How Illinois Will Reopen Amid Coronavirus: First Parks, Then Salons, Then Restaurants

Until then, large gatherings are canceled and most people are required to wear face coverings when unable to social distance, Pritzker said. Schools could reopen if a region is in Stage 4 by this fall, but they’ll have “strict” guidelines from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

“It brings me no joy to say this, but based on what the experts tell us and everything we know about this virus and how easily it spreads in a crowd, large conventions, festivals and other major events” are canceled until Phase 5, Pritzker said.

But there will be progress and, with that, the lifting of restrictions in the months ahead: Phase 3 is the next step for Illinois, when workplaces such as barbershops and offices will reopen.

https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/05/05/reopen-illinois-plan-jb-pritzker-five-phase-restore-illinois/?mc_cid=89d17ce3b7&mc_eid=4fc1365c20

Don't Be A Sheep: COVID-19 Edition

How well are you able to decode all of the different types of media sources out there feeding you news about the COVID-19 global pandemic?

STEP 1: Take this online quiz (make sure you have the volume turned up for the video portions)

STEP 2: Write a reflection based on your results.

Your assessment will be graded based on the quality of your reflection, NOT on how many items you got wrong or right  -- meaning, what did you learn from taking the quiz?

#flattenthecurve

As we discussed in class yesterday, it’s critical to be informed as to why certain measures have been taken to help our entire society reduce risk in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak:

“What epidemiologists fear most is the health care system becoming overwhelmed by a sudden explosion of illness that requires more people to be hospitalized than it can handle. In that scenario, more people will die because there won’t be enough hospital beds or ventilators to keep them alive.

A disastrous inundation of hospitals can likely be averted with protective measures we’re now seeing more of — closing schools, canceling mass gatherings, working from home, self-quarantine, avoiding crowds — to keep the virus from spreading fast.

Epidemiologists call this strategy of preventing a huge spike in cases ‘flattening the curve,’ and it looks like this: