Friday, May 29, 2020

Thousands crossing US-Mexico border despite nonessential travel ban, COVID-19 threat



IAN PANNELL, MATT GUTMAN and ENJOLI FRANCIS

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ABC NewsMay 28, 2020

491 Comments

0:56

2:04

Latin America emerges as COVID-19 hotspot

As the coronavirus pandemic grips Mexico, thousands of vehicles a day are still crossing the border with the U.S. -- despite a ban on nonessential travel.

Lines of traffic that stretch for miles can be seen in Tijuana, Mexico, with essential workers traveling to jobs in the U.S. and dual citizens and even sick American retirees crossing to San Diego for treatment.

There are a few health checks.

of Entry to open to cross to the United States from Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, early May 20, 2020. (Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S border officials look for signs of illness and may take temperatures if they think it's necessary, but there are concerns that the virus is moving back and forth across the border.

The number of COVID-19 cases are way up just across the border in California's San Diego County.

MORE: California border hospitals see rise in COVID-19 cases coming from Mexico

Health care professionals at Scripps Mercy Hospital in Southern California told ABC News that roughly 48% of their patients had crossed the border in recent weeks.

"Talking to the people on the wards is that there seems to be a lot either living or working on both sides of the border," said Dennis Amundson, director of the intensive care unit at Scripps Mercy.


Scripps Hospital System told ABC News recently that it was sending patients to hospitals in the northern part of the county because there are too many in their wards in southern San Diego County.

Many have been U.S. citizens who live on the Mexican side of the border, but work in the U.S., the hospital said.

Meanwhile, in Mexico, the number of deaths due to coronavirus has been rising relentlessly.

MORE: Some hospitals outside of hot spots prepared for coronavirus war, face financial wounds instead

ABC News watched large funerals for coronavirus victims with no apparent social distancing. There are currently more than 8,500 deaths due to the virus in Mexico. The group Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity released a report in mid-May saying the actual total might be as much as three times higher.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump said during a briefing that the U.S. was sending ventilators to Mexico, as well as Brazil, which he noted had also been hit hard by COVID-19.

Brazil is projected to have 125,833 deaths by Aug. 4, according to the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

"Mexico is having a very, very hard time, as you know, with COVID, especially along the border, with Tijuana and various places along the border," Trump said during Thursday's briefing.

PHOTO: In this May 5, 2020 photo, workers in full protective gear, unload a coffin that contain the remains of a person who died from the new coronavirus, in an area of the municipal cemetery set apart for victims of COVID-19, in Tijuana, Mexico. (Joebeth Terriquez/AP, File)

PHOTO: In this May 5, 2020 photo, workers in full protective gear, unload a coffin that contain the remains of a person who died from the new coronavirus, in an area of the municipal cemetery set apart for victims of COVID-19, in Tijuana, Mexico. (Joebeth Terriquez/AP, File)

Trump said Mexico had a "record" number of COVID-19 cases -- though it's unclear what record he was referring to as the U.S. leads globally in most deaths and cases -- and "sadly" the highest number could be found along Mexico’s border with the U.S.

"Fortunately we have brand-new wall along there, and the wall is saving us," Trump said, apparently referring to a new portion constructed in September 2019.

Above is from; 

New COVID-19 hot spots emerge across the U.S

New COVID-19 hot spots emerge across the U.S.: Here's what you need to know

Korin Miller

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Yahoo LifeMay 29, 2020

New hot spots of COVID-19 are emerging across the country as cases decline elsewhere in the U.S. (Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

New hot spots of COVID-19 are emerging across the country as cases decline elsewhere in the U.S. (Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

It’s easy to assume COVID-19 cases will go down after lockdown orders lift across the country, but, unfortunately, the data suggests otherwise. New hot spots of COVID-19 are emerging across the U.S.

Select areas in California, Wisconsin, Arkansas and more are seeing spikes in cases, and some areas are even reporting the highest numbers they’ve seen since the pandemic hit the U.S. Here are a few areas to keep an eye on and what to do if you live there.

