State officials on Monday announced three more deaths related to the new coronavirus and 236 new cases, bringing the death toll to 12 and the total number of cases since the start of the outbreak to 1,285.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he spoke by phone with President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon to discuss Illinois’ need for more masks and ventilators to fight COVID-19, saying “the president was very responsive, frankly.” This followed a Twitter spat on Sunday between the two after the governor claimed that the lack of federal action has made it harder and costlier for Illinois to fight the outbreak.


At the same time, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said her administration wouldn’t be waiting around for the federal government for help.

The city of Chicago plans to rent thousands of hotel rooms to be used for people diagnosed with COVID-19 or those who believe they’ve been exposed, in an effort to stop the spread of the virus and relieve the burden on hospitals. Chicago’s hotel plan is the first of its kind, Deputy Mayor Samir Mayekar told the Tribune.


The news comes as Illinois has begun its first full week under Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, which lasts through April 7.

Here are the latest updates Monday on the coronavirus in the Chicago area and Illinois:

10:15 p.m.: Oak Park homeless residents move from shelter after staff member tests positive for coronavirus

Homeless residents in Oak Park had to be moved out of a shelter after a staff member tested positive for the coronavirus. The individual had been working at the shelter two days before the diagnosis.

Housing Forward relocated 64 residents to vacant units offered up by local landlords and hotel rooms. It is now closed until further notice.

According to its website, the organization is identifying those that were in close contact with the staff member and is conducting daily screening for symptoms.

The agency had consolidated their operations to Oak Park Temple to mitigate spread of the virus early last week. The new location didn’t have showers or laundry services and residents were shuttled to Housing Forward’s support center in Maywood.

Housing Forward, like other suburban homeless shelters in Cook County, relied on volunteer work and church space to accommodate residents at night, which has become increasingly scarce during the coronavirus pandemic. — Cecilia Reyes

9:40 p.m.: US Olympic and Paralympic Committee says it favors postponing Tokyo Games

Joining an ever-growing chorus, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced late Monday that it would favor postponing the Tokyo Games this summer amid concerns about the coronavirus.

Team USA officials did not say when they would prefer the event to take place, but several other countries - including Canada, Australia, Germany, Brazil and Slovenia - have called for the Games to be held no earlier than 2021. Norway’s Olympic body said it did not want athletes going to Tokyo until the global health crisis is under control.

In a statement posted on its website, the USOPC said it made the decision after talking with its athletes, many of whom have seen their training facilities closed and critical competitions cancelled amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Even if the pandemic tapers to the point where it would be safe to hold the Games, athletes have questioned whether Olympic trials and other qualifying events - many of which have been scrapped - could be held under healthy, fair and properly trained conditions.

“We regret that there is no outcome that can solve all the concerns we face,” the statement read. “Our most important conclusion from this broad athlete response is that even if the current significant health concerns could be alleviated by late summer, the enormous disruptions to the training environment, doping controls and qualification process can’t be overcome in a satisfactory manner. To that end, it’s more clear than ever that the path toward postponement is the most promising, and we encourage the IOC to take all needed steps to ensure the Games can be conducted under safe and fair conditions for all competitors.” Read more here. — Chicago Tribune Staff


7:45 p.m.: School time lost to the coronavirus shutdown don’t have to be made up – but how long can that go on?

At least up through March 30, the days that schools are shut down won’t have to be made up. But after that? Things could change, and could hinge on schools’ abilities to provide effective and equitable e-learning. Read more here. — Hannah Leone

7:06 p.m.: Waubonsie Valley grad and her football team catch military flights home after coronavirus left them stranded in Honduras

Nearly a week after an Aurora high school graduate and her football team were left stranded in Honduras when the country closed its borders amid the COVID-19 outbreak, they found a way back to the United States on military flights.

When she returned, Sarah Gomez, a 2011 Waubonsie Valley High School graduate, was caught off guard by how much had shut down during the week and a half she and her team were overseas.

“We went from like, ‘oh, it’s a virus, oh, it could get worse, we’ll see what happens,’ to coming back and it’s empty,” she said.


The roughly 55 players, coaches and leaders of American Football Events arrived in Honduras March 11 for a tournament. They spent time volunteering and played two days of their tournament before games were canceled on the final day of competition, March 15, as part of an effort to limit large gatherings to control the spread of the coronavirus.


