rebuild their fitness levels in small peer groups with coach guidance. This will get kids moving again with their peers in the safest way possible, which will have a huge positive impact on their physical and emotional well-being.”

Student-athletes are limited to 3 hours of participation per day under the additional requirements of:

• Maintain social distance by being 6 feet apart. 
• Masks shall be worn when social distance cannot be maintained. 
• Follow gathering guidelines of groups of 10 or less including the coach and medical personnel. Groups of 10 or less must be pre-determined. 
• Once groups are determined, students may not switch from one group to another based upon sport. Students that participate in multiple sports for the year are encouraged to be grouped, for summer participation, in their fall sport. 
• Interaction between groups shall be avoided. 
• Sessions can only include weightlifting, running, and exercises designed to promote physical fitness. 
• Sport-specific drills are not permitted, and sport-specific equipment may not be used. 
• Implement diligent and effective cleaning and disinfecting of frequently touched objects and surfaces following the guidance of the CDC and IDPH. 
• Coaches must maintain a daily record of what athletes are participating, when, symptoms they may present (see attachment). o Athletes should be monitored at start of practice for temperature >100.4F/37C or symptoms of COVID-19 (fevers, chills, cough, muscle aches, headache, sore throat, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or loss of taste or smell). o If symptoms are present they should not participate in practice and should be referred to a physician for evaluation and testing. 
• Free weight exercises that require a spotter cannot be conducted while honoring social distancing norms. Safety measures in all forms must be strictly enforced in the weight room. Players shall bring their own water bottle, shoes, towels, and other personal equipment. The use of locker rooms, shared water coolers with cups, and water fountains will be prohibited during this stage.

An IHSA member high school may not conduct workouts under the Return to Play Guidelines unless they have local school district approval, and are located in a Health Region that is currently in Phase 3 (or better) under the Governor’s Restore Illinois plan.

It is the responsibility of each IHSA member school to comply with the requirements.

“These guidelines fulfill the IHSA’s twin commitments to interscholastic sports and the health of the interscholastic athletes that play them,” said IHSA SMAC member Dr. Preston Wolin, the Surgeon/Director of Sports Medicine at Chicago Center for Orthopedics. “The SMAC has taken into account both the most recent news about the virus, and the opinions of experts across the country. Both the SMAC and the Board will continue to monitor events and medical opinions as time moves forward.”

“I commend the IHSA SMAC for crafting a plan that fits within the framework provided by state leadership, and refuses to compromise safety,” said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. “The IHSA Return to Play Guidelines offer some important first steps in allowing student-athletes to reacclimate both physically and mentally to athletics, but more importantly, they allow each school to assess their own individual situation and determine if and when they want to proceed.”

The IHSA’s Return to Play Guidelines will remain in place until the IHSA or Illinois Department of Health announce further guidelines.

[pdf-embedder url=”https://sjodaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/return-to-play-guidelines-ihsa-1.pdf” title=”return to play guidelines ihsa”]

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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. 

The post Phase 3 Guidance on Illinois summer school released first appeared on SJO Daily.

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.”

The post The importance of social distancing during Phase 3 first appeared on SJO Daily.

“With the current pandemic, we are committed to providing you an opportunity for outdoor recreation and exercise, if possible. Until further notice, the following guidelines, given to us by the Illinois Dept. of Commerce, must be followed to allow the course to remain operational: 

– The Superintendent and Pro Shop staff will have discretion to open/close the course at any time (Specifically due to weather, course conditions, or new mandates). All updates and current conditions will be posted daily on the Course News section at https://www.golfthelake.com/ 

– The 18 hole course will be open with riding carts and a tee-time is REQUIRED to play. 

– Tee-times will be available from 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily, with intervals of 12 minutes. These may be made through the online portal or via telephone, depending on your Season Pass status. Full Members – 14 days in advance; General Public and Upgraded Anniversary Passes – 7 days in advance; Anniversary Pass Holders – 3 days in advance. 

