Illinois added 39 new deaths from COVID-19 and 857 new confirmed cases Friday, the day the state moved into phase four of its reopening plan. Additionally, for the second consecutive day, the state topped 30,000 new test results with 30,425.
Meanwhile, pent-up residents across the Chicago area returned to many of the businesses Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered closed as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened in March. Indoor dining, gyms, zoos and movie theaters opened not a moment too soon for those eager to regain a bit of normalcy.
Here’s what’s happening Friday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
7:05 p.m.: COVID-19 deaths dropping in Illinois long-term care facilities
Long the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois, long-term care facilities have begun showing significant drops in the number of residents and workers dying of the novel coronavirus.
State data released Friday ties 123 additional deaths to the virus. That’s about half the number of deaths in the previous week, and far lower than a weekly death toll that approached 500 in early May.
Still, advocates cautioned that promising figures shouldn’t spur thoughts of easing up on the practices that helped improve the picture, particularly as the state moves to the next phase of reopening and nursing homes begin to allow limited visits.
“While the numbers are down, the threat remains,” said Ryan Gruenenfelder, with AARP Illinois.
Read more here. —Joe Mahr
6:22 p.m.: Andersonville’s Replay buzzes with diners
After the afternoon rain subsided, Mark Liberson, owner of Replay in Andersonville, measured the distance in between tables on Balmoral Avenue with a yellow measuring tape. (The street is currently shut down on both sides of Clark Street.) People like to redecorate when they sit on the converted patio area, he said with a chuckle, so he likes to make sure the tables are still appropriately spaced apart.
The large windows on both walls of the corner restaurant were open Friday evening, and most of the high-tops were occupied with people munching on fries and sandwiches, some with a glass of wine.
Josh Shuster and Nathan Rook were visiting from Indianapolis and staying at an Airbnb nearby with their dog. They wanted to get away from the chaos of the world, so they planned a weekend trip to Chicago.
“We’ve already gone through this in our own town, so now that we’re actually visiting Chicago and they’re going through it now, we’re used to it,” Shuster said. “It is the new normal, and there’s no going back to what we were. It’s honestly not feasible.”
Rook said while he’s not scared, there are still concerns. However, he is going to do his part to stay safe and continue to live his life.
Sarai Coutin, of Ravenswood, and Elizabeth Vargas, of Pilsen, were catching up for the first time in months. They both work in health care and wanted to commiserate over what had happened over the last few months. Originally, they planned on sitting outside, but they decided to keep their plans by sitting indoors next to the open windows.
Neither of them would dine in an indoor space if it were enclosed. People crave human interaction, Coutin said, but safety still needs to be a priority. Chicago is not ready for Phase 4, she said.
“I don’t know if patience is the right word, because everyone is impatient and they want this to be over, but it’s also about priorities,” Vargas said. “I don’t want to get sick; I don’t want to possibly get other people sick or my family sick. So in order to keep myself and the people around me healthy, am I going to stay home for another three months? Sure, I’ll do that.”
—Grace Wong
6:01 p.m.: The Loyalist – a West Loop scene that once drew crowds – reopens with a 25-person cap
After more than three months, the first customers to sit down inside at The Loyalist, the modern American basement bar and restaurant in the West Loop, were not loyal returning diners. Instead the couple were first timers, who did know, though, to order a Dirty Burg, the cheeseburger so famous it has its own Instagram account.
Seated at a high-top for two in the middle of the room, they would be the first of 25 people maximum at a time in a room normally jammed shoulder-to-shoulder with four times as many revelers on an early summer Friday night.
“It feels a lot like when we first opened,” said chef and owner John Shields. “It’s not quite as nerve-racking, but maybe more nerve-racking in other ways. It’s less wondering if they’ll love us or if we’ll go out of business, but I guess that’s in the back of my mind too with everything that’s going on.”
That hasn’t stopped the award-winning chef and his team from still taking creative risks. They’ve changed the menu to inventive French-inspired dishes, including a stunning banh mi eclair garnished with a garden of edible flowers. It’s all necessary in the highly competitive neighborhood, despite rain-soaked patios and echoing dining rooms, all nearly empty, for now.
—Louisa Chu
5:55 p.m.: Dinner service resumes — indoors — at Vie in Western Springs
Chef/owner Paul Virant resumed indoor dining at Vie restaurant in Western Springs, debuting a dining room more spacious than usual, owing to the subtraction of several tables. The 15-seat bar area accommodates only 8 guests; a raised alcove space that held 10 now can seat 6, max. A private room now stands ready in case his new, 12-seat outdoor patio (in happier times, the pergola-topped space will hold double that) is hit by sudden rain, as seems likely this night.
The first couple through the door were Mike and Becky Nowak, celebrating their anniversary.
