Homewood and the state reached milestone COVID-19 numbers on Thursday. The South Suburban Humane Society is holding a drive-thru kitten shower on Saturday. The Chronicle resurrects its community calendar. And a reminder about the importance of responding to the census.
Milestone numbers Thursday. A number of milestones in the COVID-19 pandemic were reached on Thursday, May 7, as the state passed 70,000 cases and 3,000 deaths from the virus, and Homewood reached 200 cases and topped 20 deaths. The state has reached 70,873 total cases and 3,011 deaths. Homewood has lost 21 residents to the disease and Flossmoor 6. Most of Homewood’s deaths appear to have occurred at long-term care facilities, which have been hit especially hard by the virus. The good news is the rate of positive cases in the state has stabilized in the mid-teens. From April 2 to April 23, the daily rate of positive tests was consistently more than 20 percent.
What does the census have to do with COVID-19? At several recent daily briefings, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has reminded Illinois residents that participating in the census will help the state acquire resources needed to recover from damage done by the pandemic. Cook County sent out this reminder on Tuesday:
- DYK the Census bureau mailed Census paper questionnaires that are arriving in your mailbox between April 8-30?! Check your mailbox for the form and complete it in less than 10 minutes! #CookCountyCensus #MakeILCount #BeCounted #Census2020″
- You can now fill out your census form at home either online or by phone. Be prepared with the letter you have received and follow the instructions on the U.S. Census website. Cook County will continue to conduct virtual outreach to make sure everyone is counted.
- Operational Timeline from the U.S. Census – This table from the U.S. Census Bureau will be updated with the latest public information available on any revisions to their timeline.
As of Thursday, Flossmoor had a 75.1 percent response rate and Homewood had 73.9 percent. The state is currently at about 62 percent.
Drive-Thru Kitten Shower. South Suburban Human Society will host a safe drive-thru kitten shower on Saturday, May 9, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Homewood Adoption Center, 2207 183rd St.
The Chronicle calendar is back. When the state’s stay-at-home order went into effect, the Chronicle’s community calendar was basically rendered obsolete. All the events for the foreseeable future we canceled. However, the community has quickly adapted, and many meetings and events now take place online. We’ve resurrected the community calendar to list any virtual meetings or events that are open to the public. Click here to add yours.