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Note: Any press conferences from Governor JB Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, or other officials will be shown in the video player above.
Here are the latest coronavirus headlines from the state of Illinois.
Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart Testing for COVID-19
Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart has tested positive for coronavirus and is in quarantine at his home, officials said on Saturday.
According to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Dart was tested for the virus on Tuesday and received his positive test results on Friday.
The sheriff was last in the office on November 19. He began to experience symptoms of the virus on Friday and immediately went into quarantine.
Illinois officials report 7,873 new COVID-19 cases, 108 more deaths
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported on Saturday 7,873 confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus, along with 108 additional deaths attributed to the virus.
According to the latest figures released by the department, the state has now reported a total of 712,936 cases of the virus since the start of the pandemic, as well as 12,137 deaths.
The state has performed 79,055 additional tests in the past 24 hours, giving the state a total of 10,368,278 tests performed during the pandemic.
Deck the Halls? Not at the Illinois Capitol because of COVID-19
The coronavirus has silenced traditional holiday cheering at the Illinois Capitol.
There will be no Christmas trees or holiday displays inside or outside the building, the State Journal-Register reported.
The Capitol for months was closed to everyone except employees and other authorized persons. Visits were suspended months ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The lights of the Capitol dome will not be used for the second year in a row. Engineers recommended that an observation platform, which is typically used to anchor fires, be fortified.
Saturday’s game between Ohio State and Illinois was postponed due to positive COVID-19 tests
The University of Illinois home football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes has been postponed after a string of positive COVID-19 test results as part of the state’s program ‘Ohio.
The school made the official announcement on Friday night, canceling the Saturday morning game between the two schools that was to be played at Memorial Stadium in Champaign.
The announcement came after a second round of coronavirus tests on the Ohio state’s list on Friday. The school said it had seen an increased number of positive COVID-19 tests earlier on Friday, with head coach Ryan Day among those who tested positive for the disease.
Chicagoland Christmas trees sell out quickly amid pandemic restrictions
The coronavirus pandemic has made Christmas tree hunting a little different this year, but that hasn’t stopped families from making sure they get their trees in time for the holiday season.
Some Christmas tree farms in Illinois require reservations, due to the pandemic, and as of Friday afternoon, several times were already sold out for the weekend.
The early and high demand for trees comes during an ongoing shortage of Christmas trees across the country. According to experts, this shortage has its roots (pun intended) in the global recession of 2008, which led to a slowdown in the planting of seedlings.
It can take 7 to 20 years for a tree to reach the desired height, so business owners cannot flood the market overnight, regardless of the demand.
Farmers are now raising their prices on Christmas trees, which could be passed on to the consumer.
Illinois COVID metrics: A region-by-region review of the state’s latest coronavirus data
Illinois’ 11 health care regions are currently operating under Level 3 coronavirus mitigation rules, but some regions are trending in the right direction for those rules to be relaxed in the coming weeks.
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