Coronavirus

Tuscaloosa City Councilor Sonya McKinstry said students invited guests who tested positive for COVID-19 and put money in a pot and whoever got the virus first would get the cash.

Here are the latest updates on the coronavirus in the Chicago area and the rest of Illinois.

How do you convince people they’re safe inside? The Uptown Theatre had some cool ideas

By Chris Jones

1h

Ed Sheeran, Paul McCartney, Rolling Stones make plea to save U.K. live music

If little of the first half of 2020 was predictable, imagine how volatile the next six months might be.

Here are the latest updates on the coronavirus in the Chicago area and the rest of Illinois.

The Chicago-based fast food giant said it will pause planned reopenings of its dining rooms for 21 days.

By Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz

Jul 1, 2020

New York City and states that likewise seemed to have tamed their coronavirus outbreaks are hitting pause on some of their reopening plans because of the alarming surge in reported infections across the Sun Belt and other parts of the U.S.

Here's where each of Illinois' pro sports teams stands currently as sports slowly start to return around the world.

With neighboring Indiana and other states pausing their reopening plans or even moving backward as new cases of the coronavirus surge in places like Arizona, Texas and Florida, Illinois officials so far have no plans to alter loosened rules that took effect statewide Friday.

After long resisting wearing a mask in public, President Donald Trump said Wednesday he thinks it makes him look like the Lone Ranger — and he likes it.

Taste of Chicago To-Go will feature online cooking demos, community dinner fundraisers and a food truck procession.

By Adam Lukach

Jul 1, 2020

“The virus is going to follow its own timeline,” said Lake County Health Officer Chandana Vavillala.

The Town of Griffth’s July 4th Parade will go on Saturday, even if the state largely put the brakes on its Stage 5 reopening from COVID-19 precautions Wednesday.

As some entertainment venues are starting to slowly welcome patrons back, others are finding it’s not feasible to open under the state’s Phase 4 guidelines.

Health officials are urging anyone who attended a recent protest in McHenry to get checked for the coronavirus after a demonstrator there tested positive.

As consumers search for masks that are tolerable for more than a quick grocery run, big brands like Under Armour, New Balance and Uniqlo have announced designs using breathable fabrics. Chicago mask-makers are also experimenting with new styles.

Search COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code

Since late April, its peak, weekly reported virus cases have declined by 77%, while weekly death reports have dropped 83%, Daniel Rusyniak, chief medical officer for the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, said.

As the coronavirus spreads, the Tribune is tracking Illinois cases here.

Health officials are urging anyone who attended a recent protest in McHenry to get checked for the coronavirus after a demonstrator there tested positive.

As consumers search for masks that are tolerable for more than a quick grocery run, big brands like Under Armour, New Balance and Uniqlo have announced designs using breathable fabrics. Chicago mask-makers are also experimenting with new styles.

Search COVID-19 cases in Illinois by ZIP code

Since late April, its peak, weekly reported virus cases have declined by 77%, while weekly death reports have dropped 83%, Daniel Rusyniak, chief medical officer for the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, said.

As the coronavirus spreads, the Tribune is tracking Illinois cases here.

President Trump said that he supports a fresh round of government payments to individuals to help them weather the coronavirus pandemic but “it has to be done properly.”

Wells St Market opens for indoor dining but encourages diners to take out.

By Grace Wong

Jul 1, 2020

The event, like many others in the region, was snuffed out. Smith and his fellow local food truckers were faced with a dilemma. Could they succeed, or even survive, during their busiest time of the year while people were being informed of the dangers of the coronavirus?

As Chicago-area zoos and museums reopen, both Brookfield Zoo and the Shedd open with crowd limits, and first to members. It can be just you and the animals.

Not a single human DNA vaccine has made it to market anywhere in the world, and the technology is still rapidly evolving.

7 star-spangled ways to celebrate the biggest holiday of the summer

By David Syrek

Jul 1, 2020

The recent news that a decades-old steroid drug, dexamethasone, showed a one-third reduction in mortality for patients with severe COVID-19 infections has generated immense hope in the medical community.

United Airlines plans to fly about three times more routes in August than it did last month as passengers slowly return to the skies, even as the number of new coronavirus infections across the U.S. rises.

Public health experts on Wednesday criticized the U.S. for securing a large supply of the only drug licensed so far to treat COVID-19.

