Public Schools in Chicago has announced that educators will not be excluded from their virtual classrooms as negotiations with the teachers’ union continue over a return to personal learning.
Meanwhile, appointments for the second major COVID-19 vaccination site in suburban Cook County, Triton College in River Grove, open Tuesday morning at 9 p.m.
Here are the latest COVID-19 headlines from across the state:
Two more regions in Illinois ‘on track’ to move to phase 4 mitigation Wednesday: IDPH
Two more regions in Illinois are ‘on course’ this week to move to phase 4 mitigation if they continue to trend in the right direction, health officials announced Tuesday.
Regions 8 and 9 – which include the Chicago area of DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry – are expected to weaken further on Wednesday, the Illinois Department of Public Health said.
“If all mitigation measures continue to improve, Regions 8 and 9 will transition to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan on Wednesday,” the department said in a statement.
The move will bring all but one of Illinois’ states back to Phase 4 of the state’s reopening guidelines after the state began allowing progress in mid-January.
Illinois reports 2,304 new cases of COVID-19, 47 additional deaths Tuesday
Illinois health officials on Tuesday reported 2,304 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus, along with 47 additional deaths attributed to the virus.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Tuesday’s new cases bring the state to 1,130,917 cases of the virus in the state, with 19,306 deaths attributed to COVID since the pandemic began last year.
IDPH also noted that Regions 8 and 9 are on track to move into Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan on Wednesday.
During the past 24 hours, 60,899 test samples were submitted to government laboratories, bringing the total number of tests performed nationwide to 16,161,454.
The seven-day positivity rate remained the same on Tuesday, rising 3.9%, the lowest point since October. The positivity rate on individuals tested during that time stands at 4.9%.
As of Monday night, there were 2,477 patients with a coronavirus in Illinois hospitals. Of the patients, 533 were currently in intensive care units, while 265 were in ventilators.
Several suburbs of Chicago are going to phase 4 mitigation on Tuesday, health officials say
Suburban Cook County on Tuesday transitioned to Phase 4 rules for coronavirus mitigation, which allow suburbs of Chicago areas to drop the restrictions even further, the health department announced.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, District 10, which includes the suburbs of Cook County outside the city of Chicago, met the requirements to move to the less restrictive rules Tuesday.
Region 10 is the eighth region in the state to move back to that level since the state began moving regions in mid-January. On Monday, Region 7, which includes the provinces of Will and Kankakee, moved to Phase 4, while the city of Chicago entered an amended version of the phase over the weekend.
Chicago launches COVID vaccine appointments announced by Zocdoc officials
Chicago residents looking for coronavirus vaccine appointments will soon be able to plan their visits through an online portal in partnership with Zocdoc.
The Chicago Department of Public Health is expected to announce the partnership at a news conference Tuesday at 1 p.m. (Watch here live at 13:00)
The so-called Zocdoc vaccination scheduler will be free and ‘designed to streamline the vaccine schedule,’ the city said in a release.
“Although the supply of vaccines is currently very limited, appointments will be added on an ongoing basis as more vaccines are allocated to providers. Chicago residents are still encouraged to make an appointment with their primary care providers, if they have them, and also through local pharmacies or their employers, if available, “reads the release.” But the Zocdoc vaccine planner will serve as a free, public resource for Chicago residents who would otherwise struggle to find and access a vaccine. ”
Chicago’s South Side Irish Parade canceled for second year
Chicago’s 2021 South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade “will not hold its traditional march in Western Avenue,” the organizers of the event announced Tuesday and it is a second year of cancellation for the iconic parade due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Because of the ongoing public health concerns about COVID-19, the City of Chicago has announced that it will not issue permits for parades or large gatherings in the first quarter of 2021,” parade organizers said in a statement Tuesday.
Organizers said the parade committee was exploring alternative ways to celebrate the Irish heritage of the community “to respect the public health and safety of all.”
Read more here.
6 Chicago Walmart sites manage COVID-19 vaccinations
Six Walmart locations in Chicago are holding COVID-19 vaccinations, the company says.
According to the retailer, vaccines are currently available for vaccines:
- 7535 S. Ashland Ave.
- 4650 W. Noordlaan.
- 4626 W. Diversey Ave.
- 2551 W. Cermak Rd.
- 8331 S. Stewart Ave.
- 10900 S. Doty Ave.
Walmart is one of several retailers delivering COVID-19 vaccines to Illinois residents. The company began delivering the shots late last month in more than 150 Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs in a dozen states, including Illinois and Indiana.
Read more here.
CPS, CTU Avoid locking up teachers, distance learning to continue during the cooling off period
After making ‘significant progress’ in negotiations between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union on Monday, the district announced Monday night that teachers will not be excluded from Google Suite, while virtual learning will continue for students for at least the next two days. . .
According to an email from CPS, students will be learning by distance learning on Tuesday and Wednesday as negotiations continue, with the exclusion of a teacher from the table for the time being.
“We have reached another important milestone today in our efforts to educate students in Chicago’s public schools,” said Mayor Lori Lightfoot and CPS Director Dr. Janice Jackson, said in a statement. ‘We have agreed on one other open issue and have made significant progress with a framework that we hope will address the remaining issues. We are asking for a cooling-off period of 48 hours which will hopefully lead to a final decision on all public matters. ‘
The news comes after an ultimatum on Sunday issued by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who said CPS would be willing to “take action” if teachers did not report to their classrooms on Monday.
Amid the often tense negotiations, teachers voted in January to return to distance education, even if students were already in the classroom before the K and cluster learning. The vote was done in response to CPS calling on teachers to return to K-8 classrooms on January 25, with the students returning to the classrooms on February 1.
CPS officials said at the weekend that if teachers did not return to schools on Monday, they would be considered ‘absent without leave’ and that they would not be authorized to conduct distance education before re-enrolling in their classrooms.
Read more here.
Appointments open Tuesday for COVID 19 mass vaccination site in New Cook County
Appointments for the second major COVID-19 vaccination site in the suburb of Cook County, Triton College in River Grove, opened Tuesday morning at 9 p.m.
Appointments can be made at vaccine.cookcountyil.gov. Those who do not have internet access and who need help can call 833-308-1988 from 07:00 to 19:00 from Monday to Friday.
Eligible under Phase 1B, the current Illinois vaccination phase, are people 65 and older as well as ‘essential workers’, which includes first responders, teachers and support staff, and grocery stores.
You can find more information about appointments here.
Illinois adds 41 new COVID-19 vaccination sites across the country
The state of Illinois has added 41 new COVID-19 vaccination sites since Jan. 26, according to a news release from state health officials Monday.
More than 3.2 million of the state’s residents are eligible for phase 1B vaccinations, which target people aged 65 and older as well as ‘essential workers’. Among those in the category are: first responders, teachers such as teachers and support staff, as well as employees in the grocery store and postal workers.
A total of 310 vaccination sites have opened across the state.