July 26: 1541 new COVID-19 cases in Illinois

IL reports 1,541 new cases, 1 additional death as Chicago reimposes tighter coronavirus restrictions

Illinois health officials reported 1,426 new cases, 12 additional deaths Saturday

By Jesse Kirsch

Updated an hour ago

Police and protesters clash violently in Austin, Seattle, Aurora and Portland over the weekend.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Illinois has reported 1,541 new COVID-19 cases, with only 1 additional death Sunday.

The state's seven-day statewide positivity rate stands at 3.7%, after rising for several days.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Saturday that the state's total confirmed COVID-19 cases have reached 171,424 cases, including 7,398 deaths in 102 counties.
The latest death was a 90-year-old man from Bond County.
Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 40,844 specimens for a total of 2,511,567.
As of last Saturday night, 1,394 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 345 patients were in the ICU and 119 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
RELATED: 'Shut it down now:' U.S. health experts call for 2nd coronavirus shutdown
Tighter COVID-19 restrictions took effect in Chicago this weekend as the city continues to try and slow the spread of coronavirus infections.
Health officials say the latest concern is the spread of cases among young residents, especially in high-risk environments like bars.
RELATED: Chicago quarantine: Emergency travel order takes effect for travelers from states with high COVID-19 infections

Crossing the border to Wisconsin is par for the course for many Chicagoans, but with rising COVID-19 cases the state could be added to the city's travel quarantine order as soon as

The Chicago Cubs started off the season with a win Friday night against the Milwaukee Brewers and will play again Saturday, however, don't expect any massive crowds around Wrigley Field because no fans are allowed in the ballparks and there will be fewer people in neighborhood bars as well.
RELATED: Chicago White Sox, Cubs begin 2020 season Friday with 60 game schedule

The White Sox and Cubs open their seasons in Chicago Friday.

The same deal is playing out on the South Side at Guaranteed Rate Field as the White Sox host the Minnesota Twins again Saturday afternoon.
Under the newly re-tightened COVID-19 restrictions, bars that don't serve food can only serve people outside, while restaurants can continue with modified indoor service. Part of the change also includes both types of establishments capping groups at six people instead of 10.
RELATED: Burnside bar forced to close again under COVID-19 rollback after patio application denied, citing violence concerns

With a lot less energy in the air, the streets around both of Chicago's ballparks looked different this year for Opening Day.
Despite the loss in crowds, some business owners say they're still hoping for a baseball bump this summer as fans seek ways to turn out for America's pastime.
RELATED: Illinois COVID-19 positivity rate rises but hospitalizations remain flat, Chicago hospitals say

Illinois is seeing more cases of COVID-19, and in the last week the positivity rate has risen to 3.4%, but hospitalizations have remained flat.