– Foursomes are permitted and groups will be paired up when possible. 

– Golf carts and pull carts are available to rent. One rider per cart unless they are family. 

– Please arrive no more than 30 minutes prior to your tee-time and check in with the pro shop. 

– The pro shop will be open for fee payment and/or merchandise sales. Restrooms will also be open and can accessed through the locker room door only. 

– The Par 3 course and foot golf course are open for play. 

– The driving range and putting greens are open, practice balls can be bought in the pro shop. 

– Food and beverage sales available for carry-out/pick-up in the snack bar and beverage cart. No indoor seating will be allowed. 

– All players must check in before play at the pro shop counter or by calling (217) 586-2183. – Please observe social distancing practices, remaining a minimum of 6 ft. apart from one another. 

– Rakes, ball washers, and water jugs have been removed, and modifications have been made to the hole. Please do not remove or touch the flagstick throughout your round. 

– The safety and health of our staff and patrons is our top priority. Any refusal to follow or attempt to circumvent these guidelines will be grounds for dismissal from the property. Thank you for your understanding during this difficult time. Be well and be safe!”

The post Lake of the Woods Golf Course to update guidelines into Phase 3 first appeared on SJO Daily.

SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers approved a state operating budget shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, but despite the passage of the document, nothing about the next fiscal year is black and white.

The state is depending on a broad package providing federal monetary aid to states passing through the U.S. Congress, or, failing that, borrowing up to $5 billion from the U.S. Federal Reserve at an interest rate of approximately 3.8 percent.

“Well there’s no doubt that we’re going to have to revisit the budget if the federal government doesn’t come through,” Gov. JB Pritzker said when asked if the state had a plan for a revenue stream to pay back the borrowing. “I think all 50 states are going to have to be revisiting their budgets if the federal government doesn’t come through.”

Pritzker took questions in his office at the Capitol on Sunday morning, about nine hours after the General Assembly adjourned on just its fourth day of legislative session since March 5.

The $42.8 billion budget keeps spending roughly flat from a year ago despite revenue for next year decreasing by an unknown number of billions and the potential of even further economic devastation should COVID-19 see a resurgence in the fall that coincides with a virulent flu season.

“The budget the General Assembly has sent to my desk acknowledges that massive economic disruption leads to difficult decisions,” Pritzker said.

Democrats, upon the bill’s passage, said in times of economic crisis, government needs to continue to spend instead of balancing the budget on the backs of the less fortunate.

Pritzker echoed the argument Sunday.

“There was a strong look at, you know, what could be cut,” Pritzker said. “Remember, though, this was all in the frame of a vastly increased need by families, workers, individuals all across the state.”

Republicans, however, called the budget balanced only on “a wing and a prayer.”

In House debate Saturday, Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, the GOP’s chief budget negotiator in the House, said there were billions of dollars, including some from the federal CARES Act, to be spent at Pritzker’s discretion with only limited guidance included in the budget.

“The ability for an administration to engage in emergency rulemaking and have control of more than $7 billion of state funds, with only broad strokes, broad umbrellas of programs and allocations for those dollars, I think should give members of this body pause,” Demmer said.

Rep. Gregory Harris, D-Chicago, said during debate the fact that the Legislature passed a full budget instead of a lump sum appropriation showed that it was exercising more oversight than other states were doing for their governors.

But Demmer said the governor’s emergency rulemaking track record – that he sought authority to implement misdemeanor fines for businesses disobeying his stay-at-home order – shows he didn’t earn the public’s trust when it comes to rulemaking.

“This talk about earning the authority, nobody knew a pandemic was coming,” Pritzker said when asked about Republican objections Sunday. “There’s just no way that anybody had any clue that we would be in this situation that we’re in right now.”

He said he would “do anything, give anything” to go back to a pre-COVID-19 level of normalcy.

