Bar and restaurant owners got some good news in Springfield this weekend when legislators voted to extend the cocktails-to-go law.
The law, prompted by the pandemic to help businesses forced to close to in-person drinking and dining, would be extended for three more years and bars and restaurants would be able to give a free drink to people who’ve been vaccinated against the coronavirus under a measure overwhelmingly approved Sunday in the Illinois Senate.
The measure, which was approved previously in the House and next goes to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, would allow businesses to continue serving cocktails — and now single servings of wine — for takeout and delivery until Jan. 3, 2024. The existing state law is set to expire Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Illinois public health officials Monday reported 521 new and probable cases of COVID-19 and 33 additional deaths. It was the third straight day — and the eighth day in May — with fewer than 1,000 new cases.
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Here’s what’s happening Tuesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area:
7 a.m.: Travelers are returning to O’Hare, but the ‘people mover’ is still closed: ‘It’s become both a headache and an embarrassment’
As travelers return to O’Hare International Airport, one key piece of the experience is still missing: the once-popular “people mover” train remains out of service.
More than two years after construction on the Airport Transit System was supposed to be substantially complete, passengers still must rely on shuttle buses to get between terminals and to and from parking lots. Some travelers said they found the process confusing or frustrating.
Mike Davis, who typically flies out of O’Hare several times each month, misses the efficiency of the train, he said.
Recently, he found himself sitting on a shuttle waiting at the terminal for its turn to drop off passengers, as the time until takeoff ticked closer. By the time he got off the shuttle it was too late to check his bag, and he booked a ticket for a new flight, he said.
Read more here. —Sarah Freishtat
6 a.m.: Illinois budget would use $2.5 billion in federal coronavirus relief money
Illinois lawmakers went into overtime Tuesday, missing a midnight deadline to adjourn the spring session but approving a $42 billion state budget, a plan shifting next year’s primary to June and an ethics package requiring more financial disclosure of officeholders.
The budget was part of a spending package that would use $2.5 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds for infrastructure projects and other programs. The plan also counts on generating more than $600 million in revenue by closing what Gov. J.B. Pritzker and fellow Democrats have called corporate tax loopholes.
Illinois is in line to receive $8.1 billion in relief from President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan, but the latest proposal calls for spending only a portion of that, with $1 billion to be used for infrastructure projects. The other $1.5 billion would be used for programs such as business relief, violence prevention and affordable housing, said Rep. Greg Harris, a Democratic majority leader from Chicago.
Harris said discussions would continue over the summer about how to spend the remainder of the federal relief money, which can be spent through 2024.
Read more here. —Rick Pearson, Dan Petrella and Bill Ruthhart
6 a.m.: Memorial Day 2021 in Chicago marks step closer to normalcy following pandemic cancellations last year
Across the Chicago area Monday, people honored the holiday in ways that didn’t mark a complete return to normalcy, but still moved everyone a little closer to resuming their lives. This new post-pandemic posture — a creative mixture of old ways and COVID-19 adjustments — could be seen at suburban parades, cemetery ceremonies, downtown flag displays and the newly opened lakefront.
Even the daily case counts looked different from last year, with 521 new cases reported Monday and more than 67% of adults statewide having received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. On Memorial Day 2020, state officials reported 1,713 new cases and vaccines trials were in their infancy.
Read more here. —Navya Gupta, Maya Mokh, Maggie Prosser and Stacy St. Clair
In case you missed it
Here are some recent stories related to COVID-19.
- Legislators pass bill to extend cocktails-to-go until 2024 and also allow bars and restaurants to offer free drink to people who’ve received a COVID-19 vaccination.
- COVID-19 led some schools to drop letter grades. One suburban student is on a quest to get his back.
- Concerts, doughnuts and cash: Some of the incentives you can get for getting vaccinated in Illinois and the rest of the country.
- Uber, Lyft prices on rise as more people return to pre-pandemic life.
- Gun buying spiked during the pandemic. It’s still up.
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June 01, 2021 at 07:01PM
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COVID-19 in Illinois updates: Here’s what’s happening Tuesday - Chicago Tribune
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