Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Pritzker expects crowding at O’Hare customs to get worse, says he’s considering closing bars, restaurants

Gov. J.B. Pritzker expects crowding issues at O’Hare International Airport to get worse Sunday, he said on an appearance on Meet the Press on NBC News.

“So last night as people were flooding into O’Hare Airport, they were stuck in a small area, hundreds and hundreds of people, and that’s exactly what you don’t want in this pandemic,” Pritzker said on the NBC News program. “So we have that problem. And then today, it’s going to be even worse. There are a larger number of flights with more people coming and they seem completely unprepared.”

Pritzker said the federal government should have increased the Customs and Border Patrol staff numbers and the CDC personnel in the airport “doing checks,” continuing his criticism of the federal government handling of the spreading pandemic.

Pritzker said on Meet the Press that he received a call at 11 p.m. Saturday, responding to his criticisms on Twitter, “from a White House staffer who yelled at me about the tweet. That is what I got.”

Pritzker’s administration has been talking directly to Customs and Border officials at O’Hare, as well as Mayor Lori Lightfoot and “our senators to make sure that we are getting the federal government to pay attention to this problem because we can’t have it happen all day today.”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot will hold an 11:30 a.m. news conference to talk about what the city will do to address the long lines at O’Hare. She’ll be joined by Aviation Commissioner Jamie Rhee. Watch live here.

Asked whether he would close bars and restaurants, following crowds of St. Patrick’s Day revelers being out at bars Saturday, Pritkzer said it’s something he’s considering.

“So we’re actually looking hard at that decision making today. We obviously saw what happened in Europe,” Pritzker said. “Nowhere in the United States really has there been a lockdown on bars and restaurants, but it’s something that we’re seriously looking at.”

“People aren’t understanding that, even if you’re healthy, even if you’re young, that you may be a carrier,” Pritzker said. “And you’re going to hand it over to somebody else. COVID-19 is spreading because even healthy people can be walking around, giving it to other people. So we need to go on lockdown.”

Illinois’ primary will still go on Tuesday, however, Pritzker said. Early voting hours have been expanded and voters have the option of a mail ballot.

“We’ve had record mail balloting this year. So we’re going to go ahead with it,” Pritzker said. “But we’ve been extra careful at all of our polling places. Everybody is practicing good hygiene. And we’re making sure that it’s safe for people to come and vote. The schools are closed, so many people will be voting in schools. And there won’t be big crowds.”

O’Hare was not the only airport plagued by delays. Travelers at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport reported waits over three hours on Saturday.

Here are the latest updates on the coronavirus in the Chicago area and Illinois:

10:50 a.m.: Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge sees first coronavirus case

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge sent an email to employees Saturday night telling them a patient admitted to the hospital has tested positive for coronavirus.

Based on the patient’s condition, the email said, hospital officials determined that treatment in the hospital was the best course of action.

– Bob Chiarito, Pioneer Press

10:48 a.m.: DuPage County declares disaster after Willowbrook nursing home resident tests positive for coronavirus

DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin is signing a disaster declaration after a resident of a long-term care facility tested positive for the coronavirus.

The woman, who is in her 60s, is a resident of the Chateau Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Willowbrook, officals announced during a Sunday morning press conference.

– Naperville Sun

10:18 a.m.: Navy Pier to shut down on Monday

Navy Pier joins a growing list of local attractions that have closed as a result of COVID-19, announcing Sunday the attraction will shut down Monday.

“After careful thought and consideration, and out of an abundance of precaution, Navy Pier will close to the public, beginning Monday, March 16 through Thursday, April 2,” a statement from Navy Pier said.

If all goes as planned, it is expected to re-open on April 3.“We recognize that these are challenging and unprecedented times,” it said.

– Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas

9:47 a.m. Sunday: Election officials to make another push for early voting

Officials Sunday are expected to make a push for early voting, days after city and suburban election officials scrambled to find new election judges and polling places after they opted out of Tuesday’s election amid fears about the spread of the new coronavirus.

“With respect to early voting, we have been encouraging and continue to encourage our voters to use any of our early voting sites this weekend. We are prepared to handle large numbers of early voters. We have a full complement of personnel at all of our early voting sites to assist voters,” according to a statement from the Chicago Election Board released Sunday.

The Board also said they had an overwhelming response to the extension of vote-by-mail applications, but with the reminder that votes must be postmarked by Tuesday in order to count.

“As a result of heavily promoting this – online, in the media, in ads and in our household mailing to voters – we broke the World War II record for Vote By Mail applications. Thanks to these efforts, approximately 118,000 voters – an all-time record – will be able to cast their ballot at home, mail it back to us, and track it using the new online system we provide,” it said.

