The coronavirus story is developing quickly in Illinois. Here are updates from WGLT's newsroom and our partners at Illinois Public Radio, NPR, and The Associated Press.
You can also see (or add to) our list of cancellations, closures, and rescheduled events. Find all of our coverage at WGLT.org/Coronavirus.
BLOOMINGTON FARMERS MARKET RACKS UP ONLINE SALES
6:15 p.m. Thursday, May 7
Online ordering for the May 9 Downtown Bloomington Curbside Farmers’ Market totaled 333 orders and $23,398.58 in sales. The pandemic has limited the market to electronic ordering and curbside pickup. Credit card or debit payment can be online or on site. Online orders for the Curbside Market are accepted each week from Sunday-Tuesday at 5 pm. Orders are then available for curbside pickup on the Saturday following the date the order was placed from 8 a.m. to noon on Lee Street at the back of Grossinger Motors Arena.
-- Charlie Schlenker | WGLT
EYE AND TEETH HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS REOPEN
6:15 p.m. Thursday, May 7
Medical providers have begun gradually reopening. Visionpoint in Bloomington will open May 11, for urgent care and essential services to patients who should not wait another month for eye care. The firm is spreading out appointments to limit the number of people in the waiting room, screening patients for symptoms, and cleaning - a lot.
Dentists too have begun non-emergency procedures, but not all of them. Bloomington Dentist and dental society spokesperson Stacey Van Scoyoc says her office has called more than 15-hundred patients to check in and overwhelmingly people want appointments. Van Scoyoc says her office is staying closed for now because staff lack childcare. Other dentists are having trouble getting enough PPE.
-- Charlie Schlenker | WGLT
McLEAN COUNTY ADDS 2 COVID-19 CASES; 2 MORE RECOVER
1:15 p.m. Thursday, May 7
McLean County health officials announced two new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, while two patients have recovered from the coronavirus. That keeps the number of active cases in the county at 20, matching the highest mark since April 15.
The two new cases include a man in his 40s and a man in his 20s. The McLean County Health Department said both men are in home isolation.
The department reported the county has 110 confirmed cases, while 87 of those patients have recovered. Two patients are hospitalized and 18 remain in home isolation. Three patients have died.
Testing has increased at the mobile COVID-19 clinic at the McLean County Fairgrounds in Bloomigton since the federal government relaxed guidelines to allow more people who don’t show symptoms.
The clinic has averaged 126 tests per day since the change on April 29. The drive-thru site was averaging 92 tests per day prior to that date. The site is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The state of Illinois announced 2,641 COVID-19 cases and 138 deaths on Thursday. The deaths include a Peoria County woman in her 90s, a Sangamon County women in her 80s and a Macon County woman in her 70s. The Illinois Department of Public Health has reported 70,873 coronavirus cases and 3,111 deaths.
-- Eric Stock | WGLT
We’re living in unprecedented times when information changes by the minute. WGLT will continue to be here for you, keeping you up-to-date with the live, local and trusted news you need. Help ensure WGLT can continue with its in-depth and comprehensive COVID-19 coverage as the situation evolves by making a contribution.
