Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what happened Jan. 20 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

The two-county region is meeting the requirements to allow indoor dining at 25% capacity or 25 people, whichever is less, beginning Thursday, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

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

9:35 p.m. (update): As CTU prepares vote on refusing in-person teaching, CPS says union ‘wants to close schools that are already safely open’

Chicago Teachers Union members have until Saturday to vote on a collective action to defy Chicago Public Schools and refuse to report to school buildings starting Monday, continuing remote learning for as long as they have access to their online platforms.

The district’s reopening plan requires elementary school teachers to start working in person Monday for the first time since March, in preparation for the return of 70,000 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The union estimates 10,000 educators are affected, in addition to the prekindergarten and special education staff who have already been working in schools.

The union’s governing body, a roughly 700-member House of Delegates, passed a resolution with 84% support after two hours of discussion Wednesday, sending the action to their 25,000 members.

CPS spokeswoman Emily Bolton released a statement late Wednesday saying such an action by the union would mean “stripping tens of thousands of students of the opportunity for safe, in-person learning.” She said that’s “not an option or a viable solution for families who have been planning to return since December.”

It’s not yet clear if showing up to school would constitute crossing a picket line, but depending on how CPS handled the absences, it could evolve into a more traditional strike. The resolution authorizes remote work only starting Monday “or on whatever date Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s handpicked Chicago Board of Education requires educators teaching kindergarten through eighth grade to appear in person,” and a strike if CPS locks members out of their accounts or otherwise retaliates.

“Only the mayor can force a strike, and if it comes to that, that’s her choice,” CTU President Jesse Sharkey said in a prepared statement. “We choose safety.”

Read more here. —Hannah Leone, Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas and Alice Yin

7 p.m.: CTU asks members to refuse in-person teaching; voting to start Thursday

Chicago Teachers Union members could start voting Thursday on a collective action to defy their employer’s orders and refuse to report to school buildings next week, when thousands of elementary school staff are expected to return for the first time since March. Instead, they would continue working remotely starting Monday for as long as they have access to their online learning platforms.

A week later, on Feb. 1, nearly 70,000 more students in kindergarten through eighth grade are due to return to in-person learning.

The union’s governing body, a 700-member House of Delegates, passed a resolution after hours of discussion Wednesday, sending the action to their 25,000 members. It’s not yet clear if showing up to school would constitute crossing a picket line, but depending on how Chicago Public Schools handled the absences, it could evolve into a more traditional strike, according to sources who were not authorized to speak publicly about the details. The resolution authorizes remote work only starting Monday, and a strike if CPS locks members out or otherwise retaliates.

For months, the union has been at odds with Chicago Public Schools over its reopening plan, with union representatives and educators lambasting the district and Mayor Lori Lightfoot for plowing ahead in what they believe is an unsafe manner.

Read more here. —Hannah Leone, Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas and Alice Yin

6:50 p.m.: Chicago Parks to resume in-person programs

The Chicago Park District said it will resume in-person programming across city parks beginning Monday.

The decision comes after the state adjusted metrics that determine COVID-19 restrictions across Illinois regions. Previously, winter programs set to begin Jan. 4 had been suspended. According to current guidelines, the Park District can begin to offer limited programming, including sports and nature events. Masks are required and registration will follow capacity limits, according to the Park District.

“The Chicago Park District is committed to protecting our patrons and workforce by following the guidelines put in place by the State’s public health officials,” said Parks Superintendent Michael Kelly in a statement. “While limited, Winter programs will allow residents to enjoy in-person opportunities in a safe, socially distanced setting.

The Park District will continue to offer virtual programming and events. Fieldhouses will remain open to the public.

6 p.m.: President Biden’s goal is 100M doses of vaccine within first 100 days of his presidency. CDC’s new director talks about distribution challenges.

“I don’t think the (president) would have suggested 100 million doses for the next 100 days if he, his team, and we didn’t have a vision about supply,” Walensky said.

“There are four prongs to this that Biden and the team is working on:

5:40 p.m.: How can Illinois seniors sign up for COVID-19 vaccines? Some health systems will begin reaching out within days

A number of Chicago-area health systems expect, within days, to begin inviting patients ages 65 and older to make appointments to get COVID-19 vaccines.

The notifications will come as Illinois prepares to move Monday to the next phase of vaccinations, which will include people ages 65 and older and front-line essential workers, such as those who work in grocery stores, schools and public transportation. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said people who are part of the next phase will be able to receive vaccines at hospitals, retail pharmacies, state-run sites, sites led by the National Guard, urgent care clinics and through large employers.

There are about 3.2 million people eligible to receive shots in Illinois as part of this next phase. The first phase, which started more than a month ago, included only health care workers and long-term care facility residents.