Later March 15, the team learned Honduras’ borders would be closing until further notice. Then, the country instituted a temporary curfew, since extended until at least March 29, which closed grocery stores, gas stations and banks and restricted residents’ movements.

The team spent days hunkered down in a largely empty hotel in Tegucigalpa, the capital city, uncertain of when or how they would return home. Read more here. — Sarah Freishtat

5:53 p.m.: Top Baxter execs test positive for COVID-19

The chief financial officer and a board member at Baxter International, the Deerfield-based medical products giant, have tested positive for COVID-19, the company said.

James Saccaro, who serves as executive vice president and CFO at Baxter, “continues to perform his responsibilities...from home” after testing positive for the virus, the company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Monday.

Baxter has a potential replacement lined up to temporarily assume Saccaro’s duties if changes to his condition warrant a medical leave of absence, the company said in the filing.

An unnamed Baxter board member has also tested positive for COVID-19 and is “recovering well in the hospital,” the company said. José Almeida, the company’s chairman, president and CEO, tested negative for the new coronavirus.

Baxter, which generated $11.4 billion in sales last year, said in the filing that since the emergence of COVID-19, it has implemented a “detailed action plan” to protect employee workplace safety while maintaining the global supply of its products. — Robert Channick

5:43 p.m.: In email exchange, Mayor Lori Lightfoot offers to withhold Chicago alderman’s pay to help buy equipment for first responders amid coronavirus outbreak

Mayor Lori Lightfoot responded to a City Council critic’s call for all city elected officials to take a 15-day furlough to help pay for new equipment to protect first responders from the coronavirus by offering to dock his pay, according to an email exchange between the two.

Southwest Side Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, called Friday for the 50 members of the City Council, the mayor, treasurer and clerk to forgo their salaries for 15 days. On Saturday, he sent an email to Lightfoot and several members of her cabinet that was obtained by the Tribune, expressing the need for coronavirus-related literature to be translated into “commonly-spoken foreign languages" and offering volunteers from his ward.

“The spirit of togetherness and volunteerism will not last if the city of Chicago drags its feet on giving them an outlet to help,“ Lopez’s email reads in part.

In a response email, Lightfoot countered, “In the middle of a crisis, no one is dragging their feet, Ray.” Read more here. — John Byrne

4:59 p.m.: Facing ‘unprecedented’ number of claims, Illinois urges laid off workers to apply for benefits online

The state of Illinois, which is working through an unprecedented number of unemployment claims in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, is urging those who have lost their jobs to file for benefits online.

Using the Department of Employment Security’s online portal at www2.illinois.gov/ides is the “safest, easiest, and fastest route” to submitting a claim and will free up the phone lines for those without internet or computer access, or who encounter technical difficulties submitting online, said spokeswoman Rebecca Cisco.

More than 64,000 Illinoisans submitted unemployment claims during a three-day period last week, more than 10 times the number who submitted during the corresponding period last year, the department said. The state will release updated figures on Thursday on the number of claims it received for the week ending March 21.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said during a press conference Monday that the state moved its online application portal to a more expansive software platform after the system became overwhelmed in recent days with an “unprecedented” number of people trying to file claims.

“I don’t think we’ve ever seen this before, even in periods during the 2008-2009 crisis,” he said.The department is urging people to submit claims before 10 a.m. or after 3 p.m., and to refrain from calling to check on the status or from trying to file over the phone. Claims cannot be submitted using a smartphone, but rather must be sent through a desktop, laptop or tablet. — Jocelyn Allison

4:30 p.m.: Med students sidelined from seeing patients

Clinical rotations are a big part of medical school, but for right now the risks to students, who might lack adequate protective gear, and to their patients is too great, many Chicago-area schools have decided.

“To be so close to being licensed professionals and being able to help, but instead now we’re at home, that can be really disappointing,” one student said. Read more here. — Ariel Cheung

4:27 p.m.: Pace cuts some service amid continued ridership drop

Pace is cutting some bus service in response to severe ridership drops, as workers and students stay home due to the coronavirus.

As of Monday, Pace said its regular, fixed-route ridership was down 53% and its ADA Paratransit ridership in the city and suburbs was down 70% compared to normal passenger numbers, said spokeswoman Maggie Daly Skogsbakken.

