Little League May Happen As Reopening Plans Take Shape

ACROSS ILLINOIS — The state is ramping up its contact tracing efforts as plans to slowly reopen businesses takes shape and Illinois looks ahead to the possibility of a new coronavirus surge in the fall, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Thursday. All four regions of the state are on track to enter Phase 3 of Pritzker's plan and, the day after Pritzker announced looser standards for restaurants and bars that will allow the businesses to provide outdoor seating for customers, the governor also touched on how some other specific organizations may operate.

Among the groups that may be able to find a way to safely provide some summer fun are youth sports organizations, such as little league, where safe social distancing may be possible, Pritzker said.

"There are little league games that could happen and those organizations are working with IDPH to see what could be done," Pritzker said Thursday. Talks regarding possible reopening plans followed the state's daily announcement regarding new COVID-19 cases with 2,268 additional cases reported in the past 24 hours and 82 new deaths.

To date, 102,686 people tested positive for the new coronavirus and more than 4,600 have died in Illinois, according to data from the state's health department.

• Archdiocese of Chicago Ready To Gradually Reopen Churches

Faith organizations could look to the Archdiocese for guidance, which has gotten Pritzker's nod of approval, in reopening but the governor added that every church is different.

"We must be honest. We expect this situation to continue for some weeks, and any plan for reopening our churches for public worship must include every precaution to ensure public gatherings do not create a second wave of contagion, thus squandering the gains made through our sacrifice in these days," Cardinal Blase Cupich and the Archdiocese of Chicago announced last week as part of a phased reopening plan for its 344 parishes.

In Phase 3, almost all retail businesses will be allowed to reopen for in-store shopping with capacity and safety restrictions, Pritzker said. Personal care businesses, like hair and nail salons, barbershops and tattoo studios, can also reopen with new restrictions. Health clubs and gyms can resume one-on-one training or hold outdoor training sessions with up to 10 people, the governor said.

Pritzker also addressed the more than 2,650 emergency daycare facilities that are operating and added the importance of having childcare for those getting back to work. Guidelines put in place for these facilities include limiting classrooms to 10 or less and strict disinfecting procedures.
Pritzker added that the potential for COVID-related illnesses that can seriously sicken children means it's important to limit the number of "social interactions."

On Thursday, Pritzker also addressed the possibility of a surge this fall.

"I'm very concerned about that," he said. That's why, the state needs to reopen slowly and keep a close eye on the spread of the virus. Contact tracing, he said, is a part of that puzzle.

Contact tracing is the second element of what has been dubbed a "test-and-trace" effort to limit the spread of the infectious respiratory disease. Once someone tests positive for the coronavirus, local public health officials are tasked with attempting to essentially retrace their steps and notify those who may have had close contact with the contagious person. Those people are encouraged to get a test and potentially self-quarantine.

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Pritzker has included contact tracing benchmarks in his administration's "Restore Illinois" phased re-opening plan. In order to move from Phase 3, which Pritzker has said the state meets all the requirements for, to Phase 4, which includes open schools and in-person service at bars, restaurants and theaters, a region should be able to begin contact tracing and monitoring within 24 hours of a new diagnosis for more than 90 percent of cases.

Illinois' contact tracing infrastructure has been unable to keep up with the number of new cases after the first month of its COVID-19 outbreak, the governor said Monday. But it's new program, along with a new project management tool, will allow the state to reach more people and at a faster pace.