Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday that the Chicago region is not on track to move to the next phase of his reopening plan later this month, and models now indicate the state isn’t expected to start coming down from the peak of the coronavirus pandemic until mid-June.
Here’s what’s happening Tuesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
1:40 p.m.: As families denied stimulus checks because of mixed immigration status turn to federal courts, Rep. Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia asks Congress to change the provision
Illinois lawmakers are urging Congress to roll back a part of the federal relief package that denies financial assistance to U.S. citizens married to immigrant spouses.
U.S. Rep. Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia, D-Illinois, called on the U.S. House to “rectify these inequities in the coming days” at a news conference Tuesday.
There are more than 3,700 Illinois families who did not get stimulus checks due to the immigration status of a spouse, Garcia said.
“Imagine being denied financial stimulus assistance simply because of the status of your spouse. Imagine U.S. children denied of assistance because their parents are undocumented,” Garcia said.
Several individuals married to immigrant spouses, including one in Illinois, have filed lawsuits against President Donald Trump claiming it is unconstitutional for the federal government to exclude them from any financial assistance because of who they married.
On April 24, an Illinois man under the pseudonym John Doe filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against President Trump, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, alleging a provision of the coronavirus relief package denying $1,200 stimulus checks to Americans married to immigrants without Social Security numbers is discriminatory. Read more here. —Abdel Jimenez
12:50 p.m.: United Airlines will give passengers worried about COVID-19 on packed flights a chance to rebook
United Airlines said it will give passengers on crowded flights a chance to rebook before they fly after some travelers were surprised by fuller-than-expected planes, raising concerns about a lack of social distancing.
Starting next week, United said it will try to contact travelers 24 hours in advance if a flight appears to be nearly full so they can switch to a different flight or take a travel credit. The option will also be available at the gate if more than 70% of passengers have checked in.
It’s easy to understand why travelers would expect plenty of empty seats. The number of travelers going through airport security screening is down more than 90% compared with last year, according to the Transportation Security Administration. United said 85% of its flights are less than half full.
But airlines have also dramatically cut the number of flights they operate, meaning some can still fill up. Read more here. —Lauren Zumbach
11:50 a.m.: Businessman Willie Wilson threatens lawsuit to force Illinois to pay for face coverings under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s order
Businessman Willie Wilson is threatening to sue the state of Illinois unless Gov. J.B. Pritzker sets aside money to help poor people buy masks to wear in public places during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Pritzker issued an executive order this month requiring people in stores and other public places where they can’t socially distance to wear some kind of face covering.
While the governor’s order said coverings could be fashioned from pieces of cloth or shirts, Wilson in a letter to the governor argued people may not be able to do that, and said “scientific studies suggest that T-shirts, bandanas, scarves, and tea towels offer insufficient protection from the virus.”
“People should have the very best masks,” Wilson said Tuesday. “Poor people aren’t going to have masks. They’re going to try to go into stores and be put out because of that.”
If the governor doesn’t amend his order by Thursday to help fund the purchase of masks, Wilson said he would sue in federal court “to compel you to include provisions for the indigent and vulnerable.”
Pritzker’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Read more here. — John Byrne
11:30 a.m.: Mayor Lori Lightfoot says city will ‘take action’ if defiant churches hold in-person services despite stay-at-home orders
Potentially setting up a Sunday confrontation with defiant church leaders, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city is prepared to enforce stay-at-home orders against houses of worship that continue holding in-person services.
Lightfoot made the comments at a Tuesday news conference where she was asked about church leaders vowing to continue holding religious services despite social distancing requirements. Previously, the mayor criticized the services as putting people at risk but said she preferred to do educational outreach.
Now, however, Lightfoot said the city will take some unspecified action to enforce the stay-at-home orders.
“We’re going to be communicating over and over again over the course of this week. I understand that people are getting anxious. But defying common sense and public health guidance only puts their congregations at physical risk,” Lightfoot said. “We don’t want to see a cluster break out because faith leaders believe they have only one way of showing their reverence to the God that they worship. The Bible tells us, where two or more are gathered in my name, there will I be also. There’s lots of ways in which we show our devotion to our faith that don’t include physically putting people at risk.”
She added: “We’re going to continue to have that discussion but, if necessary, we are going to take action to make sure there is compliance to the stay-at-home orders.” Read more here. — Gregory Pratt
10:55 a.m.: As MLB considers a pandemic-shortened season, Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she doesn’t think Chicago will be ready for large crowds by July
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she doesn’t believe Chicago will be ready for “large crowds in a ballfield” by July and said any plan to start the professional baseball season must be done in consultation with local cities.
Lightfoot made the comments Tuesday when asked about a plan advanced by Major League Baseball owners to the players union that could lead to the coronavirus-delayed season starting around the Fourth of July weekend in ballparks without fans.“
From the Chicago perspective, we need to make sure that can be done safely,” Lightfoot said. “I can’t predict where we’re going to be in July. I think there’s got to be a lot of coordination and conversation from MLB, the local teams, with their relevant city and health departments. I’m not going to support something that puts people at risk and I certainly don’t think we’re going to be ready in July for having large crowds in a ballfield.”