To cope with ridership drops, the suburban bus agency has moved to non-school service on routes that are boosted during the school year, and will not run service to special events, since they are all canceled, Skogsbakken said.

Commuter and “shuttle bug” service, which runs workers to and from Metra stations, has been adjusted. These changes and others are available at the passenger notices page on Pace’s web site.


Both Route 754, between Lewis University and downtown Chicago, and the Rosemont Circulator service are suspended. Routes 410, 411 and 412 in Niles will operate on adjusted schedules beginning on Tuesday, Skogsbakken said.

Pace is recommending that riders reconsider unnecessary travel, give other riders space on buses, wash their hands, and stay home if they are sick. Read more here. — Mary Wisniewski

4:22p.m.: Teacher at Loyola Academy in Wilmette tests positive for COVID-19

A teacher at Loyola Academy in Wilmette has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and is recovering at home, officials announced Sunday.

“This is the first confirmed case of a student, faculty or staff member," Loyola president, the Rev. Patrick E. McGrath, said in a statement posted on the Catholic high school’s website.

The teacher was last in contact with students March 12 and began showing symptoms March 20, before testing positive March 21.

"The individual is recovering at home and has our full support,” McGrath said. Read more here. – Karen Ann Cullotta

4:07 p.m.: Lake and Porter county officials in Indiana begin to adjust to stay-at-home order for residents

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Monday that residents should stay at home through at least April 7 to help decrease the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and Lake and Porter County officials have already started to make adjustments to follow the directive.

The governor said Monday in an address streamed from the statehouse that he issued the stay-at-home directive because COVID-19 is spreading through all counties in Indiana, and residents need to work together to slow its spread.

“Stay at home. Unless you’re going out on an essential errand or essential work or essential business,” Holcomb said. “The next two weeks are critical ... if we’re going to slow the spread, and we must slow the spread."

In response, the Lake County Commissioners issued a declaration of emergency Monday stating all Lake County government buildings, including the buildings in Hammond, Gary and East Chicago, will close until April 7, according to a press release. Read more here. – Alexandra Kukulka and Amy Lavalley

3:51 p.m.: Letter carrier, CTA train operator test positive for coronavirus, union officials say

A local letter carrier has tested positive for COVID-19, said Mack Julion, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, Branch No. 11, which represents more than 5,000 letter carriers in the Chicago area.

A bus driver and train operator with the Chicago Transit Authority also have tested positive, said the heads of their respective unions. City officials had confirmed information about the bus driver on Saturday.

Julion, who revealed the diagnosis during a Monday morning call organized by the Chicago Federation of Labor to discuss worker protections during the coronavirus crisis, said many members feel their offices have not been properly sanitized and that they lack enough hand sanitizers, gloves and face masks, he said. The union is also asking customers to be respectful of carriers’ space when they deliver mail to their homes.

The postal worker was tested after going to the doctor with symptoms and is recovering at home, Julion said. One other carrier who worked with that person is in isolation, but won’t be tested unless coronavirus symptoms develop.

Keith Hill, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241, which represents bus drivers, would like for CTA to allow customers to enter through the rear bus door to minimize proximity to the driver.

Ken Franklin, president of Amalgamated Transit Union 308, which represents train conductors, and the other union heads also want testing to be available to their members. – Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz

3:39 p.m.: FaceTime video chats reassure families of seniors in nursing homes and assisted living residences

The precautions implemented to protect the elderly, the people most vulnerable to the coronavirus, can also make them feel the most isolated.

The staff at area nursing homes and assisted living facilities, however are finding new ways for their residents to spend quality time with relatives, while still not allowing any visitors.

“I think it’s important for all residents in nursing facilities to have the presence of family in their lives,” said Pat Dance, whose 97-year-old mother has lived in HCR ManorCare of Hinsdale for four or five years. Read more here.

3:29 p.m.: Video bond hearings in Cook County

For what is believed to be the first time in more than a decade, Cook County bond hearings were held via videoconference on Monday — an attempt to facilitate “social distancing” to guard against of COVID-19.

Judge Charles Beach II sat on the bench in Courtroom 100. Prosecutors were nearby at their usual table. But defendants, public defenders, the court reporter, and even the Spanish interpreter were in separate rooms, watching and participating via video feed.

