Quick hits: Illinois news in brief for Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Pritzker expected to announce changes to COVID-19 reopening plan
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to change his COVID-19 reopening plan later this week. Illinois is currently in Phase 4 of his plan with a cap of 50-person groups. Phase 5 has no restrictions on gathering sizes.
Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike told a Senate committee Monday the new plan will be somewhere in between, based on vaccination of vulnerable populations.
She said masks will be a mainstay.
School districts mull graduation plans
With just weeks until graduation season, school districts continue to monitor how they’ll handle ceremonies with ongoing COVID-19 concerns.
In Springfield, District 186 Superintendent Jennifer Gill said as they have all year, they’ve been shifting policies when new guidelines are released with little notice.
She said the district continues to evaluate its options.
Poll finds support for reopening schools
A poll conducted by The Tarrance Group of 600 Illinois voters found majority support for schools to reopen for in-person education amid COVID-19 concerns.
There was also majority support for the state’s tax credit scholarship program, broad support for private bathrooms for boys and girls and support for keeping in place the state’s law requiring parental notification for minors getting an abortion.
State reports lowest number of COVID-19 cases since July
Illinois logged the lowest number of COVID-19 positive cases in months Monday. The 24-hour report showed just 782 “confirmed and probable” cases, the lowest since 707 cases were reported in one day July 14, 2020.
The state reported 12 COVID-19-related deaths in the latest daily report Monday.
Comptroller suspends some garnishments
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza can’t forgive the debt taxpayers may owe in fines and fees for things like local parking tickets, but she is suspending garnishments from income tax refunds.
Mendoza said the suspension of garnishment for the fines from tax refunds will be for taxpayers making less than $15,000 a year, or around $57,000 for a family of four.
She said that equates to $15 million in temporary direct relief.
Committees look to re-draw legislative maps
Committees in the Illinois House and Senate have been formed for the upcoming redistricting efforts.
The panels have majority Democrats appointed and will be tasked with redrawing district boundaries.
The Senate committee has a hearing set for Wednesday afternoon. The House committee has yet to schedule its first hearing.
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