McHenry County Coronavirus: Cancellations, Closings

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — The number of new coronavirus cases continues to climb in the Chicago area. On Wednesday, McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks declared a state of emergency for McHenry County in response to the county's first presumptive case of COVID-19.

Coronavirus IL: What You Need To Know March 12

Don't miss updates about precautions as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

Fears over further spread of the virus has led to school cancelling classes; organizers calling off events, including several St. Patrick's Day festivals and parades planned for this weekend; and libraries, senior centers and conservation districts nixing programs in the coming weeks.

Here is a look at area cancellations and closures announced as of 4 p.m. Thursday:

The Grand Oaks Active Senior Center in Crystal Lake will be closed for senior drop-in hours starting on March 16 and "until further notice," according to the Crystal Lake Park District. Other park district classes at Grand Oaks will continue as planned. Class participants will be notified if there is a change in program status.

The Woodstock Secretary of State Office closed Wednesday amid concerns over coronavirus exposure. The office reopened Thursday.

Ahead of Tuesday's primary, McHenry County has relocated polling places from Valley Hi Nursing Home and three other senior care facilities as a precaution to protect their residents from coronavirus. Be sure to double check your polling place before heading out to vote.

Patch's 2020 Illinois Primary Voters Guide For McHenry County

Programs, Events

The village of Algonquin's Flashlight Egg Hunt, which was scheduled to start at 8 p.m. on Friday, has been cancelled.

The McHenry County Conservation District's popular Festival of the Sugar Maples, which was scheduled for this weekend, has been cancelled. "Because this event can attract roughly 600 visitors per day, and health officials have encouraged citizens to limit gatherings of large groups, for the safety of our visitors we are cancelling this upcoming weekend's Festival of the Sugar Maples," according to a post on the conservation district's Facebook page.

The McHenry County Conservation District has cancelled all programs for the next two weeks due to public health concerns. The district will reassess soon and provide an update on the status of programs after March 26.

All Wauconda Area Public Library programs and community meetings have been canceled from Friday, March 13, through March 31. This change had been made proactively and not due to any known COVID-19 exposure, according to library officials.

The city of McHenry is following suit with many communities throughout the Chicago area and has announced that its ShamRocks the Fox event will be cancelled this weekend. The two-day event celebrating St. Patrick's Day includes a parade, 5K run and the dying of the Fox River — all of which will be called off, according to a statement from the city of McHenry. But, in a unique move meant to bolster business amid the cancellations, the city has decided to allow its residents to openly carry alcohol while in the city's downtown business district. >> More on Patch

Schools

District 155 is continuing to "closely monitor the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, and we are following guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the McHenry County Department of Health as we make decisions," according to a post Thursday morning on the D155 Facebook page. School officials also shared advice provided with the Center for Disease Control with parents: "Stay home if you are sick until at least 24 hours after your fever (temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 37.8 degrees Celsius or higher) is gone. Temperature should be measured without the use of fever-reducing medicines (medicines that contain ibuprofen or acetaminophen)."

More via the District 155 website

Prairie Grove Consolidated School District 46

District 46 is postponing large group activities and events starting on Thursday with the hopes of rescheduling most of the events by the end of the school year, District 46 Chief Financial Officer Kevin Werner wrote in a letter to parents. School clubs and activities involving students and staff will still be held but large-scale events involving the general public and spectators, including ban and choral concerts, field trips and sporting events, will be postponed.

Events being postponed at this time include Friday's PTO Fun Fair, Saturday's Advanced Band & Jazz competition and McTeacher Night on April 1.

"While we considered eliminating spectators at the District Band & Jazz Competition, the MCHD recommended we defer the date of the contest due to potential student exposure concerns as it involved multiple schools being in one location," Werner wrote.

Cary District 26

Cary District 26 has also decided to cancel all large-scale events involving the general public and spectators until further notice, including but not limited to band and choral concerts, open houses, and sporting events. All school field trips will also be postponed. School activities involving students and staff will still be held.

OTHER CHICAGO-AREA CLOSINGS, CANCELLATIONS

• Possible Coronavirus Exposure: 2 D300 Schools To Close 2 Days
• Coronavirus In IL: Dundee’s St. Paddy’s Day Parade Cancelled
• Coronavirus In IL: Kane County Cancellations, Closures
• Coronavirus Fears: Chicago Bridal Expo Canceled

RELATED CONTENT

• Coronavirus: What Metra, CTA Are Doing To Prevent Spread
• Coronavirus In IL: State Of Emergency Declared In McHenry County