COVID-19 in Illinois updates: here’s what’s happening on Wednesday

Notre Dame and Michigan State Universities have become the latest colleges to transfer courses online due to the coronavirus as colleges struggle to contain outbreaks and students continue to congregate in large groups without masks or social distancing.

The decisions came the same day that a third school in the 17-member University of North Carolina system reported a COVID-19 cluster in off-campus housing.

Notre Dame President Reverend John Jenkins announced the university’s decision to cancel undergraduate courses in person for two weeks in an address to students and staff. The state of Michigan, which was slated to begin face-to-face classes on September 2, has decided to switch to online education as a preventive measure, President Samuel L. Stanley said in a statement.

In the past few days alone, students from schools in North Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Vermont, Kansas, Colorado and the Air Force Academy have tested positive, creating a ripple effect. which has put hundreds of other students in quarantine or isolation.

The United States leads the world in the number of coronavirus cases, with 5.4 million cases reported on Tuesday and more than 170,000 confirmed deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. In Illinois, health officials on Tuesday reported 1,740 new known cases of COVID-19 and 27 additional deaths, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 209,594 and the number of deaths in the ‘State at 7782.

Chicago Public Schools released their fall distance learning plan on Tuesday. Kindergarten to Grade 12 students will receive at least three hours of live instruction from their teacher. Between that, small group activities with classmates and independent learning, the district expects students to “engage” for the duration of a typical school day, Monday through Friday.

Here’s what’s happening with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois on Wednesday:

Professional services firm Sikich will allow employees to work from home permanently and plans to downsize its offices in one of the most dramatic responses to the Chicago coronavirus pandemic.

CEO Chris Geier recently told more than 1,000 employees at the Chicago-based company that remote working could continue “indefinitely,” as part of a real estate cut already being considered before the close of business in March. because of COVID-19. Sikich has 307 employees in the Chicago area.

In the short term, employees have been told to stay away from the office unless absolutely necessary, Geier said.

Over the next few years, Sikich plans to replace its current 14 offices across the country with approximately 30 “micro-offices” that consultants and other company employees can use when not working in client offices or offices. at home, Geier said.

“It was a path we were already on,” Geier said. “The pandemic is only accelerating it.”

Businesses of all sizes are grappling with the short-term impacts of the pandemic while trying to develop long-term workforce strategies. Because many rental decisions are made months or even years before a move, the coronavirus has added a level of complexity, said Joe Learner, Savills office tenants broker, who is not involved in the plans. from Sikich. Learn more here. —Ryan Ori

Target has reported growth in sales online and in established stores over the past three months, further evidence that big box retailers have become critical supply points during the pandemic.

Online sales jumped 195% and comparable store sales soared 10.9%, second quarter growth unprecedented in the company’s 58-year history.

Walmart, Home Depot and now Target have seen spectacular sales over the past three months, with Americans limiting their deliveries to fewer stores and doing more kitchen and DIY projects in the home.

The change in behavior is reshaping the retail landscape to the detriment of mall retailers and other stores forced to close this year. Many were struggling before the pandemic because of what Americans buy and where they buy it.

The pandemic has put these retailers at risk. Learn more here. —Associated press

Democrats hoping to create a wave of enthusiasm behind Joe Biden’s presidential candidacy will look to headliners at Wednesday’s convention to broaden the party’s attention from a multi-part reprimand by President Donald Trump to a change message.

Former President Barack Obama, a transformative figure in the Democratic Party who chose Biden as vice president a dozen years ago, is topping the list for the third night of the all-virtual Democratic National Convention, from 9 p.m. EDT.

Before Obama tries to tap into the broad coalition that elected him the country’s first black president, the list is slated for America to hear Senator Kamala Harris in her first prime-time appearance as as vice president of Biden’s story. Hillary Clinton, another barrier breaker as the first female presidential candidate of any major party, will also speak.

More and more southern and southwestern suburban school districts are dropping plans, at least for the foreseeable future, to try to get students into the classroom based on new guidelines from health officials. of State.

Elementary schools including Kirby District 140 in Tinley Park, Tinley Park District 146 and Homewood District 153 say they will now put aside blended learning plans that combine in-person and distance education.

School officials used terms such as “unsustainable” and “untenable” to describe updated guidelines rolled out last week by the Illinois Department of Public Health that may have students and staff presenting. only one symptom of COVID-19 sent home.

In a message to families on Tuesday, leaders in District 153 said “the new guidelines are unattainable at this time” and that distance learning will continue “until we can comply with the revised security measures and ensure the safety of staff and students. to return to our buildings. Learn more here. —Mike Nolan, Daily Southtown

One of the side effects of the pandemic is a coin shortage in the United States. Neighborhoods, pennies, and pennies don’t move as freely as they usually do because so many businesses have been shut down and consumers aren’t spending as much.

The problem weighed particularly heavily on the 10-year-old daughter of Jen Vicker of Bollingbrook. The girl recently woke up with a loose tooth and was concerned that the tooth fairy could not pay because of the shortage.

So she wrote a note, “Dear Tooth Fairy, you may already know this, but there is a national coin shortage in America. You usually leave me dollar coins, but until this situation is resolved, I would like money for my teeth. I apologize for the inconvenience. “

There was no immediate word from the tooth fairy. —Associated press

A widely used coronavirus test is under review after federal health officials warned it could provide inaccurate results if lab technicians do not follow the manufacturer’s latest updates.

The Food and Drug Administration’s warning regarding Thermo Fisher’s TaqPath test highlights the complexity of COVID-19 tests and the ease with which they can be distorted by faulty processing and equipment. The FDA action follows a report released last month by Connecticut public health officials that the test has resulted in at least 90 people receiving false positive results for the coronavirus.

The Thermo Fisher test is one of the standard tools used to screen for COVID-19, performed on large automated machines found in many US hospitals and laboratories. The FDA reported two separate issues that could potentially lead to false results: the process of mixing chemicals, and the computer software that runs on the company’s machine. Thermo Fisher has provided new mixing instructions. And a software update fixes the second problem, the FDA said.

For all positive results, the FDA said labs should review the instrument’s settings.

Thermo Fisher said in a statement that its data shows problems are rare and that most users get accurate results by following the company’s instructions. —Associated press

Chicago Public Schools had barely released their fall distance learning plan on Tuesday when the Chicago Teachers Union announced it had filed a grievance over guidelines that union president Jesse Sharkey said had were formulated “without imagination or input from teachers”.

The fall plan has a tighter structure and more accountability measures than the spring, when schools were suddenly forced to understand distance learning amid an evolving pandemic.

As part of the fall, Kindergarten to Grade 12 students will receive at least three hours of live instruction from their teacher. Between that, small group activities with classmates and independent learning, the district expects students to “engage” for the duration of a typical school day, Monday through Friday. Other expectations include daily attendance and rated assignments.

But CTU leaders said the district had not done enough to meet the needs of the students and that the CPS had not dedicated enough time to their distance learning plan because they were so eager to include in-person lessons.

Here are five things that happened on Tuesday related to COVID-19.

Fearing an undermined election during the pandemic, Democrats in Illinois have sounded the alarm bells on USPS.