Indiana will keep capacity limits in place for restaurants, bars and entertainment venues because of worries about a possible increase in coronavirus cases across the state, Gov. Eric Holcomb said Wednesday.

Economists have forecast that employers added 3 million jobs in June and that the unemployment rate dropped to 12.3%. If they’re correct, Americans have still recovered just one-quarter of the jobs they lost in March and April,

A new adventure park called The Forge, featuring zip lining, rope climbing, mountain biking and canoeing/kayaking, is opening July 17 in Lemont.

Tommy Hottovy revealed he lost 18 pounds during his bout with the coronavirus and estimated his strength at 80%. But he is determined to stay on as Cubs pitching coach.

By Mark Gonzales

Jul 1, 2020

The order effective Thursday allows bars that have patios to keep them open and it limits the number of people who may eat inside restaurants to 25% capacity.

Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette told analysts Wednesday said that the department store will be pivoting its Black Friday business more toward online and will likely be going “full force” with holiday marketing right after Halloween. It also will be staggering events to reduce customer traffic in the stores.

As the pandemic worsened, many states, including Texas and Tennessee, postponed scheduled executions of prisoners sentenced under state law.

The coughing and complaints of sickness began as a procession of busloads of prisoners made its way in late May from a Southern California prison to San Quentin, California’s oldest and most widely-known prison, perched on a bluff overlooking San Francisco Bay, not far from the Golden Gate Bridge.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has a reputation as conservative and cautious, which is what you would expect from an organization devoted to protecting children’s health. But this week, the academy made a splash with advice about reopening schools that appears to be somewhat at odds with what administrators are hearing from some federal and state health officials.

The Gorton Community Center offers drive-in movie screenings in the parking lot.

A COVID-19 surge in your county? New Illinois website offers ways to check.

By Joe Mahr

Jul 1, 2020

In Queens, the New York City borough with the most coronavirus cases and the fewest hospital beds per capita, hundreds of patients languished in understaffed wards, often unwatched by nurses or doctors. Some died after removing oxygen masks to go to the bathroom.

It has been a month since local officials announced that Los Angeles County dining rooms could safely reopen. But with each passing day, the cost of gathering again in workplaces and public spaces across the United States becomes clear: a spike in infections, hospitalizations and deaths.

University of Chicago is letting instructors decide whether fall classes will be in person. Faculty at other schools are clamoring for the same option.

By Elyssa Cherney

Jul 1, 2020

The U.S. Army has quarantined 90 soldiers and instructors who tested positive for the coronavirus during a survival course at Fort Bragg.

Young swimmers and water polo players in Hinsdale, La Grange, Burr Ridge and Western Springs are happy to be back in the pools, but the logistic headaches continue for their coaches.

There is little evidence that the protests that erupted after George Floyd’s death caused a significant increase in U.S. coronavirus infections, according to public health experts.

With more than 20 million passengers a year, the $45 billion global cruise industry has a particularly vexing challenge: Its most loyal customers, older people, also happen to be the key demographic at risk for the new illness that has swept the planet, killing more than 500,000 people.

On any given day, somewhere in the United States, someone is going to wake up, leave the house and get in a huge argument with a stranger about wearing masks.

Hard Rock Stadium movie venues will feature thrillers, fantasy, comedies and family fare in July.

By Ben Crandell

Jul 1, 2020

Howard Reich reports on several developments in Chicago's classical and jazz scenes.

By Howard Reich

Jul 1, 2020

Sports teams must be ready to quickly adapt as they welcome back athletes, medical experts say.

By Shannon Ryan

Jul 1, 2020

As the country grapples with COVID-19 outbreaks in the south and west, individuals are left to take on what level of risk they are comfortable when it comes to activities in public like dining out, working out or returning to the office.

By Kori Rumore

Jul 1, 2020

Democrats drove a temporary extension of a popular subsidy program for small businesses through the GOP-controlled Senate late Tuesday, an unexpected development that came as spikes in coronavirus cases in many states are causing renewed shutdowns of bars and other businesses.

The Bud Billiken Parade won't be held this year but a televised special will highlight scholarship recipients, student performers, and maybe some famous faces.

By Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas

Jun 30, 2020

Aquasha Moore was carrying her first child and gave birth while in the hospital but the baby did not survive.

By Hannah Leone

Jun 30, 2020