A new mask mandate from the state

 This is from Monday and follows guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The advice is for vaccinated individuals however:

Following guidance from the CDC that fully vaccinated people can stop wearing a mask and practicing social distancing in most indoor and outdoor settings, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health have announced that Illinois will align state executive orders with the latest CDC guidance and rescind IDPH emergency rules enforcing masking and distance.

The CDC continues to require masks for everyone in healthcare settings, in congregate settings and on transit. In addition, in line with CDC guidance, the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Department of Public Health require masks in schools. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services requires masks in daycare.

I would urge you all to ask questions of a doctor with regards to any of these vaccines if you're hesitant and especially if you're vulnerable.

Via CapFax

"It only works if you wear it" PSA #Pandemic

[VIDEO] This public service announcement was announced in a press release from Gov. J.B. Pritzker. It's basically encouraging citizens to wear a mask to beat this pandemic.

Governor JB Pritzker launched a new $5 million awareness campaign today to encourage Illinois residents to wear a face covering every time they’re in public — because it only works if you wear it. Following the data-driven approach that has guided Illinois’ coronavirus response, the campaign uses local information to advertise on broadcast and cable television, radio, billboards and social media to the communities with the greatest risk from COVID-19.

The Governor launched the campaign from the State Emergency Operations Center in Springfield with those who are helping to lead the state’s response: Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, and Alicia Tate-Nadeau, Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. As of Friday, 11 counties have now reached IDPH’s “warning level” for virus spread, including here in Sangamon County.

“I’m proud to launch a new public awareness campaign today that has a straightforward message for Illinoisans: A mask is like anything that keeps us safe. It only works if you wear it,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “We’ve made so much progress since the beginning of this pandemic. Let’s protect that progress. This is our moment to pull together as families, friends and neighbors. We’re all safer and stronger when we go all in, Illinois.”

It only works if you wear it! Here's a press kit for this new campaign where I uploaded the longer PSA to The Sixth Ward's YouTube channel and a shorter one was shown on The Sixth Ward's twitter account.

It only works if you wear it campaign from @GovPritzker as referenced from @capitolfax. A 15 sec. spot! Encouraging us in Illinois to wear a mask to beat this #Pandemic #AllInIllinois #twill pic.twitter.com/SDt1IRzcYu

— The Sixth Ward (@TheSixthWard) August 3, 2020

This blog is set up for alternate points of view, however, I'll set up my own stance. Wearing a mask is only temporary, this won't be forever. I'm as eager as anyone to get out of this pandemic and get back to normal.

However, I do want to hear from those of you who don't want to wear a mask. Do you think wearing masks are effective in helping to control the coronavirus?

No more pandemic press conferences on the weekend from the state

I'm noting that Gov. Pritzker doesn't plan to further continue holding his daily updates over the weekend as he had been once coronavirus became a problem. There will still be daily updates usually in the form of a press release by the Illinois Dept of Public Health which will continue to be released every day, however, the governor will continue his press conferences during the rest of the week as opposed to Saturday and Sunday.

No more weekend Pritzker briefings https://t.co/JePwrOdRw7

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) May 7, 2020

If you haven't been following this, I wanted to find a way to share this with you. Jahmal Cole has been doing a wonderful job - he's been getting a lot of attention as you all may know for his many initiatives within the community - providing care packages to seniors during this pandemic. Seniors are unfortunately vulnerable to this virus and he's providing senior citizens with supplies to help them combat this disease. Especially since items like hand sanitizer has been at a premium due to the panic buying by many consumers.

He made his appearance at a Saturday press conference with the governor to deliver a speech that Rich Miller of Capitol Fax refers to Cole's speech as fiery. I was hoping there was an easy way to share his speech, however, in a recent email blast Cole himself provided a video with snippets of his speech. [VIDEO]

I agree with Mr. Cole hope is what is needed right now.

Multi-phase plan to reopen the state

[VIDEO] Im glad to see this plan from Gov. J.B. Pritzker as far as reopening this state. Illinois is a far more diverse state and there is a lot more to our state than the Chicago area. Chicago and Cook County - also certainly the collar counties - are more of a hotspot that other parts of the state. And 97 of the state's 102 counties have reported cases so far

I would recommend you check out the governor's remarks from Tuesday as he discusses his regional phased reopening plan.

There were some challenges by two downstate legislators and another by a pastor challenging the governor's' new stay-at-home order which went into effect on May 1, 2020. Here it is in full. There was a ruling by a federal judge on Monday declaring the governor's executive order as constitutional which involved the lawsuit by a pastor in Illinois

I do want to address this video many of you seen from Saturday afternoon in the parking lot at the shopping center on 87th street that contains a Jewel. It was a crowd of people standing outside and congregating and evidently a full parking lot. On a typical day with all stores open - although Burlington Coat Factory had recently closed - the lot wouldn't be that full.

I could see this as an act of defiance and the weather is getting warmer people will get restless. However, if encouraging people to stay home will help to get Chicago reopened then I'm definitely for it.

Here's the video below.

