Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what’s happening Wednesday

Health officials on Wednesday announced 2,388 new known cases of the coronavirus. There were also 147 additional deaths confirmed, bringing the death toll to 4,525 since the pandemic began. Statewide, there have been 100,418 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

As lawmakers returned to Springfield on Wednesday, Republicans continued their offensive against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plans even as the governor withdrew his emergency rule that allowed businesses violating his stay-at-home order to be charged with a misdemeanor.

Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, co-chairman of the legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, said legislative leaders and the governor’s office have agreed to work on a bill this week that would address how to enforce Pritzker’s order.

Here’s what’s happening Wednesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:

4:19 p.m.: Struggling with severely reduced ridership, Metra offers a new $10 daily pass

Struggling with severely reduced ridership because of the coronavirus pandemic, Metra hopes to draw in more passengers with a $10 daily pass.

Metra is encouraging riders to buy the pass using the Ventra app, so they can show their phones to rail conductors instead of handing them a ticket. Metra has in the past only offered daily pass bargains during special events, such as Lollapalooza. It already offers a $10 weekend pass.

“If you are ready to come back to Metra, we are ready for you,” Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski said in a statement. Read more here. — Mary Wisniewski

4:00 p.m.: Republican state Rep. Darren Bailey removed from House session for refusing to wear a face covering

The Illinois House voted Wednesday to remove Republican state Rep. Darren Bailey from the legislative session a the Bank of Springfield center Wednesday afternoon after he refused to wear a face covering as required in newly adopted House rules.

In a bipartisan vote, the Illinois House adopted rules on Wednesday that include a requirement for members, staff members and visitors to the special session to wear a face-covering over their nose and mouth, if they are medically able to do so.

Bailey was asked to come into compliance with the requirement and replied, “I will not.” Democratic Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch made a motion to remove Bailey from the House proceedings.

The House voted 81-27 in favor of Bailey’s removal.

Bailey, of downstate Xenia, has been an outspoken critic of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, which includes requirements for face coverings in many social settings. Read more here. — Jamie Munks

3:16 p.m.: When can Illinois reopen? Check our daily charts on where each region stands.

The plan to reopen Illinois — from restaurants and salons to open space to non-COVID-19 procedures at the hospital to concerts and festivals — depends on a host of metrics laid out by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The metrics focus on a rolling average of positive coronavirus cases and hospitalizations to keep track of the direction of the outbreak as well as availability of hospital beds and ventilators that would be needed to handle a possible surge. There are also benchmarks for testing and tracing positive tests.

A key element of the plan is that a region can move both forward and backward, where more parts of society can open and shut depending on the seriousness of the outbreak.

3:11 p.m.: Lightfoot says Chicago reopening ‘on the horizon,’ but warned against ignoring stay-at-home order

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said a gradual reopening of the city is “on the horizon” but could be jeopardized if residents stop abiding by the stay-at-home order.

With the weather warming, Lightfoot said she hopes the city doesn’t have a setback due to increased socializing.

“If we retreat from that and throw all caution to the wind, we’re going to see a setback and that means we’re going to delay a gradual reopening that I think is on the horizon,” Lightfoot said.

Lightfoot also said the city is looking to identify a range of businesses that can reopen safely. The city’s coronavirus recovery task force is also looking at specific guidelines “focused on protecting employees and protecting patrons,” Lightfoot said.

Lightfoot didn’t directly say whether the city will be ready to move to phase three on May 29, as Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has hinted. Read more here. —Gregory Pratt

2:58 p.m.: Outdoor seating at bars, restaurants to be allowed in next phase of state’s reopening plan

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday announced he would allow bars and restaurants to open for outdoor seating on May 29 when the state is expected to enter its next phase for reopening businesses.

Pritzker’s gradual reopening plan previously did not allow bars and restaurants to open to dine-in service until phase four, which regions of the state would not hit until late June. However, the governor announced he’s reconsidered that stance after consulting with individuals in the bar and restaurant industry and will allow those establishments to hold outdoor dining only in phase three, which all regions of the state are expected to meet next week.

“We have to put public health first, and that means the safety of consumers and employees alike, but the epidemiologists now believe that summer offers us an opportunity,” Pritzker said. “Today, I’m announcing an additional option for bars and restaurants interested in resuming operations early, opening for outdoor seating when phase three begins likely for everyone just nine days from now.”

Pritzker also announced that in phase three camping and boating in groups of 10 or less would be allowed as well as at indoor and outdoor tennis centers. The governor also said concession stands would be allowed to reopen under state guidelines and that foursomes once again would be allowed at golf courses and golf carts would be permitted with a limit of one golfer per cart. —Bill Ruthhart

2:36 p.m.: Illinois passes 100,000 total COVID-19 cases

As the state topped the grim milestone of 100,000 COVID-19 cases, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike reported “good news” on hospitalizations.