Those who either have not yet received their ballot or who will not be able to postmark it by Tuesday can go to any early voting location and vote early instead.

– Katherine Rosenberg Douglas

Saturday, March 14

Here’s a recap of coronavirus updates in the Chicago area and Illinois from Saturday:

20 new coronavirus cases in Illinois bring total to 66, including first downstate; Gov. J.B. Pritzker expresses frustration over young people crowding bars for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations

Trump extends European travel ban to include UK and Ireland, considers imposing restrictions on travel within US

Is it safe to eat out? Chicago restaurants and health experts weigh in

Mayor of Champaign declares emergency over coronavirus, but city assures it’s not banning gun, alcohol sales or seizing property

St. Patrick’s Day bar crawls and revelry go on despite some criticisms of recklessness

Bulls and Blackhawks will pay United Center employees -- approximately 1,200 people -- through the remainder of the scheduled season after coronavirus shutdowns

Friday, March 13

Here’s a recap of coronavirus updates in the Chicago area and Illinois from Friday:

Gov. J.B. Pritzker took the sweeping step of closing all schools statewide beginning Tuesday until March 30.

State officials announced 14 new cases, bringing the total to 46 since the start of the outbreak.

The vast majority of Cook County court operations, both criminal and civil, will be postponed for nearly a month.

The Illinois Gaming Board ordered all of the state’s 10 casinos to close for 14 days beginning Monday.

The Museum of Science and Industry, Art Institute of Chicago, Adler Planetarium and Field Museum have joined Shedd Aquarium in announcing a coronavirus related temporary closure.

The Chicago Teachers union issued a demand for all Chicago public schools to be closed.

Catholic churches in the Chicago Catholic Archdiocese will stop holding Masses.

Grubhub won’t charge independent restaurants for its delivery services during the coronavirus crisis, pledging to forgo up to $100 million in revenue.

The coronavirus is threatening to upend Chicago’s budget and further stretch its already tight finances.

Thursday, March 12

Here’s a recap of coronavirus updates in the Chicago area and Illinois from Thursday:

Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered the shutdown of public events of more than 1,000 people. Officials also announced the total number of cases in the state stood at 32.

MLB delayed the start of its season by at least two weeks and suspended the rest of its spring training schedule. The NHL also suspended play.

James Beard postponed its Chicago awards gala until summer 2020.

The Big Ten Tournament was canceled 20 minutes before Thursday’s games were set to start. Later in the day, the NCAA also canceled its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

Wednesday, March 11

Here’s a recap of coronavirus updates in the Chicago area and Illinois from Wednesday:

As six new cases of the coronavirus pushed Illinois’ total to 25, state officials considered limits on gatherings of more than 250 people.

The University of Illinois, Northwestern and Illinois State all announced that classes will be moved to online formats for several weeks. DePaul also announced changes.

The coronavirus is touching all facets of life, including the upcoming primary election in Illinois. Here’s how.

Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders both canceled campaign rallies planned for Illinois.

The NBA suspended its season as the NCAA Tournament and rest of Big Ten Tournament will be played without fans.

A worker at Prudential Plaza, one of Chicago’s largest office complexes, tested positive for the coronavirus.

The coronavirus claimed its first major events in Chicago’s civic life, as Mayor Lori Lightfoot canceled the city’s massive St. Patrick’s Day parades.

Blood drives are being canceled across Chicago, sparking concerns about their ability to keep enough blood supplied to area hospitals.

Tuesday, March 10

Here’s a recap of coronavirus updates in the Chicago area and Illinois from Tuesday:

Officials announced eight new cases of the coronavirus in Illinois, including the first two cases outside of Cook County, bringing the total number cases to 19.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker questioned whether Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day parades should go on.

In response to the coronavirus outbreak, Indiana University will suspend classroom teaching when students return from spring break.

Companies are encouraging employees to work remotely if they’re feeling ill to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus. But not all jobs can be done from home and many don’t come with paid sick leave.

CPS officials said there were no plans to close more schools because of the coronavirus as of now. They also said that no new cases have been found at Vaughn High.

Airlines slashed more domestic and international flights and executives took pay cuts as the coronavirus outbreak takes a growing toll on the travel industry.

A Northwest Side Catholic school joined a Lakeview synagogue and attached day school in closing over coronavirus concerns. Lombard District 44 also canceled school.

How a woman who landed at O’Hare and rode Amtrak to St. Louis triggered a major response after testing positive for coronavirus.

Monday, March 9

Here’s a recap of coronavirus updates in the Chicago area and Illinois from Monday:

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