“But here we are,” he said. “So, I think that there is a recognition anyway that we’re gonna have an unusual year here.”

Asked if he would be comfortable with the authority the Legislature has afforded him being wielded by his former Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican, Pritzker said, “no, that’s why I ran against him and beat him.”

“I’m going to try very hard to operate, as I have by the way, with transparency, letting everybody know what we’re doing and also why we’re doing it. And the biggest thing is listening to the science and the data.”

In regard to transparency, Pritzker said the way this year’s budget was negotiated was not ideal. The measure and everything else passed in the four-day session was negotiated by working groups of lawmakers without official avenues for public input.

“I will say that although the public wasn’t able to come in to hearings that the Legislature had, their representatives from both sides of the aisle were in fact in the working groups, it wasn’t a one-sided set of working groups, there were bipartisan groups working on these things.”

Sometimes those groups sought executive branch input, sometimes they didn’t, he said.

While Republicans went into the special session calling for a vote on the governor’s Restore Illinois five-phased business reopening plan and some sort of check on his executive authority and ability to continuously extend disaster proclamations, no such vote occurred.

The closest thing to oversight was passed in a broad-ranging COVID-19 response bill that created a 14-member commission of eight Democrats and six Republicans that would work with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to discuss the reopening plan.

The commission would be scheduled to release its first report on the reopening plan on July 1, at which time the state could already be entering the fourth phase of the plan.

Republicans called the commission “window dressing.”

“Well, the Legislature has chosen not to be involved in many of the decisions that needed to be made by the executive branch,” Pritzker said when asked about the commission. “And I think, you know, when you think about it – That’s why you have an executive branch in an emergency, I can act quickly. The executive branch can act quickly.”

While he said the General Assembly could not have met quickly enough to have input on his decisions early in the emergency effort, Pritzker said he was hoping the General Assembly would have gathered “much earlier” than last week.

On one particular measure, he said he believed the Legislature fell short. He had asked lawmakers to approve a measure allowing for monetary fines of businesses defying his stay-at-home order.

“I am very disappointed, I think it was a complete abdication of responsibility on the part of the Legislature,” he said, noting the director of the Illinois State Police asked for a measure providing such authority.

“None of us want to exercise the ability to take away someone’s license that’s been given to them by the state to do business. Nobody wants to shut down a business. What we were looking for was a way to issue a citation,” he said.

He said the state would have to “look at other mechanisms” for such enforcement, but he did not say what they are.

The governor said he is also looking at ways to implement the next phases of the plan and is considering issuing a fourth consecutive 30-day disaster proclamation.

“We want to make sure we can implement the Restore Illinois plan, and that we’re taking care that the health and safety of the people of Illinois is paramount, so we’re looking at it,” he said.

The governor also announced the release of broad guidance for industries reopening under phase 3 of his plan. That is viewable here: https://www2.illinois.gov/dceo/pages/restoreILP3.aspx.

The post Despite budget approval, much is in limbo after session first appeared on SJO Daily.

Owners could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by a fine between $75 and $2,500. Less than a year of jail time is also a possibility.

Currently under Phase 2 of Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan, restaurants are allowed to be open for delivery, pickup, and drive-through only. Health care facilities and salons are to remain closed until Phase 3 where barbershops and salons can open with IDPH approved safety guidance; health and fitness clubs can provide outdoor classes and one-on-one personal training with IDPH approved safety guidance.

According to WTTW, “Pritzker’s cabinet described it as a new and gentler “tool” that law enforcement can use to keep businesses closed during the coronavirus pandemic – and therefore keep people safe – that’s less severe than other options, like closure orders or stripping establishments of their liquor licenses.”

County state attorney’s offices would be responsible to carry out prosecution of violations.

WTTW also reports that Pritzker’s attorney, Ann Spillane, said the misdemeanor charge can be intimidating, but owners are not being handcuffed or arrested, rather given a citation to go to court.

Only business owners would be cited, not their employees.