“We are seeing a decrease in the numbers of people hospitalized in the numbers of people in the (intensive care unit) and the numbers of individuals on a ventilator associated with COVID-19,” Ezike reported during Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s daily press briefing.

As of Tuesday night, the state reported 3,914 individuals hospitalized with coronavirus, with 1,005 of those individuals in intensive care and 554 of them on a ventilator. Ezike said it was “the lowest number since we were capturing these numbers that we have for COVID patients in the hospital.”

State health officials announced 2,388 new known cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday and 147 additional deaths confirmed, bringing the death toll to 4,525 since the pandemic began. Statewide, there have been 100,418 confirmed cases of COVID-19. —Bill Ruthhart

1:52 p.m.: Pritzker pulls back on rule that threatened a misdemeanor for businesses that reopen in violation of his order

As lawmakers returned to Springfield on Wednesday, Republicans continued their offensive against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plans even as the governor withdrew his emergency rule that allowed businesses violating his stay-at-home order to be charged with a misdemeanor.

Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, co-chairman of the legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, said legislative leaders and the governor’s office have agreed to work on a bill this week that would address how to enforce Pritzker’s order. Read more here. —Jamie Munks and Dan Petrella

12:18 p.m.: Protesters chant ‘Open Illinois’ outside Springfield convention center where state House will meet

Protesters gathered outside the Bank of Springfield Center Wednesday chanting “Open Illinois,” waving Trump 2020 flags and holding signs that read “Pritzker the real virus,” “Don’t let the mask become a muzzle” and “J.B get your foot off my throat.”

Few of the 150 or so demonstrators wore masks, a requirement of a modified statewide stay-at-home order that took effect May 1 for people who aren’t able to maintain six feet of distance from others in public.

The state House is set to meet at 1 p.m. in the downtown convention center, an accommodation for social distancing because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The gathering was smaller than some previous Springfield protests on weekends that brought hundreds of protesters out to the Capitol steps and lawn.

The protesters cheered and chanted “Thank you” when Republican state Rep. Darren Bailey of Xenia walked through the crowd to enter the convention center through the public access point. Bailey has said he would not wear a mask for session, and he entered the building not wearing one.

Bailey has filed one of several lawsuits over Pritzker’s stay-at-home order. —Jamie Munks

10:53 a.m.: Republicans take aim at Pritzker’s reopening plan as legislators set to reconvene in Springfield

As lawmakers return to session in Springfield on Wednesday, Republicans continued their offensive against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plans and an emergency rule that allows businesses violating his stay-at-home order to be charged with a misdemeanor.

House and Senate Republicans issued a joint statement Wednesday contending the measure will “criminalize individuals trying to protect their livelihoods and support their families,” the Republicans said, calling it “a vast government overreach at a time when business owners are doing everything they can to stay afloat.”

“We believe these emergency rules are also in direct contradiction to the governor’s own ‘Restore Illinois’ plan by potentially keeping businesses deemed as non-essential closed for up to an additional five months,” the statement says. “We should not punish those who are the backbone of our state’s economy for trying to survive.”

The GOP called on the legislature’s bipartisan Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, scheduled to meet Wednesday morning, to block Pritzker’s emergency rule. The would take votes from eight members of the 12-member panel, made up of an equal number of Democrats and Republicans from the House and Senate.

Four House Republicans held a Zoom news conference Wednesday morning calling for a vote on Pritzker’s phased-in plan to reopen the state, all the while acknowledging that they don’t expect such a vote to be called in the Democratic-controlled General Assembly during this week’s three-day special session.

“I don’t think that the Democrats will agree with us on this, I think that’s the whole point is the fact that the governor has enacted this massive government program, really, under Restore Illinois without any input from the legislature,” said Rep. Tim Butler, a Springfield Republican.

Republican lawmakers have criticized Pritzker’s five-phase reopening plan as too strict, and have called extensions of his statewide stay-at-home order and the emergency rule for businesses that flout his restrictions “overreach.”

Pritzker’s reopening plan divides the state into four regions, a continued stay-at-home order with modified restrictions that took effect May 1. All four regions are currently on track to advance to the third phase of reopening on May 29.

Pritzker has repeatedly deflected criticism of the reopening plan, including calls for him to amend it to divide the state into more than four regions, and has said he has acted within the powers given to the governor under the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act.

“One of the things that business owners who are foaming at the mouth trying to get their businesses reopened in a safe manner and can do that are asking for us, their representatives, to be their voice,” Rep. Dan Brady, a Republican from Bloomington, said. “And that’s simply understood. One of the ways you do that is to have input on plans, on the Restore Illinois plan.” —Jamie Munks and Dan Petrella

10:52 a.m.: Lightfoot introduces new tenant eviction rules, advocates say they don’t do enough to protect Chicago renters

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is moving ahead with an ordinance to require more notice and in some cases payments to renters from landlords who are evicting them, despite some progressive aldermen saying the measure doesn’t go nearly as far as the tenant protections housing advocates have been trying to negotiate with the administration.