When one defendant had to confer privately with his attorney about whether he had an appropriate place to say on electronic monitoring, they moved to a private “breakout” line to communicate - while the rest of the parties waited.

Video bond court used to be routine in Cook County, until a lawsuit was filed alleging that it was unconstitutional to deny defendants the opportunity to go before a judge in person.

Chief Judge Timothy Evans moved to stop the practice in 2008, before the lawsuit had concluded.

Video bond court created a problematic disconnect between defendants and their attorneys, and crucially, “it just diminished the humanity of the person being considered for bond,” said Locke Bowman, who was active in the earlier fight against video bond hearings.

“Instead of a fully three-dimensional human being being considered, there’s just a flickering image on a television screen, and that’s to my view really problematic,” he told the Tribune on Monday.

But in the face of a global pandemic, the re-emergence of video bond court is understandable, Bowman said.

“It’s fair from my standpoint to create this mechanism, but with the caveat that it’s being done solely for the purpose of addressing this crisis,” he said. “And when the crisis abates it will end, because of the preference that we all understand — and is particularly important with regard to the criminal legal process — to do things in person.” – Megan Crepeau


3:08 p.m.: CTA ridership down 70% over the weekend

Ridership numbers keep falling on the CTA, with workers and students staying home because of the coronavirus pandemic. On Friday and Saturday, overall ridership was down 70 percent compared to the same days in 2019, a CTA spokesperson said in an email. On Sunday, ridership was down 72%. Rail ridership was down 78% all three days, while bus ridership was down 61% Friday and Saturday and 65% on Sunday.

The CTA said it is losing more than $1 million per day in fares, and it also expects its cut of the revenue the state collects from sales, motor fuel, and other taxes to decline. The agency said it is also spending more to keep vehicles and stations cleaned and disinfected daily.

“As a result, we anticipate hundreds of millions of dollars lost over the course of this crisis,” the CTA said. The CTA, Metra and Pace are all looking at the possibility of federal, state and local funding to help cover losses, the CTA said.

The agency said it is committed providing the “highest levels of service possible.” – Mary Wisniewski

2:48 p.m.: 236 new cases reported in Illinois, as well as 3 more deaths

State officials on Monday announced three more deaths related to the new coronavirus and 236 new cases, bringing the death toll to 12 and the total number of cases since the start of the outbreak to 1,285. The virus has struck an additional county, Monroe, bringing the total number of Illinois counties affected to 31.

The three deaths were all men in Cook County, two in their 80s and one in his 90s.

The virus has now been detected in 31 of Illinois’ 102 counties and in patients ranging in age from younger than 1 to 99.

Pritzker said he spoke by phone with President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon to discuss Illinois’ need for more masks and ventilators to fight COVID-19.

“The president was very responsive, frankly,” Pritzker said.

The two clashed publicly Sunday after Pritzker criticized the federal response during an appearance on CNN. – Dan Petrella

2:47 p.m.: Mayor Lori Lightfoot says Chicago’s ‘stepping up’ without federal help

On cable news Monday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said her administration wouldn’t be waiting around for the federal government to solve the city’s problems amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

“I’m a black woman in America. I learned early on nobody was going to save me. I had to step up and make sure I took care of myself. That’s the approach we’re taking in the city Chicago,” Lightfoot said. “We are stepping up, we are supporting our residents."

Lightfoot appeared on Stephanie Ruhle’s MSNBC show Monday and was asked about the city’s and state’s preparedness. Asked whether the city has abided by Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay at home order, Lightfoot said the city had been paring down to essentials by shutting down schools and restaurants in the days leading up to it which has helped ensure compliance.

“We’re still remaining diligent, we’re still trying to educate people into compliance, but I think so far so good,” Lightfoot said.

Lightfoot also said the city is okay right now with hospitals, bed counts and ventilators.

“So far, we’re fine,” Lightfoot said.

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, meanwhile, appeared separately on MSNBC and added his voice to those calling for the nation’s leaders to learn from the coronavirus outbreak to prevent future pandemics from wreaking as much havoc on the country as the 2020 outbreak. Read more here. — Gregory Pratt

2:06 p.m.: Two COVID-19 cases identified at Cook County Jail

Two Cook County Jail detainees have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the sheriff’s office.The detainees, one age 18 and one 42, tested positive Monday, according to a news release from Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s office.