Even though the start of the next phase is less than a week away, information about how to actually get the vaccineshas been scarce, leaving many frustrated. But some Illinois hospitals and health systems are starting to share their plans, which are dependent on receiving enough vaccine doses.

3:35 p.m.: Pregnant Illinois mom worried her eligibility for a COVID-19 vaccine won’t arrive before her baby

During the 16 weeks she’s been pregnant, Tara Larson has closely followed information about COVID-19.

With a police officer husband who interacts with the public daily and months to go in her pregnancy, the 40-year-old Lemont mom is ready to get a vaccine.

“I’m anxious to go ahead and get the vaccine as soon as possible,” said Larson, who hopes to receive one before her July due date.

But she might not be able to anytime soon.

“If it’s June, am I going to be able to get the second dose before I actually give birth?” she said.

Despite being an at-risk population, pregnant women are not included in early phases of vaccination in Illinois. According to the Chicago Department of Public Health, they would be eligible for the vaccine along with the general population, estimated to be May 31.

Similarly, the state Health Department does not include pregnant women in early phases, although pregnant women who are eligible otherwise, such as a health care worker, may receive a vaccine. According to a statement from the Health Department, “the currently available studies do not provide direct information about vaccine safety and effectiveness in these groups of people.”

This reflects the conundrum pregnant women find themselves in: at high risk but with limited data and options.

2:52 p.m.: U. of I. asks students to suspend nonessential activities to stem COVID-19 spread as new term begins

As dorms reopened for spring semester, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign instructed returning students to limit nonessential activities for nearly three weeks in a strict approach to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

In an email to undergraduate and graduate students Wednesday, Chancellor Robert Jones defined permissible activities as “taking COVID-19 tests, attending class, purchasing groceries and food, going to work, engaging in individual outdoor activity, attending religious services and seeking medical attention.”

Those who flout the rules will face disciplinary action up to dismissal, or could lose access to university Internet, Zoom and other services.

Jones cited the more contagious coronavirus strain, which originated in Britain, as a concern for the campus community, saying he expects the B117 variant “to enter our community” and that it can spread 50% faster than other strains. Health officials already identified the strain in Chicago last week.

The target date for lifting the restrictions is Feb. 8, but the timeline could change based on new information, Jones said. During this period, students should also avoid traveling outside the Urbana-Champaign area.Before classes begin Monday, returning students must receive two negative COVID-19 tests at least three days apart. After that, students must test twice a week to obtain access to university buildings and attend class.

Jones reminded students that cases spiked when they returned for the fall semester and noted there could be a similar uptick in infections.

The university completed fall semester, offering a mix of online and in-person classes, without having to suspend face-to-face courses. Officials credit a university-developed COVID-19 saliva test for helping achieve that goal.

12:48 p.m.: Limited indoor dining on track to resume Thursday in Will and Kankakee counties under Pritzker’s COVID-19 reopening plan

Will and Kankakee counties are on track to be the first in the Chicago area to see limited indoor dining resume under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s coronavirus reopening plan, state public health officials said Wednesday.

The two-county region is meeting the requirements to allow indoor dining at 25% capacity or 25 people, whichever is less, beginning Thursday, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

In addition, the east-central Illinois region, which includes Champaign-Urbana and Decatur, is on track to have indoor dining expanded to the number of customers that can be seated in tables placed six feet apart, joining the west-central region and the southern tip of the state in returning to a broader reopening, officials said.

12:11 p.m.: 4,822 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 107 additional deaths reported

Illinois health officials on Wednesday announced 4,822 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 107 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 1,081,354 and the statewide death toll to 18,398 since the start of the pandemic.

Officials also reported 86,121 new tests in the last 24 hours. The seven-day statewide rolling positivity rate for cases as a share of total tests was 5.5% for the period ending Tuesday.

6 a.m.: University of Illinois tuition hike, delayed because of COVID-19, will kick in next year, as trustees consider room and board cost increase

The University of Illinois will become more expensive for some in-state students next fall if the board of trustees agrees to raise fees for housing and campus services.

Despite concerns about the ballooning cost of college, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, university officials are expected to propose the increases at a Wednesday meeting of the board’s academic and student affairs committee.

If the full board passes the measure at its Thursday meeting, rates for undergraduate room and board would increase by 2% at the Urbana-Champaign campus, 2.6% at the Chicago campus and 1.4% at the Springfield campus for new students in the 2021-22 school year. The proposal also calls for student fees and assessments to rise by 0.8% at the two most populous locations.

While tuition would remain the same, new in-state undergraduates and sophomores will have to pay more for the first time since 2014. Trustees approved the tuition increase before the pandemic, but the university paid the difference this year ― using federal stimulus money, financial aid and private donations ― to provide relief during challenging times.

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