(Springfield-jm) -- Illinois’ modified stay at home order begins today. As part of the order, Illinoisans over the age of two will be required to wear a mask if you are out in public. Other changes to the order include the opening of golf courses under specific guidelines, non essential businesses can reopen for online and curbside orders only, elective surgeries can be scheduled and some state parks are reopening for boating, fishing and hiking. The stay at home order is in effect until May 31st.
(Springfield-jm) -- 141 more people have died from the Coronavirus in Illinois. A total of two thousand 355 lives have been lost to COVID-19. State Public Health Director Dr Ngozi Ezike says nearly 270 thousand tests have been performed so far…
Illinois Public Health Director Dr Ngozi Ezike. Positive cases of the Coronavirus are nearly 53 thousand in 97 Illinois counties. Officials say there are now 177 testing sites around the state. Visit coronavirus dot illinois dot gov for a list of locations and requirements. Locally, Champaign County is reporting 11 new cases bringing their total to 135 cases. Iroquois County is reporting 5 new cases bringing their total to 34 cases. McLean County is reporting one new case bringing their total to 95 cases. Kankakee County is reporting 11 new cases bringing their total to 383 cases. Ford, Livingston and Vermilion Counties all did not report any new cases Thursday. All the counties in our listening area, except Iroquois County have reported at least one death so far from the Coronavirus. Governor J-B Pritzker will hold his daily briefing at 2:30. We will have the latest on that on our news at 4 and 5.
(Springfield-jm) -- More than 81,000 Illinoisans successfully applied for unemployment benefits through the state last week. The U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday that 81,245 laid off Illinois workers were added to the state’s unemployment rolls for the week ending on April 18. That’s a drop of 21,691 from the week prior. Over the past six weeks, about 30.3 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits because of stay-at-home orders in response to the novel coronavirus.
(Springfield-cf)-- The state superintendent of Schools, Dr. Carmen Ayla announced plans of any kind for commencement are prohibited. This includes drive-thru ceremonies, or events where students come in small groups to the school or another location for a group photo.
(Paxton-jm) -- The COVID-19 pandemic is having a major impact on the business community. Paxton Area Chamber of Commerce President Alan Meyer talks about the impact here locally…
Paxton Area Chamber of Commerce President Alan Meyer.
(Urbana-jm) -- In response to Gov. JB Pritzker's extension of the state's stay at home order, the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois is taking measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The U-S Courthouse in Peoria will remain open with limited staff. The U-S Courthouses in Urbana and Springfield will remain closed to the public. Hearings and criminal proceedings will continue to use video and telephone conferencing.
(Springfield-jm) -- What will summer look like with the Coronavirus pandemic? 53rd District State Senator Jason Barickman says there is a lot of uncertainty…
53rd District State Senator Jason Barickman of Bloomington.
(Paxton-jm) -- The Paxton Park District is doing updates to the pool in anticipation of the possible swimming season. Park district employees are painting the pool, resealing the filter pit, reinstall the pool pump and upgrade the sound and speaker system.
(Springfield-jm) -- The number of Coronavirus cases and deaths continues to rise in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,563 new cases and 141 additional deaths Thursday. That brings the state’s total of cases to 52,918 and total number of deaths to 2,355. Coronavirus cases have been confirmed in 97 of the state's 102 counties. Area health departments have been reporting recoveries and active cases. In Ford County, 7 have been released from isolation while 1 is still isolated. Champaign County is reporting 40 active cases with 6 being hospitalized, however, they are reporting 89 have recovered. Iroquois County is reporting 12 of their 34 cases have recovered. Livingston County is reporting 16 have been released from isolation. McLean County is reporting 1 of their cases being hospitalized and 7 are on home isolation, however, they are reporting 84 have recovered. Kankakee County is reporting 99 recoveries and Vermilion County is reporting 8 of their cases have been released from isolation. Governor J-B Pritzker will hold his daily briefing at 2:30. We will have the latest on that on our news at 4 and 5.
(Springfield-jm) -- The state’s new modified stay at home order begins today. One of the biggest changes is that if you can’t stay six feet away from others, like in a grocery store or pharmacy, you are required to wear a mask in public says Governor J-B Pritzker…
Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. The requirement applies to everyone over two years old who can medically tolerate a facial covering. Other changes to the order include the opening of golf courses under specific guidelines, non essential businesses can reopen for online and curbside orders only, elective surgeries can be scheduled and some state parks are reopening for boating, fishing and hiking. The stay at home order is in effect until May 31st.
(Springfield-jm) -- Guidance sent to hospitals and other health care facilities from the Illinois Department of Public Health sets out various criteria they must meet to start elective procedures May 11. Postponing elective procedures was a move to ensure hospitals wouldn’t get overrun if there was a surge of COVID-19 patients, officials have said. The IDPH guidance includes regional occupancy requirements for elective inpatient procedures to have no less than 20 percent available capacity for ICU beds, surgical beds and ventilators, among other requirements. The guidance also said facilities must test each patient for COVID-19 within 72 hours of a scheduled procedure. They must then self-quarantine until the day of surgery.
(Springfield-jm) -- The Illinois Gaming Board will extend the suspension of all licensed video gaming and casino gambling operations to help slow the spread of COVID-19. The suspension will be at all Illinois locations until further notice. The board continues to review the public health guidelines and conditions to determine when it is safe to reopen statewide.
(Urbana-jm) -- OSF HealthCare Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana received an "A" rating for patient safety. The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization for patient safety, gave the center this grade. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to grade more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals.
(Rantoul-jm) -- Local communities are beginning to prepare for the potential impacts of the Coronavirus. The village of Rantoul is keeping a careful eye on revenue and expenditures says Administrator Scott Eisenhower…
Rantoul Village Administrator Scott Eisenhower.
(Gifford-jm) -- The Gifford Grade School District has received a matching grant for projects. The district received a $31,500 matching maintenance grant from the state. The district will use the grant to upgrade the HVAC system, bleachers and two awning-roofing projects. The grant is good for two years.
