COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois

Other details were announced by officials: her husband had been isolated at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights since his case was reported two days earlier; both were in their 70s.

The man, a student at Vanderbilt University,[21] had recently traveled to Italy to study abroad and returned to Illinois on a flight to Chicago O'Hare International Airport.

The patient, a classroom assistant in the Vaughn Occupational High School, had been on the Grand Princess cruise ship where multiple passengers had tested positive.

[24] Additionally, a Missouri case connected to Illinois was confirmed; the patient had returned from Italy on a flight to O'Hare Airport, then took an Amtrak train to St. Louis, where she tested positive.

[31][32] In response to the growing pandemic, both Former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders canceled campaign rallies planned for Illinois.

Cases were confirmed in Champaign, Clinton, Sangamon, Whiteside, and Winnebago Counties; meanwhile, Governor Pritzker ordered all bars and restaurants closed to sit-in diners.

[1][43] Governor Pritzker announced restrictions for public gatherings, limiting crowds to under 50 people amid growing concerns over the community spread of the virus in the state.

Counties that reported deaths included Champaign, Christian, Cook, DuPage, Ford, Kane, Kankakee, Lake, Madison, McHenry, Monroe, Tazewell, Will, and Winnebago.

[100] On July 25, the state reported 1,426 new COVID-19 cases and 12 additional deaths, charting steadily rising statewide positivity rates reaching 3.6%, leading to stricter COVID-19 restrictions in the city Chicago to try to curb the upwardly trending numbers.

[123][124] On March 18, Governor Pritzker announced a new website that would be a centralized hub with information an resources related to the coronavirus and the impact on Illinois residents and businesses.

White's office stated that expiration dates would be extended by 30 days through an emergency rule, including those for driver's licenses, identification cards, vehicle registrations, document filings and other transactions.

[138][139] On March 27, the Illinois Secretary of State, Jesse White announced that notaries public were granted the authority to perform remote, online notarizations during the COVID-19 pandemic via an executive order.

[52] In a March 22 interview on CNN's State of the Union, Governor Pritzker compared the federal government's procurement of essential medical supplies to the "Wild West".

[148] On March 26, roughly 50 additional Illinois National Guard soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company based in East St. Louis were activated to assist with the COVID-19 response operations.

The entire state moved into phase 4 on June 26, allowing for larger gatherings of up to 50 people and the re-opening of restaurants and bars, albeit under social distancing and mask-wearing guidelines.

The mayor's statement regarding his wife was "I instructed the Police Chief to treat her as he would any citizen violating the 'Stay At Home' order and to ensure that she received no special treatment".

[176] On March 12, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced that after meeting with Comcast executives, the company would "double internet speeds to low income households nationally.

[177] On March 26, the City of Chicago closed parks, beaches, the 606 trail network, and the lakefront due to too many people gathering, with violators facing fines and possible arrest.

[184][185] Several progressive activists and elected officials opposed the latter part of the proposal, arguing that the funds should be used to support the Chicago Department of Public Health rather than hiring a contractor.

[200] The team, headed by Paul Hergenrother of the UIUC School of Chemical Sciences,[201] included people in the university's Institute for Genomic Biology, the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, the Department of Microbiology, and the College of Veterinary Medicine where a veterinary diagnostic lab was repurposed for handling the demands of analyzing thousands of samples per day.

As this team began its work, reports of methods to detect the virus in swabs, without the time-consuming RNA-extraction step, were appearing,[202] and on April 10, 2020 Rutgers University received FDA emergency use authorization (EUA) for a saliva test (which included RNA extraction).

[223] On November 10, the university announced that faculty, staff and graduate student positivity was increasing rapidly, so these groups were required to resume twice-per-week testing.

"[239][240] On April 9, a group of progressive African American activists and elected officials (including Chicago Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor, Cook County Board Commissioner Brandon Johnson, and Illinois House Rep. Sonya Harper) called for a range of policy reforms to address this racial inequality.

Their demands included a rent and mortgage holiday, a freeze on utility payments, increases in paid sick leave and hazard pay, and an end to cash bonds.

[241][240] They also called for a stop to the use of the pandemic as an "excuse to double-down on racist policing," reporting that residents of heavily black neighborhoods in Chicago were being told about a 5pm curfew and being ticketed and detained for being outside.

[242] The AMA Center for Health Equity released a report in October listing structural and social determinants that contributed to the Latino population's higher rates of infection and death.

[242] Combined, academics have referred to these factors as 'structural vulnerability'; Blacks, Latinos, and other marginalized groups are at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 and may have access to fewer resources to mitigate its effects.

[246] Over March and April, in response to the rise in coronavirus cases, the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) released a number of prisoners early, looking to curb the impact of the pandemic on a vulnerable population.

[253] On April 3, the Women's National Basketball Association announced that the beginning of the season originally scheduled for May 15 would be delayed indefinitely, affecting the Chicago Sky.

[256] Also on March 12, the Illinois High School Association announced the cancellation of most remaining winter State Series postseason tournaments, with basketball being the main activity affected.