With covid numbers spiking in Illinois, one state college has asked community members to make changes to help prevent the spread of the virus. As another semester comes to a close, Western Illinois University encourages all University community members to continue to follow CDC and campus guidance to assist in the mitigation of the COVID-19 virus. University Testing Clinics The University Testing Clinics, located in the basement of the University Union Student Organization Center (SOC) at the Macomb campus and the Riverfront Reception Desk on the Quad Cities campus, will continue to operate next... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois covid-19 numbers, up 30 percent over the past week, have exploded and are up more than 70 percent in the last three weeks, according to the latest numbers from the Illinois Department of Public Health. IDPH numbers released today show the state is averaging 3,560 new cases of COVID per day over the last week. That is 72% more than the 2,069 new cases that the state was seeing each day on Oct. 27. Hospitalizations are also rising quickly statewide, with 1,627 patients currently hospitalized with covid statewide, an increase of 36 percent in the last three weeks. There are... Read More

BREAKING: Illinois employers could very soon be allowed to fire employees who refuse to get vaccinated or comply with other covid-19 regulations. The Health Care Right of Conscience Act amendment bans employees from using their moral beliefs as a reason to refuse to comply with a workplace’s covid mandates, which could include mandatory vaccinations. The Illinois Senate voted 31-24 to approve the proposal late Thursday night. This measure passed out of the House on a 64-52-2 vote Wednesday. The new amendment now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker to be signed into the law, and it certainly looks... Read More

As Illinois covid numbers continue to improve, pressure is mounting for Gov. JB Pritzker to remove the covid-19 restrictions and mask mandate which has been in place since August, but yesterday in a press conference Pritzker renewed the mask mandate and said it was still “way too early” to remove it. “If you go look at the hospitalizations — the new hospitalizations, as well as the ones that are, you know, existing in total — they are not dropping at the rate that they were dropping even a couple of weeks ago,” Pritzker said. “So I’m concerned about... Read More

The Illinois Quad-Cities will open up more today and leave many covid restrictions behind as the state moves into a “Bridge Phase,” dropping many covid restrictions on businesses and the public. Governor JB Pritzker announced the lifting of the restrictions this week, and said that he foresees a full state reopening by June 11, given the increasing numbers of people in Illinois being vaccinated. Under the Bridge Phase: Bars and restaurants: Can now operate within their regular liquor license hours and reopen standing areas at 25 percent capacity. Social events: Indoor events can have... Read More

BREAKING: As Iowa continues as a hot spot for covid-19 cases, Governor Kim Reynolds is extending mitigations for “at least another week” on the state. “We look at it on a daily basis, we review it on a daily basis, we review it on a weekly basis,” Reynolds said in a press conference today. “We still have a long ways to go on our hospitals, but they are seeing some relief. I’ve said all along, we’ll dial up and we’ll dial back as appropriate and so that’s the same thing that we’ve done from the beginning of the pandemic.” Iowa... Read More

Rock Island County is at a “crisis point” in regard to covid-19 cases, according to health department officials. Currently, a record 92 patients are in Rock Island County hospitals with COVID-19. In addition, the health department reports 114 additional cases. The total number is now 7,783. “This is a jump of 16 patients (in area hospitals) from Sunday to Monday,” said Nita Ludwig, administrator, Rock Island County Health Department. “We know our hospital systems sounded alarms earlier this month when the number of patients was lower. Now, we are at a crisis point with... Read More