Following a wise old saying, “Safety first,” on Tuesday, April 14 the Cook County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to extend the county’s March 17 COVID- 19 resolution declaring a state of emergency for an additional 30 days.
The vote came on the heels of a report from the Cook County Emergency Manager Mike Keyport requesting the 30 day extension given that the COVID-19 outbreak in Minnesota has recently drastically increased, and the peak has been predicted by state health officials to still be weeks away.
A big concern is that the COVID-19 virus is particularly ruthless when it attacks older people and with the county having a higher than average population of senior citizens, commissioners wanted to extend the resolution to give more time to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
COVID-19, which spreads easily, also seriously affects people with chronic serious medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and lung disease.
While most county buildings are closed to the public, the county has already been required to purchase, and will continue to purchase, necessary equipment, software, and other technological resources to allow for teleworking and the provision of essential services to its citizens and visitors without increasing the risk of transmission of the coronavirus.
As noted in the somewhat lengthy resolution, the county also anticipates being required to expend additional financial resources to prevent the spread of coronavirus and make related communications; and also provide essential services to individuals in quarantine and isolation as a result of exposure to coronavirus or testing positive for the virus or COVID-19 illness.
If the extension of the COVID-19 resolution is followed by area businesses, this will mean 30 more days of restaurants and bars offering take out food but otherwise closed to the public. This also applies to the hotels, motels and short-term rentals whose doors are now largely closed to patrons, and the grocery stores and the liquor store will try to keep their curbside/parking lot service up while keeping their doors closed to shoppers.
Concerning local schools, which fall under the governor’s preview, it’s looking more and more likely that the kids won’t go back to school this year, but instead will finish their classes online.
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