Alabama

Confirmed COVID-19 cases have surged in Alabama, reaching an all-time high this week, nearly two weeks after the state reopened. The numbers are startling: The state has had 400 new cases five times in the past seven days. “We’ve had this week a couple of the highest days we’ve seen in number of cases, and that’s certainly concerning to us,” State health officer Dr. Scott Harris said, according to AL.com. As of Friday afternoon, Alabama had 16,588 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Arkansas

Arkansas has seen a consistent rise in cases over the past 30 days, according to data from the Arkansas Department of Health. Currently, there are 1,830 active cases of COVID-19 in the state. The infection rate is also steadily climbing and is now at 5.5 percent. Throughout the course of the pandemic, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson did not issue a statewide stay-at-home order.

California

The state has seen a 25 percent increase in confirmed cases in the past 14 days, according to data tracking website COVID Exit Strategy as of Thursday evening. Sonoma County, which was the first to reopen in the state, has reported 203 new cases of the virus in the past 14 days and doubling its case rate during that time, according to the Los Angeles Times. Similar situations are being seen in other areas of the state, and some public health officials have walked back some previously loosened guidelines, the Times reports. In California, there are 103,886 confirmed cases as of Thursday, according to the California Department of Public Health.

North Carolina

This state has seen a 40 percent increase in cases over the past two weeks, according to COVID Exit Strategy data from Thursday evening. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said in a press briefing this week that he’s “concerned” after the state had some of its highest numbers in COVID-linked hospitalizations and deaths since the pandemic began. As of Friday morning, there are 26,488 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Virginia

Cases of the virus continue to spike in the state, and it looks like it could get worse before it gets better. Data from the New York Times suggests select metropolitan areas in Virginia, such as Roanoke and Charlottesville, are just days away from reaching new highs in cases. There are 40,477 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Friday, according to the Virginia Department of Public Health.

Wisconsin

On May 14, Wisconsin’s Supreme Court struck down the state’s stay-at-home order, ruling that state officials had not followed the proper protocol for creating the limits for state residents. There are currently 16,974 confirmed cases in the state as of Friday, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The state just saw its highest single-day increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths this week, according to data from the New York Times.

The story is the same in several states and metropolitan areas across the country, and public health experts aren’t exactly shocked. “It’s to be expected,” Dr. Amesh A. Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, tells Yahoo Life.

In some areas, public health officials are scaling back measures to reopen, while others are not, putting a lot of the public safety responsibility on individuals.

Steps you can take to stay safe

It’s very important to be informed about your local data, Ryan Panchadsaram, former U.S. deputy chief technology officer at the White House during the Obama administration and co-founder of COVID Exit Strategy, tells Yahoo Life. He and other public health and crisis experts with experience stemming from their work at the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services and on the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, joined forces to create COVID Exit Strategy with the goal of tracking “each state’s progress toward stopping the spread of COVID-19,” he says.

The website originally was formed after he and his colleagues had trouble seeing which states were following the criteria the White House had set for reopening. “We hope the site is useful for state leaders and those who can help influence state leaders — like the public — to get a better understanding of how their state is doing,” he says. “They can use the site to compare themselves to neighbor states and adopt the policies and practices that are working.”

Experts urge caution if you live in one of the areas with rising cases. “If you live in one of those areas, it will be important to be cognizant of the heightened risk, and if you are trying to minimize your risk to exposure, social-distance as best as possible,” Adalja says. “Older people and people with underlying illnesses should be especially conservative,” Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, tells Yahoo Life.

For everyone, Schaffner stresses the importance of practicing known methods of preventing the spread of COVID-19 — engaging in social distancing, practicing good hand hygiene and wearing a mask in public. And if COVID-19 cases are currently on the decline in your area, Schaffner urges awareness that they still could go up again. “No area is immune. Case levels won’t stay flat everywhere, even under the best circumstances,” he says.