Both are being held in isolation cells in Cermak Hospital, the jail’s medical facility. They have been in Cermak since they became symptomatic on Friday, according to the release.

The men were housed in different divisions of the jail when they started showing symptoms, according to the office. Read more here. – Megan Crepeau

1:08 p.m.: Illinois National Guard begins testing first responders and health-care workers for coronavirus in Chicago

The Illinois National Guard has begun testing first responders and health-care workers for the coronavirus at newly opened site on the Northwest Side.

About 115 recently activated service members are assigned to the testing site, which opened Monday at a former vehicle emissions testing facility. The site will only do 250 tests a day, given on a first-come-first-serve basis, according to the Chicago Fire Department. Read more here.

1:05 p.m.: Chicago has 4 deaths, 490 ‘lab-confirmed’ cases of COVID-19, official says

The city of Chicago as of Sunday afternoon had 490 cases of “lab-confirmed” COVID-19, and four deaths caused by the coronavirus, Dr. Allison Arwady, the commissioner of public health, said Monday on her daily Facebook Live question and answer session.

About 2 percent of the city’s cases are in people 17 or younger, 73 percent in people 18 to 59 and 25 percent in people 60 or older. About 78 percent of Chicago patients with COVID-19 did not have to be hospitalized, a figure in keeping with worldwide averages, and none were 17 or under, Arwady said. By contrast, half of those hospitalized were 60 or older.

“The younger people are, the more likely they are to have a very mild illness,” Arwady said. “That doesn’t mean that young people cannot get severe illness. … There are people who have died in those younger categories.”It’s much more likely to be serious in people 60 or older, particularly those with underlying medical issues. “All four of our deaths have been in people over 60 with underlying medical conditions,” she said.

As for the difficulty of getting tests for coronavirus, she said, “Even if you get a test, nothing changes in terms of your treatment. We don’t have at this point yet any dedicated treatment, we don’t have a vaccine."

Noting the increase in cases in Chicago and Illinois, she made the point that social distancing takes time to slow the upward trajectory.

"It doesn’t mean the social distancing things that we’re doing are not working,” Arwady said. “More testing is coming on line every day, and so as we start to have more and more testing available, we’re diagnosing more cases and we’ll see an increase.”


“We will let you know when we are hopefully starting to see some of this flattening, but I want to set an expectation that this is not today or tomorrow,” she added. “This is really down the line.”

One goal of slowing the curve, she said, is to keep the health care system from becoming overwhelmed as it has in Italy. Social distancing flattened the curve in Japan, where there has not been those kind of problems, she said.

“These are difficult times, and I think it’s going to get more difficult before they get better,” Arwady said, and she offered some mental health advice:“Turn off the television,” she said. “There is such a saturation. It can make you more nervous. It can really, I think, alter the way you are seeing the world. Turn it off for a few hours. Coronavirus nonstop – you are not going to miss any dramatic events in turning off the TV for a few hours.”

Arwady said that Mayor Lori Lightfoot would join her Tuesday for the Facebook Live event and would take questions. The event can be found on the mayor’s office Facebook page at 11 a.m. – Hal Dardick

1 p.m.: Rev. Jesse Jackson to Trump: Test jail inmates for COVID-19, release non-violent suspects

The Rev. Jesse Jackson says he spoke with President Donald Trump by phone Thursday night, a day after the Chicago and longtime civil rights leader sent a letter to the White House asking him to figure out a way, amid the coronavirus outbreak, to order the release of non-violent suspects awaiting trial in the nation’s jails where social distancing is next to impossible.

“We keep on hearing the most vulnerable in all of this is the seniors, but those in (jail) have no way to social distance — you can’t social distance,” Jackson, the leader of the South Side-based Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, tells the Tribune.

In a letter dated March 18, Jackson asked the president to test inmates currently behind bars and to release non-violent offenders awaiting trial to reduce the jail population and lessen the likelihood of an outbreak. Read the full letter here.

“I told him, ‘they need to be tested immediately,' and I could tell some of (what I was sharing) was new information to him,” Jackson said, explaining that the revolving door nature of those coming in and out of jails leaves those inside at risk of catching the potentially deadly disease.