Republican lawmakers, including Dan McConchie, a member of the Senate’s Public Health Committee, released statements and spoke out via Twitter, stating that Pritzker had overstepped his powers in placing the possibility of a charge on the small business owners.

“This is a clear breach of the separation of powers,” McConchie wrote. “It is the role of the legislature to make the law, and the role of the Governor to enforce it. He has assumed both roles and shut out the legislative branch. It is beyond time for the Governor to stop ruling by fiat.”

“This week, the legislature must reassert control over the executive branch and return control of the state to the people by providing oversight of his emergency powers once and for all.”

Illinois lawmakers return to Springfield for a three-day special session from May 20-22.

Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady (Republican-Bloomington) wrote, “This is exactly why our caucus has asked for public hearings into the governor’s plan and why the legislature needs to be involved in the decision making process during these unprecedented times.”

During daily press briefings, Pritzker has repeatedly been questioned on his plan to enforce the guidelines set forth in Restore Illinois. Pritzker has said that the policies set in place are to be enforced by local governments and law enforcement.

While Pritzker has not mentioned the Class A Misdemeanor charge during a press conference, he did say that certain measures could be enforced at the state level.

“Counties that try to reopen in defiance will not be reimbursed by FEMA for damage they cause themselves. Local law enforcement and the Illinois State Police can and will take action,” Pritzker said on Wednesday. “Businesses and individual professionals that are licensed by state agencies can be held accountable for defying public health orders.”

Some local state’s attorneys like Piatt County’s Dana Rhoades have made announcements that they do not plan to take action against local businesses.

“I am notifying Piatt County citizens that it is not my intention as the Piatt County State’s Attorney to file criminal charges against such businesses or churches that reopen within Piatt County, when sufficient social distancing protocols are in place, including face covering, disinfecting, and other safety protocols as set forth by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

“The decision to reopen a business is not without potential significant risk in terms of civil liability and licensure revocation. For these reasons, I strongly encourage any business or church contemplating reopening to seek legal counsel.”

Lawmakers on the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules will have the opportunity to review Pritzker’s rule on Wednesday.

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The updated model, developed by the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Northwestern University’s School of Medicine, University of Chicago, is the result of adding two-and-a-half weeks of data. 

“The essence of models is that they get smarter over time,” Pritzker said. 

Earlier models had Illinois experiencing a peak in late April or early May.

“In many ways, this news is disheartening,” Pritzker said. “Pushing the peak down, and to a longer time frame, might not sound like good news to some, but I promise you, it is saving lives.”

Despite the extension of Illinois’ peak, Pritzker said that the three of the  four regions established in the “Restore Illinois” plan are currently on pace to move to Phase 3 by the end of the month.

“That is under our current Phase 2 mitigations,” Pritzker said. 

“There are those who advocate, removing all restrictions now, or at the end of this month, rather than taking the gradual course that our restore Illinois plan does. If we were to lift all of our mitigations entirely at the end of the month. Modeling shows that there would be a new surge of COVID-19, and a higher are not in each of the four regions, even in the least hard hit regions of our state.

Pritzker promised to share the numbers from each region once a week during Monday’s press conference. 

All regions, except the Northeast region, which includes Cook, McHenry, Lake, Kane, DuPage, Kendall, Grundy, Will and Kankakee counties, are meeting all the benchmarks for moving to Phase 3. 

According to the Restore Illinois plan, each region has to meet the following requirements to move into the next phase:

• At or under a 20 percent positivity rate and increasing no more than 10 percentage points over a 14-day period, AND; 
• No overall increase (i.e. stability or decrease) in hospital admissions for COVID-19-like illness for 28 days, AND; 
• Available surge capacity of at least 14% of ICU beds, medical and surgical beds, and ventilators.

The Northeast region of Illinois currently has a 22.3%, positivity rate, which is of course higher than the 20% cap on this metric.