Will the stay-at-home order be lifted after April 30, 2020? #Pandemic

This was addressed at yesterday's press conference regarding the updates to the state's response to the coronavirus pandemic. It was reported yesterday that there are 1,173 new cases of coronavirus with 74 deaths with a total of 22,025 cases in 87 counties throughout the state.

Pritzker said he envisons the Trump Administration offering "advice," with individual governors determining how to lift their respective state orders.

"It’s up to the governors to make decisions about the executive orders that we've put in place," Pritzker said at his daily media briefing on the novel coronavirus.

He would not say whether his stay-at-home order would be extended from April 30, the current end date, but said any return to normalcy could come in phases rather than all at once. Earlier Monday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she thinks it's likely people will need to continue staying home beyond April 30.

Pritzker said data will determine whether the stay-at-home mandate is extended and also whether students go back to physical classrooms before the end of the academic year.

Mayor Lightfoot was at an unrelated press conference and discussed whether or not she thinks the stay-at-home order will be extended beyond the end of the month.

Lightfoot was asked at an unrelated news conference whether April 30 looks like the last day of the stay-at-home order in Chicago. “I think that’s going to be difficult for us to say, April 30, everything comes up, I don’t expect that to happen,” Lightfoot said. “I think it will extend beyond that.”

During a Sunday appearance on the CBS program “Face the Nation,” Lightfoot was asked about a statement from the United States’ top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, that the economy might begin reopening on a rolling basis in May and whether that would be true in Chicago.

“We cannot open up the economy until we make sure that we’ve got all the health care controls in place,” Lightfoot said. “That means widespread testing, contact tracing, and we’ve got to see not just a flattening of the curve but a bending down.”
...
The city’s “trending in the right direction,” Lightfoot said. Cases had been doubling every one to two days and now are roughly every nine to 10 days.

“But we’ve got to see a lot more progress on the heath care front before we can even start talking about reopening the economy,” Lightfoot said.

Pritzker said Monday that “it’s likely adjustments will be made” as the state starts to see slower growth in number of cases of the coronavirus.

“It’s not like we’re anywhere near herd immunity, and there isn’t a treatment,” Pritzker said at his daily news conference. “And in order for you to get to a point where you want to start moving significantly back to normalcy, you need widespread testing. We don’t have anywhere near widespread.”

I'm all in favor of an adjustment or a gradual end of the stay-at-home order. It's great that the numbers for the coronavirus in the city and state are going in the right direction. Im sure those stats will be used to determine whether or not to extend or adjust the stay-at-home order which is scheduled to expire at the end of themonth. 

Gov. Pritzker #COVID19 briefing with reports of new cases.

[VIDEO] I wanted to place this at the top and then share the numbers CapFax received from the Illinois Dept. of Public Health. Here's Gov. Pritzker's press conference from the NBC News YouTube channel.

Meanwhile I hoped the 673 new cases on Thurday was the peak with the new cases reported on Friday (488) and Saturday (465). On Sunday, 1,105 new cases of infectios with 18 deaths from coronavirus. If you click through from CapFax as the actually IDPH press released has yet to be released we see where these deaths are located with 11 of those 18 deaths from Cook County.

1,105 new cases, 18 new deaths https://t.co/rasi5iVzai

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) March 29, 2020

Also note that in Illinois we now have Bond, Knox, Menard, and Montgomery counties are reported cases. Now its 47 of Illinois' 102 counties reporting new coronavirus infections.

4,596 cases of coronavirus infections and a total in Illinois of 65 deaths.

Coronavirus updates #COVID19

I don't want to share too many stats with you on this. We already get daily updates if you follow the news especially from the federal and state gov't. We now have 330 new cases of coronavirus the statewide total is now 1,865 across 35 of Illinois' 102 counties.

EDIT: According to the IL Dept. of Public Health there are now 19 deaths from the coronavirus which should include the the three other deaths reported today. Among the three deaths one was in Cook County.

Three more counties reportedly have coronavirus cases this time Douglas, Marshall, and Morgan counties.

330 new cases, 3 new deaths and it’s now in Stateville https://t.co/NhgYCb9tM4

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) March 25, 2020

Also noted that two correction officers and one inmate at Stateville has tested positive for coronavirus. We got a lot of people out there still working and their not just in retail or medicine. I'm referring to our first responders especially the police and fire. There was news that someone walked into a police station here in the city and coughed, that's a very petty and irresponsible prank if there was one. I'm glad he was arrested for his trouble.

Stay-at-home order in Illinois #COVID19

[VIDEO] The press conference was already held sometime after 3 PM Friday and it's old news at this point. Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a stay-at-home order to Illinois residents to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. He gave an update as far as how many cases in this state in addition to yet another death to this very contagious virus.

I want you to bear in mind individuals most vulnerable to this virus are the elderly or people with pre-existing medical conditions.  Also bear in mind this stay-at-home or shelter-in-place order doesn't mean you can't leave home for any reason such as buying groceries, picking up prescriptions, visiting a doctor, going for a run, walking a dog, etc. Basically you're not being stopped from doing those essential things that are necessary everyday.

This order is in force from 5:00 PM on Saturday March 21, 2020 until April 7, 2020.

