In-person learning canceled Thursday as talks continue between CPS and CTU over reopening plan (LIVE UPDATES)
Here’s the latest news on how COVID-19 is impacting Chicago and Illinois.
Latest
CPS agrees to extensive testing plan, more vaccines for staff as day ends with no deal
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Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
Every teacher and staff member at 134 schools in the neighborhoods hardest-hit by COVID-19 will be tested for the virus weekly, according to a tentative agreement between Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union, as the two sides also appeared closer to a deal on a vaccination plan.
The resolution of one of the larger disagreements between the district and the union represents progress at the bargaining table, but Wednesday ended without a full agreement on how or when to reopen schools after an original “48-hour cooling-off period” expired at the end of the day.
“We are disappointed to report that at this time, no deal has been reached between CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union leadership,” the district said in a statement. “We will extend the cooling off period for the final time through the end of the day on Thursday to allow for further negotiations tonight.”
Hoping a deal could be reached, Mayor Lori Lightfoot promised earlier this week not to lock out teachers who refused to return to schools from remote work through Wednesday, and delayed the planned return of up to 65,000 preschool through eighth grade students to Thursday.
Backtracking Wednesday, the district said students and staff will continue remotely Thursday. There were no classes scheduled Friday, a school improvement day. The district’s academic quarter ends this week, and teachers are required to submit grades by Friday.
Read the full story from Nader Issa here.
News
9:11 a.m. ‘Welcomed step’ or ‘ridiculous’? State lawmakers split on decision to move them up in COVID-19 vaccine line
State legislators were green-lighted Wednesday to receive the COVID-19 vaccine during the current phase of the state’s inoculation plan — and like everything in politics today, the move sparked sharp partisan disagreements.
Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s spokeswoman said the decision was made at the “request of members of the General Assembly.”
Democratic House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch called it a “welcomed step in the interest of government functionality and safety.”
But Republican legislative leaders called it “ridiculous” to allow the 177 state lawmakers to move ahead of other members of the public not yet eligible for the potentially life-saving vaccine.
“We need to wait our turn,” said state Republican House Leader Jim Durkin. “And if we have members of the General Assembly who have preexisting conditions, they will have an opportunity to go before most of the public, but we should not leapfrog over anyone in this crisis.”
Read the full story from Rachel Hinton here.
9:08 a.m. Teachers don’t have to be vaccinated for schools to reopen safely, CDC director says
WASHINGTON — The director of the CDC says schools can safely reopen even if teachers are not vaccinated for the coronavirus.
As the Chicago Teachers Union and others around the country balk at resuming in-person instruction before teachers are inoculated, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a COVID news briefing Wednesday the “vaccination of teachers is not a prerequisite for safe reopening of schools.” Walensky cited CDC data showing that social distancing and wearing a mask significantly reduce the spread of the virus in school settings.
Later, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said despite Walensky’s comments, the CDC “has not released their official guidance yet” on vaccinating teachers and school reopenings. She said prioritizing teachers for vaccines is important to President Joe Biden.
New cases
- The U.S. death toll has climbed past 440,000, with over 95,000 lives lost in January alone. Deaths are running at about 3,150 per day on average, down slightly by about 200 from their peak in mid-January.
- Officials announced the latest 3,314 cases diagnosed among 96,894 tests Wednesday, lowering Illinois’ average positivity rate to 3.5%.
Analysis & Commentary
9:12 a.m. How hard have you found it to get a COVID-19 vaccination? What Chicagoans told us.
Illinois’ phased plan to distribute available coronavirus vaccines began in December. On Monday, a day before the city unveiled a new website to help schedule appointments, we asked readers who are eligible for the vaccine how difficult they’ve found it to get the shots. Some answers have been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
How hard have you found it to get a COVID-19 vaccination? Price. 1 PG.
“I have tried every day to sign up my age-eligible mother for a first dose appointment. Walgreens, Cook County sites, CVS, Jewel-Osco — nothing. Appointments are never available.” — Lisa Scruggs
“I was easily able to sign my parents up for the first dose with Walgreens two weeks ago, but I’m finding it nearly impossible to get them scheduled for the second dose.” — Jamie Gordon
Read more from Chicagoans here.
9:10 a.m. Bipartisanship is nice, but Joe Biden’s first job is to come to the aid of suffering Americans
For people who care about average Americans, the arithmetic doesn’t add up.
In 2017, nine U.S. senators were among those who cheerfully voted for tax cuts geared toward the wealthiest people. Those tax cuts are expected to cost $2 trillion over a decade.
But now that President Joe Biden is proposing to spend a tad less — $1.9 trillion — to address a once-in-a-century pandemic disaster, the message from those same nine senators, joined by a 10th senator who wasn’t in office in 2017, is: Not so fast.
We’re really trying to understand.
If the federal government could cut taxes by $2 trillion to put a smile on the faces of people with private jets and multiple homes, why can’t it now find $1.9 trillion to help struggling families buy groceries during a pandemic? Why can’t it protect families from being evicted? Why can’t it increase federal jobless benefits to $400 a week and extend them through September, rather than just June, as the Republicans would prefer?
At this critical time, for that matter, why can’t Washington provide $170 billion to schools, colleges and universities to help them reopen safely or improve remote learning?