“This positivity rate cap will be measured over a 14-day period. So there’s time for the Northeast region to fall below this cap,” he said.

The North Central Region is sitting at 9.1%, currently, while the central region at 6.0%, and the southern region at 10.5%.

All of the regions have seen a decrease in hospitalizations since May 1st. The Northest region saw a 18.6% dip in the Northeast region, 35.8%decrease in the North-Central region, 44.4% decrease in the Central region, and 54.3% decrease in the Southern region.

Likewise, all regions meet the requirement of available surge capacity of at least 14% of ICU beds, medical and surgical beds, and ventilators available. 

The Northeast has 17.8% of ICU bed availability, 18.8% of bed availability and 64.3% of ventilators available. The North Central region has 41.1% of ICU availability, 40.6% bed availability and 64.9% of ventilator availability.

The Central Region has 44.2% of ICU bed availability, 52.4% of bed availability and 74.6% of ventilators available. The Southern region has 28% of ICU availability, 45.8% bed availability and 80.7% of ventilator availability.

A requirement to move forward to next phase is that a region sees no overall increase, rather stability or a decrease, in hospital admissions for COVID-like illness across a 28-day period.

As of midnight May 8, all four regions met the third requirement of available surge capacity of at least 14 percent for ICU beds, medical/surgical beds, and ventilators.

“Remember that no one can truly stop this virus, without a vaccine,” Pritzker said. “But what we’ve been aiming to do since early March is slow down the exponential rate of transmission. When we do that, it leads to a slower rate of infections, over a longer period of time, giving our healthcare system, the ability to treat those who have complications and giving our pharmaceutical researchers, time to develop effective treatments and potentially a vaccine.”

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Gov. JB Pritzker has released a five-phase plan to safely reopen Illinois as COVID-19 continues to be a public health crisis.

During the May 5 press conference, Dr. Ngozi Ezike updated Illinois COVID-19 numbers, which included 2,122 new cases, bringing the state’s total to 65,962.

Within the last 24 hours, Illinois saw the highest one-day COVID-19 death total at 176, bringing the Illinois death total to 2,838. 

Pritzker said the plan will be guided by public health metrics and regional health care availability.

Here’s a look at the five phases as released by the Gov.’s office in a press release:

Phase 1 – Rapid Spread: The rate of infection among those tested and the number of patients admitted to the hospital is high or rapidly increasing. Strict stay at home and social distancing guidelines are put in place and only essential businesses remain open. Every region has experienced this phase once already and could return to it if mitigation efforts are unsuccessful.

Phase 2 – Flattening: The rate of infection among those tested and the number of patients admitted to the hospital beds and ICU beds increases at an ever slower rate, moving toward a flat and even a downward trajectory. Non-essential retail stores reopen for curb-side pickup and delivery. Illinoisans are directed to wear a face covering when outside the home, and can begin enjoying additional outdoor activities like golf, boating and fishing while practicing social distancing. To varying degrees, every region is experiencing flattening as of early May.

Phase 3 – Recovery: The rate of infection among those tested, the number of patients admitted to the hospital, and the number of patients needing ICU beds is stable or declining. Manufacturing, offices, retail, barbershops and salons can reopen to the public with capacity and other limits and safety precautions. All gatherings limited to 10 or fewer people are allowed. Face coverings and social distancing are the norm. The earliest a region can move to this phase is May 29.

Phase 4 – Revitalization: The rate of infection among those tested and the number of patients admitted to the hospital continues to decline. All gatherings of up to 50 people are allowed, restaurants and bars reopen, travel resumes, child care and schools reopen under guidance from the IDPH. Face coverings and social distancing are the norm.

Phase 5 – Illinois Restored: With a vaccine or highly effective treatment widely available or the elimination of any new cases over a sustained period, the economy fully reopens with safety precautions continuing. Conventions, festivals and large events are permitted, and all businesses, schools, and places of recreation can open with new safety guidance and procedures in place reflecting the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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