The package Lightfoot introduced to the City Council Wednesday increases to 90 days from 30 days the amount of heads-up landlords would have to give renters before evicting them.

And it requires owners of buildings bigger than six units who are removing tenants in order “to substantially rehabilitate or demolish such dwelling unit” to make a one-time $2,500 payment to tenants they evict.

Lightfoot brought forward her plan after months of talks with tenants’ groups and their aldermanic allies failed to produce a compromise plan the two sides deemed workable.

Northwest Side Ald. Daniel La Spata, 1st, said housing advocates were pressing for much stronger pro-tenant rules, including $10,600 payments to those evicted for a considerably broader range of reasons than the ones covered in the mayor’s proposal.

La Spata noted the “Just Cause” ordinance backed by tenants’ rights groups would have required the landlords to pay tenants before evicting them, while Lightfoot’s allows the payment to be made a week later.

“That defeats the purpose of the payment,” La Spata said. “Tenants need that money to help them find new homes, not after they’ve already relocated.”

And he said the Lightfoot plan relies far too much on landlords self-reporting their reasons for evicting people.

“The mayor is basically proposing new rules on notice, and that’s not what we need right now in Chicago to protect tenants,” La Spata added. Read more here. —John Byrne and Gregory Pratt

10:16 a.m.: Ford temporarily closed its Chicago Assembly Plant after two employees contracted the coronavirus a day after reopening

A day after resuming operations at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant on the city’s Southeast Side, the U.S. automaker temporarily closed its facility Tuesday for disinfection because two employees tested positive for COVID-19.

The Torrence Avenue plant, which makes the new 2020 Ford Explorer, Lincoln Aviator and Police Interceptor SUVs, is open again with two shifts, Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker said Wednesday.

The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker said it notified workers known to have been in close contact with the infected individuals and asked them to self-quarantine for 14 days.

“It is important to note that due to incubation time, we know these employees did not contract COVID-19 while at work. Our protocols are in place to help stop the spread of the virus,” Felker said in a statement. Read more here. —Abdel Jimenez

8:20 a.m.: Oprah Winfrey provides $5 million to start COVID-19 relief network in ‘home city’ of Chicago

Calling Chicago one of her “home cities,” Oprah Winfrey Wednesday launched a major relief effort aimed at fighting food insecurity and providing medical aid in African American and Latinx communities that face increased risk of severe COVID-19 consequences.

The $5 million donation starts Live Healthy Chicago, a consortium of food, religious, medical and other community organizations. It is part of a larger, $12 million relief effort from the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation, she said, aimed at helping the places where she lived on her way to fame and fortune.

“I wanted to not try to serve the world but go back to the places that have given to me,” she said. In addition to Chicago, the cities where organizations are receiving grants are Nashville and Baltimore, where she had early broadcast jobs, and Milwaukee and Kosciusko, Miss., where she grew up.

“If this had been the pandemic when I was a kid, what would have happened to me? I would have gone hungry,” she said, becoming emotional on the Zoom call from her home in Santa Barbara, Calif., where she moved after ending her eponymous talk show made in Chicago in 2011, following 25 years in national syndication.

“My mother wouldn’t have been able to get on that bus to go to the suburbs to clean white people’s houses, and I would have gone hungry. So I am trying to do for those kids who would have been me… what I would have wanted somebody to step up and do.” Read more here. —Steve Johnson and Darcel Rockett

8:16 a.m.: Three Floyds closes legendary brewpub indefinitely due to coronavirus, even as Indiana moves to reopen businesses

Northwest Indiana’s legendary Three Floyds Brewing has shuttered its brewpub indefinitely due to safety concerns during the coronavirus pandemic, brewery founder Nick Floyd said late Tuesday.

Even as Indiana allows businesses to reopen, Floyd said he chose to furlough staff at his Munster pub, which has become one of the nation’s quintessential brewpubs.

“I can’t put people in danger; no one should die over a beer,” Floyd said by text message. “I would die for beer and probably will, but I’m not going to make people endanger themselves.”

He is concerned for both customers and staff, he said. Read more here. —Josh Noel

8:13 a.m.: How the falsehood-filled ‘Plandemic’ movie spread widely online on YouTube, Facebook

There have been plenty of jaw-dropping digital moments during the coronavirus pandemic.

There was the time this month when Taylor Swift announced she would air her “City of Lover” concert on television. The time that the cast of “The Office” reunited for an 18-minute-long Zoom wedding. And the time last month that the Pentagon posted three videos that showed unexplained “aerial phenomena.”