The uptick in virus infections has also pushed officials to reimposed other restrictions across the city.
Indoor workout classes will now be capped at 10 people; and personal services that require taking off your face covering, like facials, are also now prohibited.
The city is also asking residential property managers to limit tenants' guests to five visitors in an attempt to limit large gatherings and stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Coronavirus testing: Where to get tested for COVID-19 in Illinois, Chicago area
Illinois health officials also reported Friday that four counties are considered to be at warning level for COVID-19. A county reaches a warning level when "two or more COVID-19 risk indicators that measure the amount of COVID-19 increase," IDPH said.
The counties that are reported at warning level are Adams, LaSalle, Peoria, and Randolph counties, and each saw outbreaks associated with businesses and risky behavior.
IDPH provided the following information about what led to the warning level labeling:
- Adams County: larger social events, health care exposure, travel to hotspots including those in neighboring Missouri and Iowa, places of worship, and youth sports.
- LaSalle County: large family and social gatherings, increase in cases among people younger than 29 years, younger people visiting bars and attending larger social events, and inconsistencies with masking requirements.
- Peoria County: increases in cases among people younger than 29 years, large gatherings including 4th of July parties, and people traveling to Florida, Iowa, Texas, and Wisconsin.
- Randolph County: congregate settings, numerous bars not complying with distancing and masking, a large party with more than 200 people, and among households.
For more information, visit IDPH's county metrics page.
Officials said 1,471 people in Illinois are hospitalized for COVID-19, with 325 patients in the ICU and 115 on ventilators, as of Friday.
COVID-19-related hospital admissions remain low at Loyola Medical Center remain low, but there's concern.
"I think this is an extremely crucial moment," said Dr. Kevin Smith, Chief Medical Officer. "The question that everybody is wondering is, okay, if we're seeing increases in these cases, are we expecting that we're going to see hospitalizations increase?"
The governor's office is continuing to closely monitor the situation, but at this point, no decisions about imposing new restrictions have been made.
On Thursday, residents in six central and southern Illinois counties filed lawsuits against state-ordered restrictions on social interaction prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The actions taken in Bond, Clay, Clinton, Edgar, Richland, and Sangamon counties seek court orders declaring there is no public health emergency as defined by Gov. J.B. Pritzker's Public Health Department. Springfield, the state capital, is in Sangamon County.
Plaintiffs in each case seek injunctions against Pritzker's disaster declaration, which restricts public interaction to slow transmission of the virus.
Pritzker's general counsel said no one should question basic safeguards during a pandemic.
RELATED: Chicago COVID-19 restrictions on bars, restaurants, gyms take effect
A crackdown on bars and breweries begins in Chicago on Friday.
All bars and taverns can no longer serve customers indoors. For restaurants serving indoors, a party of six is the maximum permitted.
New restrictions are also taking effect for Chicago gyms, where indoor classes will be limited to 10 people.
There are also concerns about the spread of COVID-19 in Wisconsin, and its impact on Chicago and the rest of the state.
Wisconsin could be next state on Chicago quarantine list, posing problems for those who cross border often
"I do hope that, as you know the data, that they can turn it around in Wisconsin and quickly, because I know Chicagoans like to go to Wisconsin and Wisconsin folk like to come to Chicago," said Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health.
On Wednesday, Governor JB Pritzker held a press conference and said Metro East region, which includes counties in southwestern Illinois, is seeing a rise in cases. Pritzker said the increase could result in the state needing to step in to take mitigating actions.
RELATED: Coronavirus Testing: What you can expect when you get tested for COVID-19
"I have spoken with local leaders and I have asked them to clamp down on the outbreaks where they are occurring so that the state won't have to step in," Pritzker said.
The increase is partly due to businesses and individual behavior, according to state health leaders.
"We are seeing an increase in new COVID-19 cases," said Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. "You have probably seen people crowding into bars, areas where people were not wearing masks, or maintaining 6 feet of distance between one another."
"You can go from 3% positivity to Arizona's 23% positivity in the blink of an eye," Pritzker said. "We've been there. Let's not let that happen again."
Wisconsin could also be the next state added to Chicago's travel quarantine order, with a decision on that expected next week. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said he is mulling a mandatory mask order, but is concerned about legal challenges. He is also worried about the impact of a possible travel ban.
"The message for us is if Chicago thinks our people should stay home, then we better put some damn masks on," he said.
The city, for its part, is still working on the logistics should a travel ban include Wisconsin.
"If the risk is high there, people, you know, would be subject to that quarantine unless they're traveling for essential purposes," Arwady said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Above is from:  https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-coronavirus-illinois-covid-covid-19-restrictions-19/6335722/

Big Cities Going with on-line learning

Back to school? Despite CDC recommendations, most major schools going online as COVID-19 cases spike

Elinor Aspegren, USA TODAY

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USA TODAY•July 25, 2020

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Teachers parade through students' neighborhoods

As COVID-19 cases rise in most states, the prospect of in-person learning this fall at the country's major school districts is becoming increasingly remote.

So far, nine of the top 15 school systems by enrollment plan to start the fall semester online, with two more currently planning a hybrid of in-person and online classes, according to Education Week magazine's reopening tracker. Other top districts shifted school schedules later, hoping for cases to decline or for teachers and administrators to have more time to plan for the school year.

As back-to-school season approaches, it's highly likely the majority of big districts will start learning remotely while they work out plans for socially distant reopenings, said Annette Anderson, deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Safe and Healthy Schools.