EXECUTIVE ORDER: Stay-at-home order

Here in Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has closed Chicago's parks and libraries

Primary election is still on

This isn't exactly breaking news, however, since Sunday and through yesterday afternoon it appears to be Gov. J.B. Pritzker's intention to allow today's primary election to continue going forward.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state officials said Monday that despite restaurants, bars and other businesses being ordered closed, the Illinois Primary will be held as planned.

“We have to have our elections continue, in my opinion. This is the right thing to do,” Pritzker said at a Springfield news conference. “Our democracy needs to go on. If we cancel these elections, when would you have an election?”

So today's polls will be open as normal.

Be safe out there and as far as taking care of yourself to avoid an infection it seems there are a good number of common sense approaches to this which includes washing yours hands, covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, social distancing, etc. So I hope when you go to the polls tomorrow you will do what is necessary to protect yourself.

As the governor states our democracy must go on....

BTW, I want to also add this statement posted to CapFax from the Illinois state board of elections. They further state that the primary election today will go forward.

Gov. Pritzker shuts down all schools starting Tuesday #COVID19

[VIDEO] All K-12 schools in this state and this includes Chicago Public School have been shut down by the state of Illinois effective next Tuesday and classes are expected to resume at the end of the month March 30, 2020. Check out this statement from CPS and below is an ig post from CPS regarding this closure.

It's time for the US Census again...

It's about to be that time for the US Census again. State government is already getting ready for outreach for the US Census that takes place every 10 years. 2020 is the year, and we somewhat remember what happened as a result of the 2010 census.

Census roundup https://t.co/rcyb3QrvCx

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) June 21, 2019

Also from yesterday's CapFax blog, the Chicago area is getting older and less white

Chicago metro area gets older, less white https://t.co/gMtrSEmmDi

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) June 20, 2019

Pritzker: Forget downtown, put Chicago casino in area that has ‘been left out, left behind’

You know I'm actually for this. A casino doesn't belong anywhere near downtown Chicago, however, why not put one in the neighborhoods. From the Sun-Times:

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday he would prefer a newly-allowed Chicago casino be located separately from the downtown business district and away from McCormick Place.

While stressing the decision on locating the casino belongs to Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the City Council, the governor said his preference is for the casino to be put in an area that hasn’t benefited from downtown’s building boom.

Pritzker would not name potential sites, but his comments would appear to help the prospects of the old Michael Reese Hospital property at 31st Street and the lake or the former South Works property at 83rd Street and the lake. Another possibility is the Illinois International Port District land on the Southeast Side.

“I will say that we don’t want to, let’s say, compete with what I think is important about downtown, which is, you know, this is a business town, right? And McCormick Place is a business showplace, and it’s different than other places, right?” Pritzker told the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board.

“You go to Las Vegas for your convention and you know that the people who are coming are not really spending all their time in the show, but love to go because of all the entertainment and everything else. I think in Chicago people come here to do business, and so you want to make sure that they’re separated, let’s say,” he added.

Reese, South Works and the port authority land all have potential and drawbacks as a casino site. They offer plenty of land for what must be a large casino; state legislation authorizes 4,000 gaming positions, or more than three times of the size of any single Illinois casino. But the sites also have drawbacks.

What say you?

Capitol Fax: Senate income tax roundup

This was posted to the CapFax yesterday. A roundup of coverage for the state senate passing Gov. Pritzker's plan for a graduated or progressive income tax. How many of you know that Illinois' income taxes are flat? I never realized the political implications of attempting to insure a graduated or progressive income tax in this state.

The flat rate had been increased in this state in 2017 and earlier in 2011 which was allowed to expire in 2014. And if you've followed Pritzker's campaign for Governor last year he's always talked about insuring that the high-income earners - or the rich - pay their fair share in this state.

BTW, it should be noted to change the flat tax to a graduated tax on income. It requires a constitutional amendment so one of the bills that passed the state senate allows whether or not to change the constitution for this will go through the state house and ultimately we'll see it on the ballot in the next election. The curiosity is what will the state's voter's decide on this issue.

Senate income tax roundup https://t.co/lb8QdcKvtm

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) May 2, 2019

Capitol Fax: Because… Chicago!

What if you did your shopping in the suburbs to avoid the city bag tax only to find out that the state passed its own bag tax? It's been in the news as a proposal so far, and for some it had the added intent of reducing usage of plastic bags in Chicago.

Because… Chicago! https://t.co/aJQ1us5wqx

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) March 14, 2019

If you're tired off all these taxes then there's this from Rich Miller:

In the end, this bag tax might very well turn out to be more trouble than it’s worth.

What the post is about is passing a statewide bag tax, then allowing Chicago to keep our own bag tax. It seems downstate politicians take an issue with Chicago not being included in this new tax. 

Capitol Fax: Question of the day

To give a short hand of yesterday's question of the day from CapFax, "What constitutional provisions, if any, would you support to “protect” middle-class families from future tax increases after the new graduated tax structure takes effect?"

Question of the day https://t.co/h4Qsarurir

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) March 13, 2019

Well I haven't seen the responses there, but hopefully someone out there who has great familiarity with the state constitution and taxation has their own answers.