Above is from:  https://news.yahoo.com/new-hotspots-emerge-across-us-coronavirus-192302516.html

May 29: 1622 new COVID-19 cases in Illinois

COVID-19
Positive (Confirmed)
117,455  +1622
Deaths
5270  +84
Total Tests
851,762  +21,796
Total Cases
(117,455  5-29-2020) 115,833  5-28-2020) (114,306  5-27-2020) (113,195  5-26-2020)(112,017  2-25-2020) (110,304  5-24-2020) (107,796  5-23-2020) (105,444  5-22-2020) (102,686 5-21-2020) 100,418  5-20-2020) (98,030  5-19-2020) (96,485  5-18-2020)  (94,191  5-17-2020)  (92,457  5-16-2020) (90,369 5-15-2020) (87,937  5-14-2020) (84,698  5-13-2020) (83,021  5-12-2020)(79,007  5-11-2020) (77,741 5-10-2020)  (76,085  5-9-2020)(73,760  5-8-2020)(70,873 5-7-2020)(68,232  5-6-2020) (65,962  5-5-2020)  (63,840  5-4-2020) (61,499 5-3-2020) (58,505  5-2-2020)  56,055 5-1-2020) (52,918  4-30-2020) (50,355  4-29-3030) (48,102 4-28-2020) (45,883  4-27-2020) (43,903  4-26-2020) ( 41,777  4-25-2020) (39,658  4-24-2020)  (36,934 4-23-2020)  (35,108 4-22-2020)(33,059  4-21-2020) (31,508  4-20-2020) (30,357 4-19-2020)  (29,160  4-18-2020)  (27,575  4-17-2020) (25,733  4-16-2020)  (24,593 4-15-2020)  (23,247 4-14-2020)  (22,025 4-13-2020)  (20,852 4-12-2020) (19,180 4-11-2020 ) (17,887 4-10-2020) (16,422 4-9-2020) (15,078 4-8-2020) (13,549 4-7-2020) (12,262 4-6-2020) (11,256 4-5-2020) (10,357 4/4/2020) (8,904-- 4/3/2020) (7,695-- 4/2/2020)   (6,980-- 4/1/2020) (5,994-- 3/31/2020)  (5,05--7 3/30/2020) (4,596-- 3/29/2020)

Deaths

(5270  5-29-2020)  (5186  5-28-2020) (5083  5-27-2020) (4923  5-26-2020) (4884  5-25-2020) (4856  5-24-2020) (4790 5-23-2020) (4713  5-22-2020) (4607  5-21-2020) (4525 5-20-2020)(4,379 5-19-2020) (4,234  5-18-2020) (4,177  5-17-2020) (4129 5-16-2020) (4,058  5-15-2020) (3,928  5-14-2020) (3,792 5-13-2020) (3,601 5-12-2020)  (3,459  5-11-2020) (3,406 5-10-2020) (3349 5-9-2020) (3,241 5-8-2020) (3,111  5-7-2020)(2,974  5-6-2020) ((2,838 5-5-2020)  (2662 5-4-2020) (2,618 5-3-2020) (2,559 5-2-2020) (2,457 5-1-2020) (2,355  4-30-2020) (2,215  4-29-2020)  (2,125  4-28-2020) (1,983  4-27-2020) (1,933 4-26-2020 )(1,874  4-25-2020) 1,795  4-22-2020) (1,688  2-23-2020) (1,585 4-22-2020) (1,468  4-21-2020) (1,349 4-20-2020)(1,290 4-18-2020)  (1,259  4-18-2020) (1,134  4-17-2020) (1,072  4-16-2020) (948 4-15-2020)  (866 4-14-2020) (794 4-13-2020)  (720 4-12-2020) (677 4-11-2020)(596 4-10-2020) (528 4-9-2020) (462 4-8-2020) (380 4-7-2020)(307 4-6-2020) (274 4-5-2020) (243—4-4-2020) (210-- 4-3-2020) (157 4-2-2020)(141 4/1/2020) (99 3/31/2020) (73 3/30/2020)  (65 3/29/2020)
Total Persons Tested*
(851,762  5-29-2020) (829,966  5-28-2020) (803,973  5-27-2020) (786,794  5-26-2020) (769,564  5-25-2020) (747,921  5-22-2020) (722,247  5-23-2020) (697,133  5-22-2020) (672,020 5-21-2020) (642,713 5-20-2020)(621,684  5-19-2020) (603,241 5-18-2020) (581,944  5-17-2020) (561,649  5-16-2020) (538,602 5-15-2020) (512,037  5-14-2020)  (489,359  5-13-2020)(471,691 5-12-2020) (442,425  5-11-2020) (429,984  5-10-2020) (416,331 5-9-2020)  (399,714 5-8-2020)  (379,033 5-7-2020)(361,260 5-6-2020) (346,286 5-5-20200 (333,147  5-4-2020) (319,313  5-3-2020) (299,892 5-2-2020)  (284,688  5-1-2020) (269,867 4-30-2020) (256,667  4-29-2020) (242,189  4-28-2020) (227,628  4-27-2020) (214,952 4-26-2020) (201,617 4-25-2020) (186,219  4-24-2020)(173,316 4-23-2020) (164,346 4-22-2020)  (154,997  4-21-2020) (148,358 4-20-2020) (143,318 4-19-2020)  (137,404  4-18-2020) (130,163  4-17-2020)  (122,589  4-16-2020)  (116,929 4-15-2020) (110,616 4-14-2020)  (105,768 4-13-2020) (100,735 4-12-2020) (92,779 4-11-2020) (87,527 4-10-2020) (86,857 4-9-2020) (75,066 4-8-2020) (68,732 4-7-2020) (62,942 4-6-2020) (58,983 4-5-2020) (53,581—4-4-2020)  (48,048-- 4-3-2020) (43,653-- 4/2/2020) (40,384-- 4/1/2020) (35,225-- 3-31-2020) (30,446-- 3/30/2020)  (27,762-- 3/29/2020)