A White House spokesman didn’t return respond to a request for comment, but Jackson says “He’s taking it into consideration.”

Jackson’s letter lays out what he’s asking the president to do: “I am urging you to consider immediately testing the 2.2 million persons currently incarcerated,” Jackson wrote. "They are a captive audience and should not be devoured by the virus should someone in prison have it and spread it. And please consider releasing those arrested for non-violent offenses who are still incarcerated, but not convicted, after they have been tested for the virus so that they do not endanger the health of other inmates or the general public if they are released. We cannot leave those without healthcare to threaten the healthcare of all.”

Read more in The Spin here. – Lisa Donovan

12:43 p.m.: Medical personnel to ride free on Metra while ‘stay at home’ order is in place

Doctors, nurses, paramedics and other medical personnel will now be able to ride free on Metra trains for the duration of the state’s “stay at home” order, the commuter railroad said on Monday.

To ride free, medical personnel just need to present a work ID showing that they’re employed at a hospital, medical facility, doctor’s office or local fire department, Metra said in a news release.

“We know it’s a small gesture but if it makes this all a little bit easier for these men and women who are bravely showing up at work every day and saving lives during this crisis, it’s the right thing to do,” Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski said.

Metra has plenty of room on its trains, as ridership is down on Monday to about 10% of what it is on a normal weekday, spokesman Michael Gillis said. The railroad cut its weekday service by about half to deal with the loss of ridership and give workers more time to deep-clean train cars. – Mary Wisniewski

12:35 p.m.: Man charged after yelling ‘corona’ and coughing in Chicago cop’s face, police say

A man has been charged with aggravated battery to a police officer after yelling “corona” and coughing in a Chicago cop’s face.

Chicago police officers responding to a car accident in the Rogers Park neighborhood on Sunday saw Anthony Ponzi, 21, of Wilmette in a “highly agitated” state, slurring his speech and foaming at the mouth, according to an arrest report.

When an officer tried to check Ponzi’s eyes for signs of impairment, Ponzi yelled “Corona, OK” and coughed directly on the officer’s face —so close that the officer “immediately felt particles of saliva/breath,” according to the arrest report.

Ponzi was taken into custody and taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, where he told hospital staff he did not have the virus, according to a Chicago police spokeswoman.Ponzi was charged with two counts of aggravated battery to a peace officer and misdemeanor charges including battery, resisting arrest, and DUI. He is expected in court for a bond hearing Monday. Read more here. – Megan Crepeau and Jeremy Gorner

Noon: More judges to take bench to speed release of Cook County Jail detainees who don’t pose safety risk

In an attempt to speed the release of detainees from the Cook County Jail amid coronavirus concerns, more judges will take the bench this week in Chicago’s main criminal courthouse to formally release people who are not believed to pose a safety risk.

Prosecutors, sheriffs and the Public Defender’s office already have been working together to agree on which jail detainees could safely be released, and have brought about 100 of those cases before a judge for review.

Criminal Division Presiding Judge LeRoy Martin Jr.'s new order Monday would essentially ramp up that process significantly, calling for more judges in more courtrooms to sign off on the agreed-upon cases.


Martin’s decision came in the wake of Public Defender Amy Campanelli’s call for consolidated bail reviews, in which a judge could potentially approve the mass release of hundreds of detainees at once. Campanelli told Martin on Monday that the jail by inherently presents an enormous public health threat in a pandemic.

“By their nature, jails are confined spaces where social distancing is impossible unless it is depopulated,” she said. “... It is festering, and people will get sick, they will need treatment, and will (the jail’s medical facility) be able to take care of them?"

But Martin rejected the call for en masse releases, saying that each must be considered on a case-by-case basis even if the prosecutors and public defenders agree that the defendant should be released.

“I am hesitant to say we should take a group and some one order should be signed affecting that group,” he said. “While the court has a responsibility to the detainees in the county jail, the court also has a responsibility to the public and has a responsibility to not release individuals who, in the courts discretion, believes ought not be released.”

– Megan Crepeau and Annie Sweeney

11:50 a.m.: City homeless shelters get additional beds at YMCAs to ease overcrowding

Chicago homeless shelters will have access to approximately 900 beds to ease overcrowding and contain the spread of the coronavirus, according to city officials.