“We haven’t been in a restaurant since mid-March,” Becky Nowak, 39, said. “It’s been a big adjustment, because we have three young children. We took all this very seriously for a long time. Staying at home, just us, two weeks between grocery shopping. It’s encouraging to feel that all this hard work is paying off.”
Virant added outdoor seating to Vie and his Hinsdale restaurant, Vistro, just prior to reopening, saying the outdoor seats were a financial necessity.
“We’ve been doing carryout for weeks,” he said, “but now that restaurants can open, I don’t think many people want to do carryout. I had to have the extra seating.”
And Virant says he’s been vigilant about safety procedures with his staff.
“We go over it every pre-shift,” he says. “I tell them, we can’t be careless, not at all.
“Obviously we follow all the CDC guidelines, but nobody knows what all the right moves are. But it seems to me, you just follow the science.”
—Phil Vettel
5:28 p.m.: Yorkville private school not planning to require masks when classes resume
Officials at a private school in Yorkville say they won’t follow the state’s precautions against the coronavirus when classes resume, their lawyer said Friday.
Parkview Christian Academy officials are deciding what steps to take, but are “reasonably certain” that they won’t require any type of face covering be worn at all times, according to attorney Thomas DeVore.
State guidelines issued this week call for school workers and students to wear masks and maintain social distancing, and undergo screening for fever or other symptoms of COVID-19, when schools reopen this fall. The guidelines also limit the number of people gathering in one place to under 50 and request increased cleaning and disinfection.
State officials could not be reached immediately for comment about Parkview, but previously said it will be up to each school or district to decide the details of reopening plans, without state review.
In a letter to the State Board of Education and health departments, DeVore wrote that the 63-page reopening requirements do not cite any legal authority and are of “questionable efficacy,” since children appear to be less at risk of contracting serious illness than older people.
DeVore has represented state Rep. Darren Bailey in his lawsuit to overturn Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s restrictions on businesses and people in his stay-at-home order, meant to minimize deaths from the virus.
—Robert McCoppin
4:45 p.m.: Art Institute lays off 8% of staff due to COVID-19 pandemic
Following on the heels of most of Chicago’s major cultural institutions during the global pandemic, the Art Institute of Chicago this week laid off staff in what it called a necessary adjustment to a new reality and still uncertain future.
“The Art Institute of Chicago has informed staff of a reduction in force affecting 51 individuals, or just over 8% of our team,” Executive Director of Public Affairs Kati Murphy said in a statement. “This difficult decision was made in response to a reduction in museum visitors and changes to our internal structure that reflect the evolving needs of our institution and our community moving forward.”
The museum has been closed since mid-March and has spoken of the tentative possibility of reopening by the end of July, depending on how Chicago does at keeping the spread of COVID-19 to a minimum as it enters the fourth phase of its five-stage reopening plan. But whenever the Art Institute opens back up, city rules will limit attendance to 25% of capacity, and the encyclopedic Michigan Avenue museum is bracing for major revenue shortfalls.
The cuts were nearly museumwide, Murphy said.
Read more here. —Steve Johnson
4 p.m.: Portillo’s drive-thru stays busy even as dining rooms reopen
At Portillo’s in River North, Craig and Imelda Schultz had practically the whole upstairs dining room to themselves as they had a late lunch of beef and chicken sandwiches. Their son, Jaxson, 3, dined on chicken tenders.
They were eager to dine out on the first day they could have food served fresh rather than delivered.
“We have been indoors for so long,” Imelda Schultz, 43, said.
Many of the restaurants in their Wrigleyville neighborhood have crowded entryways that make them nervous. They felt good about the safety precautions at Portillo’s, where multiple signs on the floor designated 6-foot distances and tables were spread out.
An employee in the restaurant’s entryway was counting customers who entered on a clicker. The space normally has capacity for 400 but is allowing just 100 visitors in at a time under the government rules, and if it got close he would have to close the door. At 2 pm, his clicker read 55.
Earnest Rogers, a manager, said business was going as expected for the first day of indoor dining. It relieved some pressure on the delivery operation, because people in neighboring high rises were coming in for a bite rather than ordering to go.
But the drive-thru, which has been “through the roof” during the pandemic, was as busy as ever, he said. Cars stacked up down the block late into the afternoon.
Rogers listed several of the changes Portillo’s has made to accommodate the pandemic: a limited menu to allow for more social distancing in the kitchen, disposable printed menus, heightened cleaning performed by an employee whose only task for the whole shift is sanitizing surfaces.
The safety details were noticed by Cecilia Vallejo and her daughter, Maria Pimentel, who also spent the first day of phase 4 lunching at Portillo’s.
“It’s each thing you see,” said Vallejo, 51, pointing to the ample signage and ubiquity of masks. They also brought their own hand sanitizer.
—Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz
3:26 p.m.: Diners return to Piece Tavern in Downers Grove
At 2 p.m., business was booming at Pierce Tavern in Downers Grove, as the rain had stopped and the outdoor seating was again available.
“We have 65 seats outdoors, and 40 seats — at 25% capacity —inside,” said Sam Vlahos, who, with his sister, Patricia Vlahos-Segretto, owns this restaurant and Fuller House in Hinsdale. “The way the village adapted has been great, allowing us to expand outside. So we’re doing good numbers.”
Forced to remove the restaurant’s barstools, Vlahos placed several high-top tables close to the bar. “I’m hoping it adds a little bit of normalcy,” he said.
The move met with approval from JoAnn and Mike Monahan, who were dining at one of those high-tops.
“We’re very excited,” said JoAnn Monahan, 58, a school nurse. “Usually we sit at the bar, so now we’re bar-sitters again.”
“We’ve eaten at home more in the last two months than probably the last two years,” said Mike Monahan, 59, who works in the financial industry. “It’s so nice to be able to socialize and go out, in a safe way. Some places I’ve gone into and I’ve walked right back out, because I didn’t feel safe.”
—Phil Vettel
3:10 p.m.: Lou Malnati’s reopens its dining rooms with new protocols
At Lou Malnati’s in the Gold Coast, a foursome from New Orleans occupied one of the few booths designated for humans.
The friends, who take an annual summer trip to Chicago together, have become accustomed to sparse dining experiences since New Orleans dining rooms have been open awhile.
Adam Avin, 37, remembers their first time dining out after restrictions lifted at home, “and we just couldn’t wait for someone to ask us what we wanted for drinks and an appetizer.”
“I’m excited to not have to cook every night,” said his wife, Cynthia Avin, 38.
A masked server stopped at their table with a deep-dish pizza. While usually she would serve each plate, the new protocol is to ask diners if they would prefer to do it themselves.
The Avins told her to serve, comfortable with the precautions and not overly worried about their risk.
“I think you’re talking to people who are ready to live their lives,” Adam Avin said.
Lou Malnatis has taken numerous precautions to minimize the risk of spreading the virus. Instead of laminate menus, it now gives paper menus that are disposed of after use. It has removed oregano shakers and other condiment containers and now provides individually wrapped seasoning upon request.
Servers wear gloves and change them after touching anything at a customer’s table, said Isaiah Michl, a server. The precautions taken by the restaurant have made him feel comfortable serving people, even when they’re not wearing masks.
“It’s exciting to come back,” said Michl, whose first day back at Lou Malnati’s was Friday after being furloughed since March. Michl hadn’t wanted to return sooner because he was living in Forest Park and felt uncomfortable commuting on public transportation, but this week he moved to Old Town and was eager to return to his job.
“I missed my friends,” Michl said. “It is nice to be able to see them and have that human interaction.”
The restaurant had hoped to be busier Friday, but the rain was not helping. Store manager Eric Cassidy said the goal is to have a wait at dinner. Though carry out and delivery have been going strong, the restaurant has lost huge revenue streams. The bar, where people used to stand three-deep, has been stripped of its stools. Tourist traffic has plunged. The next party room reservation is for June 2021.
It is taking twice as long to generate enough revenue to cover the monthly costs as usual, Casady said. With dozens of dining tables removed, the business is “definitely going to be tough to sustain.”
It is also going to be tough to enforce its mask policy, which allows customers to remove their masks while they are at their table but asks them to wear them otherwise.
“It’s hard with hospitality,” Cassidy said as a maskless customer passed on her way to her table.
Edward Davis won’t give them any problems. In from New York to visit friends, he continued to wear a mask while sitting at a table.
Davis, 32, said it was jarring when he landed at the airport in Chicago and saw people sitting at bars, and it felt strange to be at a restaurant; New York hasn’t opened dining rooms yet. But he felt comfortable at Lou Malnati’s because the tables were spread out.
“I can still hear Cuomo in my head,” he said. “I protect you, you protect me.”
—Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz
3:01 p.m.: Dim sum favorite is one of few dining rooms to reopen in Chinatown
Lazy Susans sat still on tables set with teacups and chopsticks at MingHin, the flagship location of the Cantonese dim sum restaurant in Chinatown.
Only a few customers could be found scattered throughout the spacious dining rooms. That doesn’t mean the house is not busy. Masked staff swiftly ran takeout bags to hurried delivery drivers.
Most restaurants in the neighborhood on the South Side of the city have not reopened their dining rooms yet. A cluster of kids outside Legend Tasty House had no problem with that, waiting for their Thai rolled ice cream at a walk up window.
At MingHin the first seated customers this morning did indeed order dim sum, including har gow and shumai (traditional shrimp and pork dumplings, respectively), said Thomas Leong, manager.
“They were so happy,” Leong said. “And we’re so happy. So far so good.”