*Total number of people reported electronically for testing of COVID-19 at IDPH, commercial or hospital laboratories. Deaths are included in the number of positive cases
All numbers displayed are provisional and subject to change.

Information to be updated daily.

Above is from: http://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/covid19-statistics

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Home


PROJECTIONS from:  http://www.healthdata.org/research-article/forecasting-covid-19-impact-hospital-bed-days-icu-days-ventilator-days-and-deaths Now being updated three times per week.

As 0f 2-20-2020  range of projected deaths was 5,542 to 14,095 with mean projection of 8781.

Total COVID-19 deaths projected through August 4, 2020 in Illinois (7628 5-26-2020) (8,781 5-18-2020) (7,830 5-12-2020) (7395 5-10-2020)(6,353 5-4-2020)  (2,337  4-29-2020)   (2,316 4-27-2020)  (2093 4-21-2020) (2,259 4-15-2020) (1248 4-13-2020)

(777 4-10-2020)  (1,584  4-8-2020) (3,629 4-5-2020)(3,386 4-2-2020) (2,789 4-1-2020)  (2,326  3-31-2020)  (2,369 as of 3/30/2020)  (2,454 AS OF 3-26-2020)

COVID-19 deaths   Peak deaths  (95 deaths on 4-19-2020)               Previously (91 deaths on 4-12-2020)  (208 on 4-12-2020) (109 on 4-20-2020)

Illinois Population:  12.74 million        Projected deaths per million: 598.75

For a lengthier discussion of the projection model go to:  http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2020/03/forecasting-covid-19-impact-on-hospital.html and http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2020/05/why-imhs-corvid-19-model-is-so-wrong.html

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BOONE COUNTY



This page summarizes the latest data for COVID-19 in McHenry County. This data is provisional and subject to change.

McHenry County Cases


1,537

Source: McHenry County Department of Health

McHenry County Deaths


73

Source: McHenry County Department of Health



Above is from:  https://mchenry-county-coronavirus-response-mchenrycountygis.hub.arcgis.com/

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WINNEBAGO CO (WREX) — The Winnebago County Health Department announced 64 more positive cases of the virus and one new death on Friday.

So far, 59 people have died from the coronavirus in the county. More than 60% of those deaths were in congregate settings.

Boone and Whiteside Counties each reported one additional death.

While Winnebago County has now had 2,126 positive cases of COVID-19, 687 of those cases have recovered.

Winnebago County has tested more than 20,000 people since the pandemic began.

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 1,622 new cases and 86 additional deaths.

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Cases in U.S.

Updated  May 29, 2020
U.S. At A Glance

As of May 28, 2020

Total Cases

1,719,827  +21,304

Total Deaths

101,711  +1265

This page will be updated daily. Numbers close out at 4 p.m. the day before reporting

***On Saturday and Sunday, the numbers in COVID-19: U.S. at a Glance and the figure describing the cumulative total number of COVID-departments. CDC will update weekend numbers the following Monday to reflect health department updates.***

CDC is responding to an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus. The outbreak first started in Wuhan, China, but cases have been identified in a growing number of other locations internationally, including the United States. In addition to CDC, many public health laboratories are now testing for the virus that causes COVID-19.

