Polling Places Moved From Nursing Homes Amid Coronavirus Fears

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — McHenry County is relocating polling places from Valley Hi Nursing Home and three other senior care facilities as a precaution to protect their residents from coronavirus. While county officials believe the risk to McHenry County remains low, they decided to proactively move polling places for Tuesday's primary from the county-owned Valley Hi and three private facilities to alternate locations, according to a news release from McHenry County.

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"It's out of an abundance of caution for a high-risk population, and following the recommendations of the IDPH and the CDC, Valley Hi requested that the polling location be moved at this time," said Valley Hi Administrator Tom Annarella.

Polling places will be relocated as follows:

• Valley Hi Nursing Home, 2406 Hartland Road, Woodstock (precinct Hartland 1), will be relocated across the street to the McHenry County Division of Transportation, 1611 Nelson Road, Woodstock
• The Fountains at Crystal Lake, 965 Brighton Circle, Crystal Lake (precinct Nunda14), will be relocated to Calvary Assembly of God, 5906 S. Route 31, Crystal Lake
• Eastgate Manor, 101 Eastgate Drive, Algonquin (precincts Algonquin 14 and 56),will be relocated to St. Margaret Mary Ministry Center, 113 S. Hubbard St., Algonquin
• Heritage Woods of McHenry, 4609 W. Crystal Lake Road, McHenry, (precincts McHenry 7, 23 and 26), will be relocated to Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 404 N. Green St., McHenry.

Annarella's request received top priority from County Clerk Joe Tirio, County Board Chairman Jack Franks and county administration.

"While the probability of infection is low, we wanted to be thoughtful of the high-risk populations that reside at the facilities that so graciously agreed to host our polling places. This was a common-sense and prudent step to take, given the developing situation," Tirio said. "I want to remind voters throughout McHenry County that they can avoid wait times by voting early at any of the 13 polling places we have open through next Monday."

• Patch's 2020 Illinois Primary Voters Guide For McHenry County

Franks commended county officials for their dedication and hard work and thanked the
new locations for stepping in to help.

"Here in McHenry County, we're proactive, and we put aside our differences to work together. This prudent move protects our seniors while protecting the public's sovereign right to elect their leaders," Franks, D-Marengo, said. "While we have to be prepared and cautious, I want to echo what Governor Pritzker told Illinois the other day — we are one community in Illinois, and we can't let fear replace level-headedness."

The IDPH on Monday limited access to nursing homes in the Chicago metro area to essential visitors only and will restrict visitors younger than 18 through Wednesday, March 18.

Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday issued a disaster declaration for Illinois, which is a first step toward obtaining federal funding to help combat the spread of coronavirus.

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