—Louisa Chu
2:35 p.m.: 857 new known COVID-19 cases, 39 more fatalities
Illinois health officials Friday reported 857 new known cases of COVID-19 and 39 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known cases to 140,291 and the confirmed death toll to 6,847.
2:30 p.m.: Rain doesn’t deter families from Lincoln Park Zoo’s reopening
The rain played cat-and-mouse with Lincoln Park Zoo visitors all morning. But on reopening day for members, early visitors said umbrellas and rubber boots were a small price for the opportunity to be seeing old animal friends and walking the zoo’s lushly landscaped grounds again.
Among the first in line at the zoo’s East Gate for the members-only opening were Ryan and Tiffany Braun and their three kids ages 2 to 6.
“We are happy to see it open again,” said Ryan, through the now-mandatory face covering.
“Hopefully, the rain brings the polar bear out,” added Tiffany.
Reader, it did. In her habitat on the north side of the north side zoo, the female Talini frolicked for a good half hour in the pool, the one where only a transparent wall separates carnivore and moisture from visitors.
“Piccolo, el esta nadando,” Brian Calhoun called to his 6-year-old son, Nate. LIttle one, he is swimming. Nate — whose parents are trying to raise him bilingual — came bouncing back from the zebra area to see for himself. And then he jumped up a couple of times, rising above the waterline to see better.
“We are members and we happen to have a child who loves animals,” said Calhoun, a school social worker from Jefferson Park. “And we know that animals have been active since humans haven’t been around so it seemed like a good idea.”
Closed since mid-March, the zoo reopened Friday to members, with the general public to follow Monday. Still free, the zoo is now requiring advance ticket reservations (for hourly entry slots via EventBrite or by telephone at 312-742-2000) to control the number of non-resident primates who come through.
Aiming to meet the city’s limit of 25 percent of normal attendance, the zoo has already filled Monday’s general-public opening slots, spokeswoman Sabrina Cynova said, and other days were filling quickly.
Brookfield Zoo plans to reopen July 1 to members, July 8 broadly.
Lincoln Park opened only the East and West Gates, and pathways, now one-way, were marked with arrows. Food stands were open and a caricature artist was on the grounds, but the gift shop and some bathrooms were the only buildings that were open.
“I’m excited,” said Megan Ross, the zoo director, from under both a mask and an umbrella. “It’s been so strange to not have everyone here. I hated the idea we didn’t have this safe respite.”
Reopening is costly, she added, “but it’s so important for us to be available to the city of Chicago.”
Among the animal news since people were last in: A zebra is visibly pregnant, expecting in the coming weeks, a new cinereous vulture has arrived, and the Japanese macaques had two babies.
Scott Opels and wife Janet, both gym teachers by trade, spent a long time watching Talini swim, Janet through the zoom lens of her camera. The Schaumburg couple are zoo superfans, holding membership also at Brookfield and participating in both institutions’ adopt-an-animal program.
“It’s just so exciting to be back,” Janet said. “I feel like a little kid again. I feel like a little kid all the time when I’m here.”
At the macaque habitat, the one of the new mothers helpfully held her newborn to her chest right by a viewing window while another of the snow monkeys groomed her head. Up on a ledge, the other mother groomed her infant while three humans with long lenses documented the scene.
“I can see living animals, not Zoom!” said macaque observer Marilyn Ezri, referring to the efforts the zoo made to keep itself before the public during quarantine.
A cardiologist and 4-decade Lincoln Park member, Ezri pronounced, “The zoo is good for the heart.”
—Steve Johnson
2:11 p.m.: Lightfoot takes part of Chicago summer youths job program online during COVID-19 pandemic
Chicago’s annual summer jobs program will hire 20,000 young people this year, including 2,000 as part of a new youth service corps dedicated to service that will include helping with the city’s COVID-19 response, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Friday.
The yearly summer hiring program is meant to put some money in kids’ pockets and keep them out of trouble, while teaming them up with mentors who can give them guidance about school and careers.
With the coronavirus pandemic requiring social distancing, many of the jobs in the six-week program will be taking place online this year.
Read more here. —John Byrne
2:05 p.m.: Employers brace for a ‘PTO bomb’ as vacation-starved employees make time off requests
Usually, by mid-year, employees have burned some paid time off on spring break trips or summer getaways.
But with nowhere to get away to during the COVID-19 pandemic, PTO has gone largely unused — and some companies are bracing for an explosion of vacation requests.
“Vacation-hungry” employees with stockpiles of unused leave present a PTO crunch at one end of the spectrum, said Philippe Weiss, president at Seyfarth at Work, which consults companies on workplace issues. At the other end are “PTO-poor” employees who have exhausted their time off due to the pandemic and will be out of luck if an emergency arises before year’s end, he said.
Companies are trying to mitigate the impact by capping the amount of leave employees can take during certain periods, offering to cash out PTO and allowing more vacation days to roll over into next year. Some are setting up programs where employees with excess leave can donate it to those without enough.
Mostly, employers are encouraging workers to take breaks now, not only to fend off a deluge of requests at holiday time but also avoid burnout during a very stressful year.
Read more here. —Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz
1:44 p.m.: Longtime regulars celebrate Gene & Georgetti’s reopening – its first since an October fire – over lunch
Today was a big first for Gene & Georgetti, whose dining rooms had been closed since a devastating fire in early October. The original mahogany bar has been restored (though, in keeping with distancing guidelines, without barstools). There is new carpeting and, at long last, customers.
Two of the first to be seated were Charles Herrick and R. Justin Dedeaux, part of a group of Gene & Georgetti regulars known as the Mahogany Club.
“I’ve only been coming here for 65 years,” joked Herrick, 72.
“I haven’t been in this restaurant for a long time,” said Dedeaux, who said he was in his 70s and spends half the year in Florida. “This is a real treat; it’s my favorite place in Chicago.”
Dedeaux was nursing a Justini, a drink created for him at Gene & Georgetti and named in his honor.
“It’s a bloody mary, but it’s shaken,” he said. “I don’t like ice in a bloody mary. It’s made with Effen cucumber vodka, tomato juice and two limes.”
“They make a lot of them here,” added Herrick.
—Phil Vettel
1:43 p.m.: Morning classes at Northbrook gym run a waitlist Friday as indoor workouts resume
Social distancing wasn’t a challenge for Vince Logsdon, who took a private CrossFit class at Rally Point Endeavors in Northbrook at noon Friday, the first day of Illinois’ Phase 4 reopening.
But the morning was busier. Classes, which are capped at 12 students, had filled quickly and run up a waitlist, said co-owners Tom Kousgaard and Alex Carlson. Friday was the first time those classes had been held indoors in months. Logsdon, of Northbrook, said he felt no hesitation returning to in-person classes, and virtual workouts were no substitute.
“I need someone to help keep me accountable,” he said.
Rally Point Endeavors, which also has locations in Deerfield and Niles, set up stations in the center of the gym, each with a bike, tower, pullup bar, barbell with weights and cleaning supplies. That means members won’t share equipment with others in their class, and keeping members in their stations means they’re less likely to cross paths with other gym-goers.
Employees clean with industrial-grade disinfectant after every three classes, but participants also get materials to clean equipment before and after using it.
“When you let members clean, they feel like it’s cleaner,” Kousgaard said.
When Rally Point Endeavors started holding outdoor workouts in June, about 30% of their members took a class the first week. Since then, about 75% have come back for an outdoor class.
Kousgaard is optimistic they will return for indoor workouts, too, though Rally Point Endeavors plans to keep hosting outdoor workouts through Labor Day.
They also received roughly twice the normal number of new sign-ups in June. Some said they had gotten motivated to get in shape while staying home during the pandemic, Carlson said. Others were looking to switch to a type of gym that felt less crowded, he said.
“We wanted to remove every possible barrier to why they might want to come in,” Kousgaard said.
—Lauren Zumbach
1:30 p.m.: Curtain finally rises again at movie theaters – ‘I’ve been waiting for this day’
Ricky Nogal drove 20 miles Friday to watch a two-year-old movie he’s already seen, but when you’re a movie buff who has been locked out of theaters for the past three months, any chance to sit before the silver screen once more is precious.
“It’s really important,” said Nogal, 28, an idled trampoline park manager from Palos Park who traveled to Elmhurst to catch the noon showing of “The Greatest Showman,” one of the first available in the Chicago area.
“I’m a huge movie buff so I’ve been waiting for this day to come for a while.”
Illinois allowed movie theaters to reopen Friday for the first time since Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered nonessential business closed in March. Big national chains like AMC and Marcus kept their theaters shuttered, but Classic Cinemas, a 15-theater chain based in the suburbs, was ready to go.
CEO Chris Johnson helped to rechristen Elmhurst’s York Theater with a red carpet ribbon cutting just before a slate of classics like “Space Jam” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” began to roll — big new releases won’t arrive until next month — and said the theater, which is allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity, is taking numerous safety precautions.
It will leave two empty seats between parties to maintain social distance. It will require masks in the lobby and common areas. And theater attendants will fill sodas and popcorn buckets instead of allowing patrons to serve themselves.
“Other than that, it’s just cleaning and being attentive to everything that’s going on, hand sanitizer all over the place,” Johnson said. “Once you get into the movie, hopefully it will be like it was back in February.”