COVID-19: U.S. at a Glance*†

  • Total cases (1,719,827  5-29-2020) (1,678,843  5-27-2020)  (1,662,414  5-26-2020) (1,637,456 5-25-2020)  (1,622,114  5-24-2020)(1,595,858 5-23-2020) (1,571,617  5-22-2020)(1,551,095 5-21-2020) (1,528,235 5-20-2020)(1,504 030  5-19-2020) (1.480,349   5-18-2020),(1,467,065  5-17-2020) (1,435,098 5-16-2020)  (1,412,121  5-15-2020) (1,384,930  5-14-2020) (1,364,061 5-13-2020) (1,342,594  5-12-2020) (1,324,488  5-11-20200  (1,300,696  5-10-2020) (1,274,036  5-9-2020) (1,248,040 5-8-2020) (1,219,066  5-7-2020)(1,193,)  (1,005,147  4-28-2020) (957,875  4-27-2020) (928,619  4-26-2020)  (895,766  4-25-2020)   (865,585 4-24-2020)   (829,441   4-23-2020) (802,583  4-22-2020) (776,093 4-21-2020) (746,625 4-20-2020) (720,630 4-19-2020)  (661,712 4-17-2020)  (632,548 4-16-2020)  (605,390 4-15-2020) (579,005 4-14-2020)  (554,849 4-13-2020) (525,704 4-12-2020)  (492,416 4-11-2020)(459,165 4-10-2020) (427,460 4-9-2020) (395,011 4-8-2020)(374,329 4-7-2020) (330,891 4-6-2020) (304,826 4-5-2020) (277,205 4-4-2020) (239,279 4-3-2020) (213,144 4/2/2020)(186,101 4/1/2020) (163,539 3/31/2020) (140,904 3/30/2020)   (122,653  3-29-2020)
  • Total deaths (101,711  5-29-2020) (99,031  5-27-2020)  (98,261  5-26-2020)(97,669  5-25-2020)  (97,049  2-24-2020) (96,002 5-23-2020) (94,150 5-22-2020) (93,061  5-21-2020) (91,664 5-20-2020) (90,340 5-19-2020)  (89,407  5-18-2020) (88,709  5-17-2020)  (87,315  5-16-2020)  (85,990  5-20-2020) (83,947 5-15-2020) (82,246  5-13-2020)  (80,820  5-12-2020) (79,756  5-11-2020) (78,771  5-10-2020) (77,034  5-9-2020) (75,477  5-8-2020) (73,297  5-7-2020) (70,802 5-6-2020)  (68,279 5-5-2020) (67,456  5-4-2020)  (64,283  5-2-2020)  (62,405 5-1-2020)  (60,057  4-30-2020) (57,505  4-28-2020)  (53,922 4-27-2020) (52,459  4-26-2020)  (50,439 4-25-2020) (48,816  4-24-2020) (46,379 4-23-2020) (44,575 4-22-2020)  (41,759 4-21-2020) (39,083 4-20-2020)  (37,202 4-19-2020)  (33,049 4-17-2020)  (31,071 4-16-2020) (24,582 4-15-2020) (22,252 4-14-2020) (21,942 4-13-2020)  (20,486 4-12-2020)  (18,559 4-11-2020) (16,570 4-10-2020) (14,696 4-9-2020) (12,754 4-8-2020) (12,064 4-7-2020) (8,910 4-6-2020)(7,616 4-5-2020)  (6, 593 4-4-2020) (5,443 4-3-2020) (4,513 4-2-2020) (3,603 4-1-2020) (2,860 3/31/2020) (2,405 3/30/2020)   (2,112  3-29-2020)
  • Jurisdictions reporting cases: 55 (50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Marianas, and US Virgin Islands)

* Data include both confirmed and presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 reported to CDC or tested at CDC since January 21, 2020, with the exception of testing results for persons repatriated to the United States from Wuhan, China and Japan. State and local public health departments are now testing and publicly reporting their cases. In the event of a discrepancy between CDC cases and cases reported by state and local public health officials, data reported by states should be considered the most up to date.