Still, Lightfoot said, the city can consider the possibility if it can be done safely.Under the owners’ plan, spring training could start in early to mid-June, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the plan were not announced. Read more here. — Gregory Pratt
10:30 a.m.: Sheriff Tom Dart appealing judge’s order on social distancing, other measures at Cook County Jail
Sheriff Tom Dart accused lawyers for Cook County Jail detainees in a court filing Monday of playing a game of “constitutional whack-a-mole” over the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, saying he’s appealing a federal judge’s order dictating social distancing and other protocols at the sprawling Southwest Side facility.
Last month, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly issued a preliminary injunction mandating specific measures to battle the spread of coronavirus at the jail, including additional testing, social distancing, and banning double-inmate cells and group housing in most cases. The judge denied other relief sought by the plaintiffs, including ordering the release of medically vulnerable detainees due to the pandemic.
The ruling came as part of an ongoing lawsuit filed by the Loevy and Loevy law firm and the MacArthur Justice Center at Northwestern University alleging Dart has failed to stop a “rapidly unfolding public health disaster” at the jail, which has been identified as one of the nations’ leading hot spots for coronavirus infections.
In a 29-page brief filed late Monday, lawyers for the sheriff fired back at continued efforts by plaintiffs’ attorneys to seek the release of detainees, accusing them of using the pandemic to push a “decarceration” agenda that is disrupting efforts to keep inmates and staff safe.
The filing also alleged that the plaintiffs have shifted their demands so many times, “it is what the sheriff can only characterize as constitutional whack-a-mole.” Read more here. –Jason Meisner
9:25 a.m.: Expo Chicago art fair at Navy Pier moves to next spring
Claiming a new date on the American visual arts calendar, Expo Chicago, the big fall art fair on Navy Pier, is being postponed until next spring, the organization announced Tuesday.
The announcement of April 8-11, 2021, as the event’s next dates reflects an increasing understanding that the traditional late September long weekend was not going to fall early enough in the expected coronavirus recovery cycle, said Expo Chicago President and Director Tony Karman.
A month ago, Karman still hoped that the 8-year-old event, which brings together galleries, collectors, curators and other art lovers, could take place on the planned September 24-27, 2020, dates. Read more here. -Steve Johnson
6:50 a.m.: Chicago to require food-delivery apps to disclose costs
Chicago next week will start requiring third-party food delivery apps to disclose the details of costs to consumers after use of the apps has exploded during the coronavirus and the costs have drawn scrutiny because of restaurant complaints.
The city says the rules being released Tuesday are the first in the country to require the apps, such as GrubHub, UberEats, Postmates and DoorDash, to give customers a detailed breakdown of transactions. All receipts will have to include items such as the menu price of food, taxes, delivery charge, tip and any commission or service fee a restaurant pays, according to a news release.
The app companies have come under fire from restaurants since the beginning of COVID-19-related lockdowns as restaurants struggle to stay in business on the strength of their takeout and delivery orders alone. Recently, a viral Facebook post of a GrubHub receipt for a restaurant that earned $376.54 on bills to customers of $1,042.63 drew new scrutiny for the app.
“These new rules will be in place permanently and apply to all websites, mobile applications or other internet services that offer or arrange the sale of food or beverages by a restaurant, bar or other food-serving establishments,” according to the release.
The requirements, being put in place by the city’s Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Department, “will provide customers with the details they need to make fully-informed purchasing decisions,” according to the release.
The rules were set to go into effect May 22, according to the city. — Chicago Tribune staff
6 a.m.: A summer without swimming? Pools could be ‘one of the last places’ to reopen as coronavirus restrictions begin to ease
It could be a summer without swimming in Illinois, as park districts and private clubs try to determine if and when it’s safe to open pools.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s five-phase plan to reopen the state touches on health clubs and outdoor activities, but there is currently no specific guidance available for opening pools.
“I suspect that pools are going to be one of the last places that are going to be allowed to be open,” University of Chicago chief epidemiologist Dr. Emily Landon said.
There is no evidence that COVID-19 can spread through water in pools, hot tubs or water parks, and “proper operation and disinfection” of such facilities “should” kill the coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
“I mean, (pool disinfection is) meant to kill a lot of things that are significantly hardier, in the microbiologic world, than coronavirus,” Landon said.
Still, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s nearly impossible to social distance in a public pool, she said. Read more here. — Sophie Sherry
6 a.m.: Advocates say dog scams are on the rise as people seek puppies during the pandemic
A Mokena family out $250 after trying to buy a puppy from an online seller reported their situation to the Better Business Bureau, which says such scams are on the rise as homebound people look for companionship from new pets while stuck at home because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Nationwide, the BBB received 371 complaints about dog scams in April, up from 118 during the same month last year, said Steve Baker, a St. Louis-based investigator for the consumer group and former head of the Midwest region of the Federal Trade Commission.
While pet rip-offs existed well before the pandemic, they are among the various scams — from fake tests and cures to bogus government aid — that authorities and consumer groups have warned about as fraudsters seek to exploit people’s fears and needs during the crisis. As of mid-April, the FTC had taken 18,235 reports of COVID-19-related scams of all types nationwide, according to the agency. Read more here. — Dan Hinkel
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