Chicago Shuts Down 300-Person Party, Tier 3 Restrictions Continue – NBC Chicago

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Chicago authorities shut down a 300-person party in Wicker Park over the weekend where attendees were not social distancing or wearing face coverings, the city said, with one official calling it “absolutely unacceptable.”

Meanwhile, Chicago’s top doctor delivered an update to the city’s emergency travel order requiring a 14-day quarantine or negative test for anyone entering the city.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday that none of the state’s regions will lessen Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions in coming weeks.

Here are the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic across the state of Illinois today (Dec. 1):

Chicago Includes 46 States, Puerto Rico in Coronavirus Travel Order Update

Chicago health officials updated the city’s coronavirus travel order Tuesday to include 46 states and Puerto Rico requiring a 14-day quarantine or pre-arrival negative test.

The emergency travel order requiring a 14-day quarantine for travelers from certain locations was issued in July in an effort to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus and is updated every two weeks.

Last month, the city changed the way it reports states being added to its travel order, categorizing states in a color-coded map to determine which requirements are in effect for travelers, from the original requirement of a 14-day quarantine to a negative test result depending on the severity of the state’s outbreak.

Two weeks ago, the order was updated to include 46 states and Puerto Rico – but Tuesday’s update moved more states in the “red” category, which has the most stringent quarantine requirements.

As of Tuesday, 19 states were categorized as “red” states, meaning travelers must quarantine for 14 days when coming to Chicago from these states: South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, Montana, Alaska, Indiana, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, Colorado, Utah, Oklahoma and Idaho.

Only three states are listed as “yellow,” meaning they do not require a quarantine: Maine, Hawaii and Vermont.

The remaining 27 were listed as “orange,” meaning they require a 14-day quarantine or negative test prior to arrival in Chicago.

Get a full breakdown of the guidelines here.

Illinois Reports 12,542 New Coronavirus Cases, 125 Deaths

Illinois health officials reported 12,542 new cases of coronavirus and 125 additional deaths on Tuesday as testing numbers returned to higher levels following the long holiday weekend.

The new cases reported Tuesday brought the total number to 738,846 statewide since the pandemic began, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Tuesday’s figures also lifted the death toll to 12,403, officials said.

A total of 116,081 tests were conducted in the previous 24 hours, IDPH said. That marked the first time in five days that that number was back in the six-figure range after a slowdown over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, when daily testing numbers were in the 60,000 to 80,000 range.

In all, the state has performed 10,614,079 tests since the pandemic began, officials said.

The state’s positivity rate climbed to 10.4% Tuesday on all tests conducted, an increase from 10.2% on Monday, which was up a tenth of a point from the day before. In the last seven days, the positivity rate for individuals tested for the virus stands at 12.2%, the same as the day before.

A total of 5,835 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide as of Monday night, officials said. Of those patients, 1,195 were using ICU beds, authorities say, and 721 were on ventilators.

Chicago Officials Shut Down 300-Person Party in Wicker Park

City of Chicago officials shut down a party with more than 300 attendees in Wicker Park over the weekend for violating the city’s coronavirus rules.

The party took place in the early morning hours of Sunday, Nov. 29 in the basement of Vault/All Access, 1612 W. Division Ave., according to Chicago’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.

A task force focused on shutting down large gatherings issued multiple citations, cease and desist orders as well as closure orders for throwing a “dangerous and unlicensed commercial party.”

None of those in attendance were practicing social distancing or wearing face coverings, officials said.

“It’s extremely upsetting and disappointing that we have some operators that are completely trying to fly under the radar and not adhering to the guidelines,” said Rosa Escareno, commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection.

Escareno said the task force was investigating another location when they came across the establishment, which appeared to have a lot of people going in and out.

“This is basically a slap in the face of the businesses that are operating and trying to do the things that are correct,” she…