—John Keilman
1:27 p.m.: Bowling to live, once again
After more than three dormant months, Fox Bowl in Wheaton came alive Friday with balls thundering down its lanes once again. A half-dozen bowlers lined up outside the alley before its doors opened at 9 a.m., eager to start throwing strikes and socializing with their teammates. The business reached its 50-person capacity limit with 30 minutes.
“It feels great to be back,” said Romeoville resident Charley Renfro, who bowled three games with wife Kathy. “We didn’t do too badly either. All the YouTube videos on improving your game that I watched over the past three months must have paid off.”
In anticipation of the crowds and the requisite sanitation efforts, Fox Bowl owner Barbara Bernard scheduled twice the number of workers for a typical weekday morning. “And even with more than double our normal staff, we still feel like we’re constantly playing catch up,” Bernard said. “The phone is ringing off the hook.”
The Phase Four guidelines limit the 30-lane alley to 50 bowlers, one-tenth of its capacity. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration established the hard limit regardless of the entertainment venue’s size, meaning many of Bernard’s lanes cannot be used even though the team tables are spaced more than 6-feet apart.
Public health officials have signaled those restrictions may loosen if the number of reported COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates drop.
Bernard, who embraces all the additional sanitation and cleaning requirements without complaint, said she hopes the state will drop its one-size-fits-all approach to setting capacity and establish limits based on a building’s square footage. Fall bowling leagues begin in mid-August, and Bernard said she cannot host the teams if her capacity level isn’t raised to at least 150 people.
“Honestly, the hyper-vigilant cleaning and sanitizing is not the problem,” she said. “The problem is going to be if they don’t let us increase by capacity, none of us are going to be able to host our fall leagues. Without those leagues, we won’t survive.”
—Stacy St. Clair
1:03 p.m.: Huge drop in Illinois home sales due to COVID-19 might be great for sellers, but not for buyers: ‘There’s a feeding frenzy.’
Unlike the Great Recession, the latest economic downturn — prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic — has not sent the prices of homes plummeting.
Instead, the stay-at-home order restricted real estate activity like open houses and sent unemployment rates skyrocketing as it shut down major industries like entertainment, travel and hospitality. That left fewer homeowners financially able to sell or willing to expose their homes to potential coronavirus carriers — exacerbating a lack of housing inventory that has been on the decline for years.
That’s bad news for homebuyers, as fewer homes for sale means prices have not dropped during the pandemic, and homes are getting snapped up just as quickly as before the pandemic, according to a new report from Illinois Realtors released this week.
Read more here. —Ariel Cheung
12:54 p.m.: Job seekers get more options — and competition — as working from home becomes permanent. ‘If we decide we need people to come in, we can fly them in.’
With three young children, Eric Sauerhoff was not looking to move across the Midwest during the pandemic.
The Bexley, Ohio, resident was job hunting and knew a move might be necessary. But when offices shut down due to COVID-19, he began to wonder if he could avoid the move altogether and work remotely from Ohio.
“If a company had said, ‘We need you to move to Chicago or Seattle or anywhere just to work from home here,’ that would have been a tough sale,” said Sauerhoff, 33, who earlier this month joined Chicago car insurance startup Clearcover as a vice president and works from his Ohio home.
The pandemic has altered how companies and their employees work, most notably by solidifying work-from-home arrangements, and those shifts are expected to endure long past the development of a vaccine. It also has changed recruiting in a way that will mean more opportunities for job hunters but also more competition.
Read more here. —Lauren Zumbach and Ally Marotti
12:32 p.m.: Takeout still preferred at MacArthur’s as lunchtime draws customers to West Side cafeteria
When the first customer in line at MacArthur’s restaurant pulled his mask down to mug for a camera, he was immediately scolded. “Put your mask back on please!” said Vanessa Cobbins, manager at the beloved Black-owned Southern food cafeteria founded by her father, Mac Alexander, in South Austin.
“I am not playing,” she added.
He did, then ordered smothered pork chops with sides. Although the restaurant reopened its indoor dining room today, by noon a steady stream of customers all took their takeout boxes to go. Gone are the dine-in trays with real plates and silverware — for now.
Manager Maurice Gaiter worked the room, keeping watch over guests. Tables were spaced farther apart than usual, and some booths were blocked off by plastic chains.
“We’re so grateful for the business,” Gaiter said. “We’re so proud of the job that Gov. (J.B.) Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot have done here in our city and state. What we’re doing now is your very best to comply with the social distancing to keep everyone safe.”
—Louisa Chu
12:03 p.m.: Cook County court system eyes July reopening, mostly via video
Almost all Cook County court functions can resume, mostly via videoconference, on July 6, according to an order signed Friday by Chief Judge Timothy Evans.
The reopening comes after more than three months of widespread shutdown across the court system due to concerns about COVID-19.
While jury trials will not go forward, bench trials — in which a judge, not a jury, makes the decision on guilt — can resume. Those may be conducted via videoconference if all parties agree, according to Friday’s order.
