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UPDATE: All Illinois Schools Closed; Other Cancellations and Announcements Related to Coronavirus

Courtesy WNIJ

Illinois is taking the precautionary measure of closing all of its schools March 17-30. The state said day care centers will remain open and will follow strict health and safety guidance.

Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said in a news release, “We have seen evidence from influenza outbreaks that community mitigation strategies, such a school closures, have an effect on decrease the severity of the outbreak.” 

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s administration said it is working to ensure critical support functions remain available to students across the state, including their access to food, child care, and safe environments.

Some school districts, including Macomb and West Prairie, will also be closed Monday, March 16.

Buchanan Center for the Arts: The March 14 opening reception for the Town & Country Art Show has been canceled.  

Bushnell: The March 25 community meeting involving the University of Illinois Extension has been postponed. It will be rescheduled as soon as possible.

Carl Sandburg College: All campuses will be closed March 16-20. Starting March 23, as much lecture material as possible will take place online until further notice. More details can be found here.

Culver-Stockton College: No classes March 16-20.  Beginning March 23, classes will be held online. Residential students have the option of returning to campus or staying home. More details can be found here.

Dickson Mounds Museum:  The museum will remain open but programming is suspended through April 10. More details can be found here.

Domestic Violence Intervention Program in southeast Iowa: In-person contact for in-kind donation drop-off locations is suspended until further notice.  Staff and volunteers will work with clients via phone/video chat whenever possible. Emergency shelter and the toll-free hotline (800-373-1043) will remain in operation.

Fort Madison Community Hospital: The Women's Health Conference scheduled for Saturday, March 28 has been canceled.  

Galesburg Area Chamber of Commerce:  All upcoming gatherings and events are postponed until further notice. 

Galesburg Parks and Recreation Department: The Annual Easter Egg Hunt scheduled for April 5 has been canceled.

Illinois Special Olympics: The events scheduled for this weekend in Bloomington-Normal have been canceled.

Illinois State Board of Education: The board was scheduled to meet in Macomb March 16-18 but will instead meet via videoconference on March 18 at 9:00 a.m.

Legacy Theater in Carthage: The Rumours band has canceled its performance scheduled for Friday, March 13.

Macomb Arts Center: The painting on the square and the reception at the MAC scheduled for March 20 has been postponed until April 17.

McDonough District Hospital: Beginning Monday, March 16, the MDH Convenience Clinic for walk-in patients will temporarily move out of MDH Family Clinic and into the former Internal Medicine clinic. The new location will remain inside Health Services Building 2, but on the first floor.

Missouri:  Governor Mike Parson has declared a state of emergency.  “The primary purpose of this emergency declaration is to provide greater flexibility in allocating our state resources, not because the local health providers feel they are overwhelmed,” said Parson

Missouri has launched a telephone hotline staffed by medical professionals for people seeking guidance on the novel coronavirus. The state health department said people can call 877-435-8411 at any time on any day.

Monmouth College (UPDATED FRIDAY, MARCH 13): All classes are canceled March 16-20. Classes will resume under a Flexible Plan on Monday, March 23.  The Flexible Plan will remain in place for the rest of the semester. Details about the Flexible Plan can be found here.

Orpheum Theatre in Galesburg:  Closed until further notice.

Weather spotter classes: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has canceled all spotter classes for the remainder of the 2020 Spring. This includes the weather spotter training class scheduled for  Thursday, March 19 at the Knoxville Fire Department. 

Western Illinois University:  All classes are canceled Saturday-Friday, March 14-20. Classes will resume in what WIU calls “an alternative format” Saturday, March 21 and will continue in that format until at least April 3.  More details can be found here.

WIU has also created a Canceled Events Site, which can be found here.

YMCA Senior Center in Macomb and its two outlying meal sites in Bushnell and Colchester: No congregate meals until further notice. Seniors may pick-up their meal at the YMCA Senior Center, or if circumstances allow, a meal may be delivered. Please call to make arrangements. Seniors can still visit the Senior Center for assistance and AARP Tax Prep appointments but everyone needs to make an appointment so there is no congestion. Please don’t come early.

Rich is TSPR's News Director.