Three YMCA locations throughout the city have already pledged 400 beds to the cause, city officials announced, and they expect an additional 500 beds will become available from other locations later this week. Mayor Lori Lightfoot is to announce the move at an afternoon news conference, along with additional space at downtown hotels for those awaiting confirmation of coronavirus diagnoses or who need to isolate themselves.

The announcement comes after large and small agencies providing homelessness assistance felt the squeeze of supply and volunteer shortages amid mounting pressure to comply with public health recommendations of social distancing and self-isolation.

Under governor Pritzker’s “stay-at-home” order, shelters are deemed essential because they provide “charitable and social services,” but organizations across the city and suburbs have still had to close locations or cut the number of beds they have available for the safety of their staff and residents. Read more here.

– Cecilia Reyes

11:43 a.m.: Chicago plans to rent thousands of hotel rooms for coronavirus isolation in move to preserve space in hospitals

The city of Chicago plans to rent thousands of hotel rooms to be used for people diagnosed with the new coronavirus or those who believe they’ve been exposed, in an effort to stop the spread of the illness and relieve the burden on hospitals.

City officials have an agreement to rent rooms in the 215-room Cambria Chicago Magnificent Mile, and are close to finalizing other deals that would give the city more than 1,000 hotel rooms to isolate people who are mildly ill with COVID-19, residents who fear they’ve been exposed and for those who are awaiting test results, Deputy Mayor Samir Mayekar told the Tribune. Read more here.

– Ryan Ori and Lori Rackl

11:31 a.m.: Village of Oak Park says second resident tests positive for COVID-19

A second Oak Park resident has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, village officials announced over the weekend.

Village public health director Mike Charley announced the positive result, saying a woman in her 40s had been tested March 18. The results were confirmed two days later. Read more here.

– Steve Schering

11:27 a.m.: Indiana governor orders residents to stay home due to coronavirus as state reports 7 deaths

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Monday ordered residents to remain in their homes except for essential errands in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus, mirroring similar orders in adjacent Illinois and Ohio.

Holcomb said Monday that the order still allows the state’s 6.8 million residents to seek essentials including groceries and medicine and makes exemptions for employees of crucial industries.

The state has reported seven deaths and 259 virus infections. The state’s most recent death from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, was an adult over the age of 60 in northeastern Indiana’s. Allen County’s health department announced his death Sunday, the Indiana State Department of Health said. Read more here.

– Associated Press

10:57 a.m.: Wisconsin governor orders non-essential businesses across the state closed to slow the spread of COVID-19

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses starting Tuesday, and is urging people to stay at home to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus that has killed four people in the state and infected at least nearly 400.

Evers tweeted Monday that he would be signing the “safer-at-home” order on Tuesday. It comes after Evers already ordered K-12 schools and a host of other businesses closed, including bars, restaurants and hair salons, and limited gatherings to no more than 10 people. Read more here.

– Associated Press

10:35 a.m.: Pritzker again goes on TV to push Trump on medical supplies

Appearing Monday on NBC’s Today show, Gov. J.B. Pritzker pushed President Donald Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act to produce ventilators, a medical device used to treat individuals with respiratory failure caused by COVID-19.

While U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said Monday that this measure is unnecessary when companies are already volunteering to produce ventilators, Pritzker said “prices are being ratcheted up” when different states and countries compete to purchase them.“

In one case we’re competing with ventilators with FEMA and the federal government. So Illinois is bidding for ventilators against the federal government. In another case we were bidding against foreign countries and other states,” the governor said.


The Defense Production Act would prevent rising ventilator prices by allowing the federal government to act as a single buyer and then distribute ventilators between the states, Pritzker said.

The governor also urged the U.S. Senate to resolve disagreements over the proposed $2 trillion aid package, but said the funds should funnel to middle-class and working-class families, as well as states. “Needlessly handing billions of dollars to companies, when you could put it in the hands of average folks, or into the hands of states that are providing services, seems illogical.”

– Antonia Ayres-Brown

10:08 a.m.: Illinois treasurer makes $250 million available for low-interest bridge loans

The Illinois state treasurer’s office is making $250 million available to Illinois banks and credit unions to extend low-interest bridge loans to businesses and nonprofits affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Treasurer Michael Frerichs’ office will loan the money to financial institutions at an interest rate of 0.01%. The banks and credit unions will then lend the money to small businesses that have been shut down or limited by the COVID-19 outbreak at rates not to exceed 4.75%.

Business must have less than $1 million in liquid assets or $8 million in average annual receipts, and they must be headquartered in Illinois or agree to use the money in the state.More information is available at bit.ly/SmallBizRelief.

– Dan Petrella

9:54 a.m.: Kane County religious school moves to e-learning as sheriff’s deputies prepare to bring the school into compliance with ‘stay at home’ mandate

Kane County sheriff’s deputies spent Monday morning at Northwest Baptist Academy in Elgin, planning to ask parents to keep their children home from what was believed to be the last open school in the state, but school officials decided to move to e-learning before the start of the school day.

Undersheriff Patrick Gengler said his office had been in talks “all weekend starting Friday” with the school, which is part of the larger Northwest Bible Baptist Church community. Read more here.

– Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas

9:23 a.m.: Michigan governor to announce stay-at-home order today, official says

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will announce a statewide stay-at-home order to curb the spread of the coronavirus, with an exemption for certain workers, a government official told The Associated Press on Monday.

The order, which will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, will allow “essential" employees necessary to sustain and protect life to continue going to work, said a high-ranking administration official who had direct knowledge of the measure. The person was not authorized to speak publicly before the Democratic governor’s scheduled 11 a.m. Monday news conference. Read more here.

– Associated Press

8:30 a.m. As local athletes wait for answers, Japan signals the Olympic Games may be postponed

With the Canadian and Australian Olympic teams refusing to compete in Tokyo this summer, Japanese organizers and the International Olympic Committee appear to be reconsidering their position on holding the Games despite the corona pandemic.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinto Abe on Monday acknowledged the Games, which are slated to start July 24, may be postponed because of the threat to athlete health and safety.

“If I’m asked whether we can hold the Olympics at this point in time, I would have to say that the world is not in such a condition,” Abe told parliament.

The comment, however, still leaves tens of thousands of athletes around the world in limbo, as many have seen their training facilities closed and critical competitions cancelled amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Even if the pandemic tapers to the point where it is possible to hold the Games, athletes have questioned whether Olympic trials and other qualifying events -- many of which have been canceled -- could be held under healthy, fair and properly trained conditions.

“I definitely want the Olympics to happen at some point," said rhythmic gymnast Elizaveta Pletneva of Deerfield, whose team’s main qualifying competition has not been rescheduled yet. “But when you look at what’s happening around the world and you look at the calendar, I’m not sure it will be able to happen this summer." Read more here.

– Stacy St. Clair

As campuses empty, officials in college towns worry students will be missed by census

The U.S. Census Bureau confirmed it will count the student population from now-shuttered dormitories, but some officials in large college towns remain concerned that campus closures because of the coronavirus could result in undercounting.

Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, college students were already considered a hard-to-count population in each decennial census. Although students in on-campus residences typically aren’t responsible for counting themselves, those in off-campus apartments and houses have the potential to be uncounted if they fail to fill out the census questionnaire.

Undercounts could diminish funding and political representation apportioned on the basis of population. Read more here.

— Antonia Ayres-Brown

Chicagoans break out their sewing machines to make homemade masks for doctors, nurses

Inspired by requests from local doctors and nurses, as well as calls for masks from providers such as the Indiana-based Deaconess Health System, volunteers have taken to social media with hashtags such as #1millionmasks. They are dusting off their sewing machines, sharing material and elastic, and arranging drop-offs and pickups from front stoops and porches.

“There are many women doing this in the last few days,” said Dima Ali, a jewelry designer in Oak Park who has sewn masks for nurses, a doctor and a chef in a retirement center.

After Ali posted Thursday on Facebook, neighbors started showing up with donations of elastic and fabric — lots of fabric.


“I have boxes of fabric outside now. It’s really heartwarming,” Ali said Friday. “I was like, ‘OK, let’s do this, people!’” Read more here.

— Nara Schoenberg

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Sunday, March 22

Here’s a recap of coronavirus updates in the Chicago area and Illinois from Sunday:

Saturday, March 21