No date has been set to resume jury trials.
Read more here. —Megan Crepeau
11:43 a.m.: Breakfast moves indoors at Tweet on a rainy day in Uptown
On Friday morning at Tweet, a popular neighborhood brunch spot in Uptown, staff took guests’ temperatures upon entry and offered hand sanitizer. Owner Michelle Fire greeted patrons with an elbow bump before seating them in the cozy dining room.
Eric Owens, of Plainfield, said, between bites of hash browns, that he’s been itching to get out and that the city has done a good job of reopening.
“This is probably going to be the new norm so we just have to accept it, adapt and move on, that’s my philosophy,” he said, noting that the restrictions and mask-wearing policies will help reduce transmission. “I think we’ll be okay. We just have to kind of embrace the new norm and understand the big picture of why we’re doing this.”
When Chicago opened for outdoor dining earlier this month, Tweet was ready with a small patio outside the restaurant. Now in Phase 4, owner Fire said the restaurant has broken down tables and filled the basement with unused chairs to be compliant with the 25% capacity protocols.
“I’m thrilled we’re in Phase 4, because the weather is so mercurial in Chicago,” she said. Outside, between bursts of rain, staff wiped down patio furniture, in case the precipitation dissipated enough to let a party finish its meal. “We are ready. We have prepared the space beautifully.”
In addition to spacing tables to allow for social distancing, Fire has had barriers installed on the bar to enclose bartenders and drink accoutrements. And after returning an inadequate filtration system, she has had a new one installed to help with airflow.
Like guests, staff temperatures are checked as well. Fire is working on a way to collect guests’ phone numbers, to alert them in case someone tests positive for COVID-19.
“We are evolving on a day-to-day basis,” Fire said. “The big question is: Will people feel comfortable eating inside? … We are fully masked and shielded and still, at the same time, apprehensive. It’s not like we feel we’re invulnerable, so I think everyone is trying to operate out of the highest sense of caution.”
And she wonders if opening at 25% capacity will be enough to pay the bills. When she compared her books from last year around this time to this year, she was floored by the drop in business, especially since Tweet and its adjacent bar, Big Chicks, both LGBT-friendly, are popular spots during Pride Week.
“There’s a lot of big questions out there and no answers yet,” Fire said.
—Grace Wong
11:32 a.m.: YMCA reopens for indoor workouts as Illinois moves to Phase 4. ‘It’s not buzzing like it should, but it will be.’
Friday’s rainy weather meant Phase 4 arrived at a good time for fitness centers that had been holding outdoor classes while waiting to reopen their doors.
The North Suburban YMCA, in Northbrook, moved a handful of classes indoors for the first time since nonessential businesses were closed to slow the spread of COVID-19. The fitness center also reopened to people working out without personal trainers Friday.
The facility was quiet Friday morning, with two people in a room with treadmills and cardio equipment and three more in a weight room. About a half dozen more were doing core exercises in a group class on a basketball court. In the pool, five swimmers stroked steadily, filling all but one lane.
After logging a couple miles on the treadmill, Suzi Henschal, of Northbrook, said she was happy to be back to her workout routine and felt reassured by precautions around social distancing and cleaning.
“When I called and they said there were only four (treadmills) available, I felt really good,” she said.
Some of the treadmills have been marked off limits to ensure people can spread out. To keep as much equipment available as possible, the YMCA moved other machines into a group workout room, and there are three weight lifting machines in a hallway. Illinois still limits gyms and fitness centers to half their maximum capacity, so the YMCA requires members reserve 45-minute appointments in the area they want to use. That allows time for cleaning before people arrive for the next session.
“This way, people are well aware of when they can come and no one is waiting in line,” CEO Kathy Fielding said.
It also means there will be a record of who was in which portions of the facility if an employee or member is diagnosed with COVID-19, and the YMCA needs to figure out whether others could have been exposed, she said. The pool has been popular, since it’s something members can’t easily substitute with a home workout, she said.
Susan Harrison, who planned to swim laps after finishing a session on the StairMaster, said she feels more comfortable swimming than doing other types of indoor workouts. Even though there was only one other member working out in the fitness center and a couple employees cleaning equipment, she felt like she had more space with a personal lane in the pool.
There’s also no equipment to touch, she said.
Harrison, who said she was a daily YMCA user before the pandemic, plans to keep swimming but isn’t sure whether she will keep working out in other parts of the facility.
“As the numbers go up, I’m concerned I’m exposing myself more than I have since mid-March,” she said.
The YMCA is hoping to resume swim team practices and lessons later this summer after finalizing plans for teaching while maintaining social distancing. Missing revenue from lessons, especially during spring, the busiest period, has been a challenge, she said.
