Coronavirus: Arlington Heights Village Updates On COVID-19

From the Village of Arlington Heights:

March 18 2020

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is responding to an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) coronavirus. The virus has been named “SARS-CoV-2” and the disease it causes has been named “coronavirus disease 2019” (abbreviated “COVID-19”).

The Village of Arlington Heights collaborates with the Cook County Department of Public Health and the Illinois Department of Public Health on all health-related topics. We are monitoring this situation very closely in an effort to support these agencies and provide timely updates on our website and on social media. The public should take this opportunity to prepare and to be familiar with what is recommended in order to help minimize the risk of COVID-19 spread. Educational Information Symptoms reported among patients have included mild to severe respiratory illness with fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Public health officials are encouraging the public to remain vigilant about keeping germs from spreading by covering coughs and sneezes, washing hands with warm soap and water, and staying home when sick.

On March 11, 2020, the Village released a statement on how we are addressing COVID-19 within our community. View the statement from the Village.

Meetings & Early Voting
Village Board, and Board and Commission meetings have been canceled the rest of the month. All meetings of outside organizations, who use Village Hall, have been canceled the rest of the month.

Early voting has not be affected.

Arlington Heights' Senior Center Closure

The Senior Center is closed to the public.

Nation wide, AARP tax sites will no longer be hosting any tax aide appointments or services.

A limited number of vital services are continuing, such as Meals on Wheels and Catholic Charities, accessible by phone. Catholic Charities will be handing out warm and cold meals to seniors from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM on weekdays. For more information, please contact Catholic Charities at 847-253-5500.

Illinois Department of Public Health and Cook County Department of Public Health
For the most up to date information from the Illinois Department of Public Health, please click here.

For the most up to date information from the Cook County Department of Public Health, please click here.

Office of the Governor
For the most up to date information from the Office of the Governor, please click here.

To view the Governor's Disaster Proclamation, please click here.

Northwest Community Hospital (NCH)

For the most up to date information from Northwest Community Hospital, please click here.

Get Connected

Take an opportunity to sign up for alerts of news and meetings, or use some of the online tools we have in place for you to reach out to us, including the Citizen Request Form, Contact Us, our social media, or any surveys that we may place online. Please click here for more information.

Please click here to register for Arlington Alert for community notifications sent directly to your phone.

Additional Resources

CDC advises that people follow these tips to help prevent respiratory illnesses:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick with respiratory symptoms.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• If you have not already done so, discuss influenza vaccination with your health care provider to help protect you against seasonal influenza.

Information on preventing the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, can be found here.

Questions regarding the Coronavirus should be directed to the Illinois Department of Public Health:

• Illinois Department of Public Health
  Call the COVID-19 Hotline at 1-800-889-3931, or email DPH.SICK@ILLINOIS.GOV, or visit the IDPH website.
• Cook County Department of Public Health
  Call 708-633-4000 or visit their webpage.

Schools:
School District 25
School District 214
School District 15
School District 21
School District 23
School District 59
Harper College

Local:
Groot

State:
Office of Governor Pritzker
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi

Federal:
Center for Disease Control
United States Department of Labor
U.S. Food & Drug Administration

International:
World Health Organization

Other:
Comcast's Response

This press release was produced by the Village of Arlington Heights. The views expressed here are the author’s own.