BREAKING NEWS: Statewide tier 3 mitigations put in place Nov. 20 will remain in place ‘for the foreseeable future,’ Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said during his press conference today. “We have got to take the time to evaluate any Thanksgiving effect before we make any premature adjustments,” Pritzker said. “I spoke with Dr. Fauci last week, and he said the massive number of indoor gatherings will likely bring another post-Thanksgiving surge, and this is no time to pull back on mitigations.” Pritzker spoke to a number of other doctors and experts, and all agree the... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: The Quad-Cities has reached the “severe” covid outbreak level, according to the latest statistics from the Illinois and Iowa Departments of Health and Covid Act Now, a not-for-profit national data aggregation website affiliated with the medical departments of Stanford, Harvard and Georgetown Universities. Both Scott and Rock Island Counties have spiked up to the “severe outbreak” level, counting cases over the past few days, but NOT including outbreaks expected to bump up after last week’s Thanksgiving social activity trifecta of Black Out Wednesday,... 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

BREAKING NEWS: All bars and restaurants are going to carry-out and drive-thru only, all casinos and theaters are shut down, many grocery stores and other retail outlets are restricting their hours, high school sports are being put on hold, and many other changes are hitting the Illinois Quad-Cities as part of statewide mandates in effect today, as announced in Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s press conference this afternoon, which just ended. According to the most recent available statistics, the Quad-Cities’ region is at a 15.6 covid positivity rate with a rolling seven-day average... Read More

Covid-19 is now the third-highest cause of death in Illinois, according to statistics announced one day before additional statewide coronavirus mitigations are slated to go into effect. As businesses and workers gird themselves for financial hardships the federal government and both political parties have ignored in lieu of political games, Illinois was hit with its highest single-day death count since mid-May, suffering 168 new coronavirus-related fatalities, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Thursday, 14,612 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases were reported, and the... Read More

Quad-Cities stores are far from flush with toilet paper. With new covid-19 restrictions in place for the Iowa and Illinois Quad-Cities, toilet paper is flying off the shelves again in local stores, although other staple food and supply items seem to be remaining stable on shelves. A visit to six area locations — two Targets, a Walmart, a Sam’s Club, and two HyVee stores — showed that shelves are barren in some, but still in ok shape in others. Iowa side stores seem to be in more of a frenzy, given Governor Kim Reynolds’ proclamations and immediate restrictions put in place... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois High School sports will be put on hold effective immediately, and could be delayed through 2020 and into spring 2021 due to covid-19 mitigations, according to a statement released this evening by IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. The statement was released following Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s announcement of moving Illinois to Tier 3 mitigations for covid-19 starting Friday. There’s no set date for the return of sporting activities, however the statement says the IHSA remains “optimistic” for a return soon. The statement reads as follows: IHSA... Read More

Today is the first day of Iowa’s new covid mitigation plan, but how does the new mandate impact you and your life? At midnight last night, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds implemented new rules to mitigate the spread of covid-19 in Iowa. The rules impacted all state bars and gathering places, eliminated all sporting events under high school age, and severely limited the number of people able to gather together. What are the rules and how do they potentially change your life and your family’s? Here’s the rundown: When in an indoor public space and unable to socially distance, masks are... Read More

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker sounded a somber and sometimes irritated note during his daily press conference on covid-19 today, warning “we’re in for a very difficult few months” and saying we might very soon get to a point where he has “no other choice than to have a mandatory shutdown.” “What will it take to make this real for you?” Pritzker said. “Do we have to reach a positivity rate of 50 percent like we’re seeing in Iowa today? Are you waiting for your health care workers to get sick to a point where you don’t have enough staff in the local... Read More

A new shutdown and restrictions could be coming this week as covid numbers continued to skyrocket in the Illinois and Iowa Quad-Cities and their respective regions and states over the weekend. The Illinois Quad-Cities’ region’s positive testing number roared to almost 15 percent (at 14.6), as all regions in the state moved over the 12 percent positivity rate, triggering numbers Governor JB Pritzker said could lead to a lockdown, especially with the Thanksgiving holiday looming. On Nov. 15, the Rock Island County Health Department reported 104 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number... Read More