Illinois sees most COVID-19 deaths in a day, biggest increase in cases
Billionaire Gov. J.B. Pritzker is pitching in millions from his own personal fortune to help the state’s nonprofit groups during the coronavirus shutdown as part of a fund chaired by his sister, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.
The new fund, which will help groups providing food and housing assistance, had raised nearly $23 million by the time Pritzker’s office on Thursday announced the most dramatic uptick yet in the state’s number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, and a historic influx of Illinoisans applying for unemployment benefits.
An additional 673 patients — the highest surge in patients since the outbreak began two months ago, almost triple the new cases announced a day earlier — brought the statewide total to 2,538 confirmed cases, according to Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike.
Seven more deaths were reported in another grim record increase, raising the state’s toll to 26 fatalities attributed to the virus. They included three women and four men ranging in age from the 50s to 90s.
‘Spitting in the faces of the doctors and nurses’
Pritzker had venomous words for residents refusing to abide by his stay-at-home order following Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s shutdown of the lakefront and 606 trails.
“Right now hosting a party, crowding down by the lake, playing a pickup basketball game in a public park — if you’re doing these things you are spitting in the face of the doctors and nurses and first responders who are risking everything so that you can survive,” Pritzker said.
“This virus doesn’t care that you’re bored and want to hang out with your friends . . . . The virus could care less if you think that I’m overreacting. It has infected infants. It has killed people in their 20s and 30s and 40s.”
The relentless spread of the virus also has officials considering releasing some state prison inmates, as two correctional centers — Stateville in Crest Hill and Sheridan in La Salle County — remain on lockdown with a handful of inmates and employees testing positive.
The governor’s office and the Corrections Department are working to “prioritize the release of older or vulnerable residents while ensuring public safety by thoroughly reviewing each resident’s activities before and during their stay at an IDOC facility,” Pritzker’s office said.
Pritzker dips into his fortune
The governor and wife, M.K. Pritzker, have contributed $2 million, plus another $2 million from his foundation, to the Illinois COVID-19 Relief Fund, a joint effort between the United Way of Illinois and the Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations.
It’s the first time during the pandemic that Gov. Pritzker has personally contributed to the response. Pritzker, who spent $171 million of his own fortune during his campaign, has throughout his 15 months in office used his personal funds to the tune of at least $3.45 million for renovations and doubling the salaries of his senior staffers.
“When J.B. called me last week to talk about the need for a fund to support basic needs for all Illinoisans during this critical time, he said there was nothing more important that we can do to help the too many people across our great state who are desperate for assistance,” Penny Pritzker said. “That is what this effort is all about.”
Trump OKs disaster declaration
The governor’s request for an Illinois Disaster Declaration was also approved by President Donald Trump, opening up a flow of federal resources.
The disaster status allows federal funding to be available for crisis counseling for affected individuals across the state of Illinois, plus for state and eligible local governments and certain nonprofits for emergency protective measures.
The aid arrives as the Illinois Department of Employment Security announced it has received more than 130,000 claims for unemployment benefits, an “unprecedented volume.”
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said the county would try to ease the burden on businesses by waiving a number of fines and fees and deferring the collection of some taxes. Consumers are still required to pay taxes when purchasing, but businesses have until May to pony up for home-rule taxes. Other waivers add up to about $35 million in relief, Preckwinkle said.
“We recognize that you are worried about rents, about payroll, about mounting bills — you should not be worried that the tax collector is coming after you as well.”
And the federal stimulus bill removes one headache for Illinoisans worried about updating their driver’s licenses to meet REAL ID requirements. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said the enforcement deadline has been pushed back from Oct. 1 to Oct. 1, 2021.