The sauna, basketball and racquetball courts are still off limits, as is a lounge area near the entrance, where a couch and chairs had been pushed against the wall to keep people from congregating.
Each person’s comfort level with returning is different, so the YMCA plans to keep offering indoor, outdoor and virtual workouts.
Fielding said she thinks members will return gradually, as they get more comfortable with the precautions the YMCA has taken and get used to the reservation system. Spikes in COVID-19 cases in other states may have made some people more cautious, she said. Others might just be having a hard time finding someone to watch the kids. Camps at the YMCA don’t start until next week.
“It’s not buzzing like it should be, but it will,” Fielding said. “It just takes time.”
—Lauren Zumbach
8 a.m.: City Colleges of Chicago have suspended athletics for the 2020-21 academic year as a precaution amid the coronavirus pandemic
The colleges will offer most classes remotely, online or through distance learning this fall, but a statement sent to the Tribune noted team sports will be canceled “out of an abundance of caution and concern for student safety.”
Swimming, which is offered as a continuing-education course, won’t be offered either.
Tuition waivers still will be honored this year for returning student-athletes in good standing and for new student-athletes who signed a letter of intent in order to “to support these students’ academic success,” according to the statement.
City Colleges offer eight sports: men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross-country, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s volleyball and men’s baseball. The teams compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association.
Seven Chicago institutions compete in City Colleges sports: Daley, Harold Washington, Kennedy-King, Malcolm X, Olive-Hardy, Truman and Wright.
Read more here. —Shannon Ryan
6:54 a.m.: Illinois starts reopening under Phase Four of coronavirus plan
Businesses throughout all of Illinois, including Chicago, started reopening Friday, many of them for the first time since the governor’s stay-at-home order was imposed in March.
Illinois residents can once again go to the gym, drink in bars and see a movie, although some businesses are taking reopening slowly. But restrictions on many businesses and social gatherings in place for Phase Four are expected to remain until the state moves to Phase Five.
But Phase Five won’t happen until testing, tracing and treatment are widely available throughout the state, and either a vaccine or treatment options are readily available that ensures health care capacity is no longer a concern, or there are no new cases over a sustained period.
Check back for updates. —Chicago Tribune staff
5 a.m.: Man who lost two sisters, including Illinois’ first COVID-19 victim, hopes to spare others from similar tragedy
Three months ago, Anthony Frieson lost two of his older sisters to COVID-19, and found himself quarantined at home after he also tested positive for the highly contagious virus.
It was March, in the early days of a pandemic that eventually would bring Chicago and the rest of the country to a virtual halt. But Frieson and his tight-knit South Side family saw their whole world upended, as they suffered back-to-back losses in isolation and have remained unable even to hold memorial services due to social distancing concerns.
And they were forced to mourn under the glare of a national spotlight. One of Frieson’s sisters, Patricia, a 61-year-old retired nurse, was the first person in Illinois to die of complications related to the coronavirus, and the family was identified as one of the first in the U.S. to lose multiple members.
Hoping to spare others such pain, Frieson handed out free masks Thursday not far from the family’s longtime home in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood, encouraging passersby to “wear a mask, save a life.”
For him, and for his family, it is not just a slogan.
Read more here. —Christy Gutowski
5 a.m.: Cook County Board President Preckwinkle warns ‘Everything is on the table’ as 2021 budget gap forecast to be largest in a decade
Cook County could see a $410 million budget gap next fiscal year — the largest hole since 2011 and a sign how much the coronavirus pandemic has capsized local government finances.
A steep reversal of fortune from the anticipated record-low budget gap this year before COVID-19, the grim forecast means the county is mulling over hiking taxes, slashing existing funds, laying off employees and more to balance the budget, Cook County board President Toni Preckwinkle said Thursday.
“Everything is on the table,” Preckwinkle said in a call with reporters when asked about potential new taxes and layoffs, though she did not elaborate. While noting a vaccine is possibly a year away, she added, “the course of a pandemic is not within our control … so the challenges we face are not of the moment. They’re of the next several years.”
Read more here. —Alice Yin
Breaking coronavirus news
Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
Here are five things that happened Thursday related to coronavirus in Illinois:
As the state prepared to enter Phase Four of it its reopening plan, Gov. J.B. Pritzker struck a victorious tone but also warned Illinois would reinstate more stringent restrictions if data shows a coronavirus resurgence in the state.
After the coronavirus shutdown made clear “unacceptable disparities” in access to the internet, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a partnership to provide free internet service to 100,000 Chicago children.
Lightfoot said that Chicago is “not there yet” when asked about allowing fans in the stands at ballparks.
The Illinois Gaming Board announced that casinos in the state can reopen Wednesday, July 1.
Chicago-area McDonald’s workers scored a court victory, asajudge orders some local restaurants to do better on COVID-19 protections