† Numbers updated Saturday and Sunday are not confirmed by state and territorial health departments. These numbers will be modified when numbers are updated on Monday.(

Cases of COVID-19 Reported in the US, by Source of Exposure*†

* Data include both confirmed and presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 reported to CDC or tested at CDC since January 21, 2020, with the exception of testing results for persons repatriated to the United States from Wuhan, China and Japan. State and local public health departments are now testing and publicly reporting their cases. In the event of a discrepancy between CDC cases and cases reported by state and local public health officials, data reported by states should be considered the most up to date.

† CDC is no longer reporting the number of persons under investigation (PUIs) that have been tested, as well as PUIs that have tested negative. Now that states are testing and reporting their own results, CDC’s numbers are not representative of all testing being done nationwide.

Above is from:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html

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PROJECTIONS:   US COVID-19 Deaths thru 8-4-2020) (131,967  5-26-2020) (143,357 5-18-2020)  (147,040 5-12-2020)  (137,184 5-10-2020) (134,475 5-4-2020)  (72,433   4-29-2020)  (74,073 4-27-2020) (65,976 4-21-2020)  (60,308 4-15-2020) (68,841 4-13-2020)  (61,543 4-10-2020) (60,415 4-8-2020) (81,766 4-5-2020) (93,531 4/3/2020) (93,765 4/1/2020)   (83.967 3/31/2020)    ( 82,141 3/30/2020);  Peak Daily    (2150 4-13-2020)

Older Peak Daily Deaths (2,212 on 4-12-2010)  (1,983 on 4-11-2020)  (2,644 on 4-16-2020)(3,130 on 4-16-2020) ( 2214 on 3/31/2020) (2,214 on 3/31/2 020) (2,271 3/30/2020)

US Population:  331 million    Projected deaths per million: 398.69

FROM:  http://www.healthdata.org/research-article/forecasting-covid-19-impact-hospital-bed-days-icu-days-ventilator-days-and-deaths Now being updated three times per week

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COVID-19 Tracker   Great site to find specific county, stte, country numbers is at:  https://bing.com/covid?form=msntrk  Site supplies case numbers, recovered cases and deaths by country and US state.

World

Total confirmed cases

Updated 9 min ago

5,916,464

Active cases

3,065,473

+21,095

Recovered cases

2,486,634

+87,387

Fatal cases

364,357

+4,566

Pritzker lifts all restrictions on Illinois churches after Supreme Court challenge


LOCAL NEWS

Posted: May 28, 2020 / 05:57 PM CDT / Updated: May 28, 2020 / 05:57 PM CDT

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CHICAGO, Ill. (WTVO/WGN) — Gov. JB Pritzker has lifted all restrictions on churches in the state after challenge by the U.S. Supreme Court, and has issued a set of guidelines instead.

Former Chicago mayoral candidate, community activist and businessman Dr. Willie Wilson sent a letter to Washington, D.C. to enlist the support of President Trump and Attorney General William Barr in the dispute regarding houses of worship.

In the letter, Wilson complained about Mayor Lightfoot and the citations the city issued and disorderly conduct charges filed against the churches.

Wilson said that if places that sell alcohol are allowed to be considered essential services, so should churches.

“The problem with the mayor and also the governor is that they put themselves above the law,” said Wilson. “And I understand this Sunday, they were supposed to give a ticket to the people who come to service. This is not China or the Soviet Union. This is America where we have rights.”

Wilson has offered to pay those fines.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh ordered Pritzker to respond to the churches by 8 p.m. Thursday.

Just hours before, the Illinois Department of Public Health issued a set of guidelines for churches, none of which are mandatory.

The guidelines encourage churches to avoid in-person activity and continue to hold remote services, or allow congregants to meet outdoors.

Above is from: https://www.mystateline.com/news/local-news/pritzker-lifts-all-restrictions-on-illinois-churches-after-supreme-court-challenge/

Church guidelines are available at:  http://www.dph.illinois.gov/sites/default/files/Church%20Guidance.pdf