Daily COVID-19 Update: Stay at Home Order Extended to Thursday, April 30
Governor Pritzker announced an extension on the stay at home order until Thursday, April 30 in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This means that all non-essential businesses will remain closed and all previous closure orders are extended. Mayor Lightfoot also confirmed that this extends to the closure of the lakefront, park districts and other public service areas.

Governor Pritzker also provided updates on the Statewide capacity average of our healthcare facilities. As of March 30, 41% of ICU beds are empty, 68% of ventilators are available and 35% of our total ICU beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients. As for ventilators, 24% are being used by COVID-19 patients. Statewide we are still within capacity however weeks from now we cannot say for sure. We are preparing for the numbers to increase as testing becomes more readily available there is also uncertainty as to when the number of cases will peak and when we will come down from our peak.

Along with the extension of the stay at home order all school districts will transition from Act of God Days to remote learning days.

In line with the Governor's extension, Mayor Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools CEO, Janice Jackson announced that remote learning will begin for all Chicago Public Schools on Monday, April 13. CPS will be reaching out to all families and providing guidance on remote learning by Monday, April 6.




COVID-19 Count as of today :


If you have questions related to COVID-19 you can contact the Illinois Department of Public Health :
Hotline : 800-889-3931
Email : dph.sick@illinois.gov

City of Chicago's Department of Public Health :
Hotline : 312-746-4835
Email : coronavirus@chicago.gov

You can sign up to get updates from the City of Chicago's Department of Public Health here .
Illinois Department of Corrections
The Governor also shed some light on inmate and staff conditions at IDOC facilities. He explained that IDOC currently has the smallest population since 1995 with a total of 36,944 individuals across all facilities and there are currently 1,069 fewer inmate than there were on February 1. The Governor reported 32 positive inmate cases and 18 diagnosed staff, while many news sources indicate the problem is much bigger than these numbers convey. The issue at Stateville, which we reported on yesterday, is particularly troubling given the numbers of older inmates in this facility. There have been concerns about capacity at local area hospitals and today Governor Pritzker made it abundantly clear that hospitals who try to avoid accepting patients from IDOC facilities will be compelled to do so under the law, making clear that the administration does not tolerate any suggestion of one patient being more valuable or worthy of treatment than another. We’ve just seen reports that members of the National Guard will be deployed to Stateville to assist in the treatment and transport of ill patients in that facility, a much needed move to address shortages of qualified medical staff from the contracted medical provider, Wexford Health.

Early in the onset of COVID-19, IDOC began taking steps to address concerns including suspending all visits, moving inmates experiencing illness to quarantine, increasing availability of sanitary supplies, suspending transfers from county jail to IDOC facilities and increasing availability of personal protective equipment. The administration has been reviewing files of low risk offenders and has released 300 individuals as of 1pm today. We continue to share reports of facility supply issues, staff safety issues and concerns about at risk inmates with members of the administration and will keep this issue top of mind as the numbers increase.

Chicago Small Business Resiliency Fund Opens
Last week Mayor Lightfoot announced the creation of the Chicago Small Business Resiliency Fund to financially assist businesses to make payroll and address other capital needs during the stay at home order. The applications have officially opened today. Read the full details on the announcement here . Visit their website here to apply .
U.S. Federal Stimulus Checks and Filing Unemployment
With the passage of the CARES Act, many individuals have questions about unemployment and direct stimulus checks. While we are doing our best to sift through information as it becomes available, below are a list of resources.

  • Details on the expansion of unemployment benefits can be read here
  • View an FAQ sheet here on stimulus checks for individuals who receive SSI.
  • Visit the IRS website for information on stimulus checks.
  • The Illinois Department of Employment Security is acting quickly to update their application and systems to reflect the unemployment changes made under the CARES Act. They have also been training their employees to take these calls. This morning the department shared an announcement and will be giving an update on when the websites and employees are ready to begin accepting applications from those who are newly eligible such as gig and contractual workers.
Citizen's Utility Board Resources
The Citizen's Utility Board is a great resource for utility updates and resources.

Cook County Property Tax Exemptions
All property tax exemption applications are due by April 10. You can find more information and apply here . While the assessors office is remaining closed to the public they have launched Facebook events to engage with individuals that might have questions.
Trans Relief Fund
Brave Space Alliance in partnership with the Trans Liberation Collective has launched a relief program for transgender, non-binary and intersex individuals. To donate or apply visit their website here .
Sincerely,

Kelly Cassidy
State Representative, 14th District

Office of State Representative Kelly Cassidy

5533 N Broadway

Chicago IL 60640
773-784-2002(phone)
773-784-2060(fax)