The biggest factor: whether the community where the school is located is seeing infection rates decrease, said Kristi Wilson, superintendent of the Buckeye Elementary School District in Arizona, who is president of the American Association of School Administrators.

New guidance from the CDC released Thursday gave additional guidelines for opening schools in person, at the request of President Donald Trump. “It is critically important for our public health to open schools this fall,” CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said in a statement.

But Anderson doesn't think the guidelines are going to change the trend of schools' moving toward online-only reopenings.

In school buildings, students of all ages and abilities should wear masks, wash their hands frequently and socially distance to protect against COVID-19, the CDC urged in the new guidance documents.

Nevertheless, Anderson said, "a sizable number of parents are still going to want to see transmission levels at zero before their children go back to school." The new CDC guidelines did emphasize that schools should consider online-only courses if their community has "substantial, uncontrolled transmission," but did not define that threshold.

A USA TODAY analysis shows the country's biggest school systems in far worse shape than they were this spring, as the school year waned toward a closing. In all, 11 of the 15 largest U.S. school systems are in communities adding COVID-19 cases at more than three times the rate they were in the two weeks ending May 1.

Florida's Miami-Dade and Broward school systems are in counties adding COVID-19 cases more than twice as fast as New York City was by May 1. USA TODAY analyzed per capita data from Johns Hopkins University.

'Scared for my life': Teachers weigh risks of COVID-19

As case counts worsen, some districts' plans for in-person classes have been superseded by state guidance or called into doubt by health officials. 

Even before California issued guidance that nearly all state school districts must begin the academic year with distance learning, several schools had announced they would begin the term virtually, including the state’s two largest: Los Angeles, the second-largest district in the country, and San Diego.

Orange County School District, whose board had symbolically endorsed having schools open in-person, must move to online learning under this new guidance.

A parent's guide to online school: 9 questions to help vet your school's online program

In Milwaukee, many of the city's private and independent charter schools had been working under the assumption they could reopen with precautions. But the latest version of guidance from the state of Wisconsin bars all schools and universities from opening until the city enters Phase 5 – which won't happen until the city meets several benchmarks, including seeing a downward trend in COVID-19's spread. To reopen before then, schools will have to get individual approval from health officials.

In other districts around the USA, some school plans have clauses to implement online learning should COVID-19 cases grow.

Indianapolis Public Schools' plan notes, "The district must be able to quickly implement e-learning for 100% of students if rolling closures occur," although positive COVID-19 tests will be handled on a "case-by-case basis."

How many cases would close schools? Most don't have an answer

Opening online raises a host of equity issues, exposing deep divides in the American education experience. It's "really more of a temporary solution" to the problems students and teachers face as cases of COVID-19 climb, Wilson said.

"Not all students had equal access to devices and to software and to (Wi-Fi) hot spots and high-speed internet access when schools closed in spring," Anderson said. A study by Microsoft in 2018 estimated that about half of Americans – 163 million people – do not have high-speed internet at home.

Wilson said COVID-19 exposed teacher shortages. Schools are not prepared to cover for a large number of sick teachers, she said. 

Pushing back the start of classes gives schools a chance to prep.

California education chief:Not every school needs to stay away from in-person teaching

Atlanta Public Schools plan to start the first nine weeks of the school year online; public and private schools in Dallas cannot reopen for in-person instruction until after Sept. 8.

In Colorado, about 53,000 students lacked computers, and 66,000 families didn’t have reliable internet at home this spring, according to a survey by the Colorado Education Initiative. This fall, Denver Public Schools will begin the school year remotely with a pushed-back first day. The school ordered thousands of devices and Wi-Fi hot spots, and 93% of students have internet access, Denver Superintendent Susana Cordova told Colorado Public Radio.

In Texas, state leaders said they'll provide $200 million from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act for computers and internet access.

These all are welcoming signs to Anderson.

"I think it is a sign that the districts want to do a much better job this fall when they reopen virtually than they were able to do" in March, she said.

'This is hell': Parents and kids hate online learning. How can we make it better?

Contributing: Mike Stucka

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID back to school: Top districts reopening online despite CDC recs

Above is from:  https://www.yahoo.com/news/back-school-most-major-schools-090039400.html