Yet none of those went as viral as a 26-minute video called “Plandemic,” a slickly produced narration that wrongly claimed a shadowy cabal of elites was using the virus and a potential vaccine to profit and gain power. The video featured a discredited scientist, Judy Mikovits, who said her research about the harm from vaccines had been buried.

“Plandemic” went online May 4 when its maker, Mikki Willis, a little-known film producer, posted it to Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo and a separate website set up to share the video. For three days, it gathered steam in Facebook pages dedicated to conspiracy theories and the anti-vaccine movement, most of which linked to the video hosted on YouTube. Then it tipped into the mainstream and exploded.

Just over a week after “Plandemic” was released, it had been viewed more than 8 million times on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and had generated countless other posts. Read more here. —The New York Times

7:47 a.m.: Chicago Teachers Union sues Trump administration and CPS over special education

The Chicago Teachers Union is unhappy with how U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and Chicago Public Schools are handling special education during the coronavirus crisis.

And now Trump’s education chief and CPS are the targets of a federal lawsuit by CTU that seeks an emergency halt to federal and local policies that they say are creating an “impossible burden” on special education teachers and families in CPS.

Specifically, the union is taking aim at what they say is a directive from CPS to rewrite about 70,000 individual lesson plans for special education students before the school year ends on June 18. Read more here. —Diana Wallace

7:02 a.m.: Fifth CTA employee dies from COVID-19, agency announces

The CTA has confirmed the death of a fifth employee from COVID-19.

The bus driver, whose name, age and sex were not released, was a bus operator who started working for the Chicago Transit Authority in 2012, according to a statement from the CTA.

“It is with great sadness that CTA announces the passing of a fifth member of the CTA family from COVID-19,” according to the emailed statement, which did not say when the driver died.

“The entire CTA family extends its heartfelt sympathies to the family, friends, loved ones and colleagues of this dedicated bus operator,” the statement quotes CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. as saying. “We will collectively remember and honor this employee’s service and commitment to Chicagoans and our city.”

It wasn’t immediately clear how many of the CTA’s some 11,000 staffers have contracted the virus. By April 19, that number was less than 100, according to the CTA. —Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas

6 a.m.: Illinois General Assembly returns to Springfield as pandemic drives partisan politics and rocks budget plans

The Illinois General Assembly returns to Springfield on Wednesday for the first time in nearly 11 weeks, meeting in a special session that figures to be driven by pandemic-heightened divides between Democrats and Republicans, and urban and rural splits over how to move the state forward in the new world of the coronavirus.

Lawmakers are scheduled to meet for just three days to try to put together a spending plan for the budget year that begins July 1. And they also will have on their plates a coronavirus response package that covers employment, education, health care and the courts, an enhanced vote-by-mail program for November, and a program to provide funding for safety-net hospitals that care for the poor.

But the pandemic has created plenty of unknowns, not the least of which is how far work on a budget can progress without a clear picture of how much relief will be coming from Washington to counter plummeting tax receipts — even as demands for dealing with the state’s most vulnerable residents grows.

The reconvening of the legislature also holds the potential for creating a forum for Republicans eager to challenge Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home orders and plans to reopen Illinois’ economy.

The first item up for consideration in the newly reconvened House provides potential for partisan pandemic pandemonium.

With a few Downstate Republican lawmakers declaring they will not wear face masks — as recommended by Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines — to show their defiance to Pritzker’s orders, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan is proposing a change to the chamber’s rules to require masks, daily temperature checks and physical distancing.

“After the motion passes, any member in violation of this rule change will face discipline, including potentially being removed from the chamber by a vote of the House,” Madigan said in a statement. Read more here. —Rick Pearson, Jamie Munks, Dan Petrella

6 a.m.: As pandemic upends 2020 census, group turns to StreetWise vendors to reach undercounted community

StreetWise magazine vendors are shifting to census outreach work among the homeless in Chicago. They will be paid by the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, which is among organizations getting state money to communities that risk being undercounted.

Census organizers are hoping workers can help them overcome challenges presented by the pandemic.

Many of the StreetWise vendors live in SROs, are homeless or frequent social services where they come across others they can talk to about the census, according to Julie Youngquist, executive director of StreetWise.

“Those are communities and areas that they are accessing anyways as part of their daily existence,” she said.

The COVID-19 outbreak and stay-at-home orders caused the U.S. Census Bureau to push back its timeline for the decennial count. The agency had planned to finish collecting data on the country’s population by July 31, but that date has been pushed back to Oct. 31.

The agency was going to work with local service organizations to count the homeless during a three-day operation in late March. It’s now uncertain when that will happen in Chicago. Read more here. —Elvia Malagón

Here are five things that happened Tuesday that you need to know:

Here are five things that happened Monday that you need to know: