Thread by @BauerJournalism

Mayor Lori Lightfoot & Dr. Allison Arwady, head of the Chicago Department of Public Health, will talk to the press via call at 1 p.m. today. Follow along for updates.

Lightfoot: Today we're announcing changes in our debt collection, ticketing and impound practices. We will be suspending many of those activities through April 30.

This includes booting, late fees on defaulted payments on city debts — no interest will be accumulated, limiting ticketing, towing & impounding to only address public safety-related issues.

Lightfoot: "We've been hearing from lots of folks."

Lightfoot: "Now is the time to act" given how people will be impacted by the virus. "We want to make sure that we're doing our part to really hear people, recognize what their daily struggles are and use the levers of city government to help them."

Lightfoot: "This is a suspension. It's not a waiver."
They could extend this through April 30.

City Comptroller Reshma Soni: "Government has an obligation to ensure we are there for our residents at times of financial need and crises."

Soni: All booting suspended. Late fees & defaults on all payment plans will be suspended until at least April 30.

Soni: We're also looking at ways to provide relief in terms of payments due ...

Soni says the city want people to be able to have cash on hand for necessities like food, medication, etc.

Soni: Ticketing will be limited to only public safety-related violations.

Lightfoot: Administrative hearings — all case dates being extended to April 30 or later. City will not default people who don't meet payment plans. "We're going to give them grace until April 30 or later."

Arwady from CHPD: There are daily case count updates for Chicago residents online: chicago.gov/city/en/sites/…

Those updates will be made at ~2:30 with Gov. Pritzker's briefing.

Arwady: There are currently 63 cases of coronavirus in Chicago and one death.

Arwady: 72% of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Chicago have not required hospitalization.

Arwady: Many people who did require hospitalization have since been able to go home.

Arwady: People who have had more severe complications are older, people with underlying medical conditions.

Arwady: Guidance on city's website is being updated all the time. Also has info on what to do about testing.

Arwady: Should I go get tested?
"For people who have any of these conditions that increase their risk for serious viral infection ... we ask them to call the physician's office & ask if they need to be evaluated in person."

Arwady: People who don't have a high-risk condition and have mild symptoms don't need to be tested. There's no "special medicine" for treating coronavirus.
"And most importantly, people need to stay home and away from others."

Arwady: "More and more people are going to hear about somebody with coronavirus or have potentially been in settings where someone has been diagnosed with coronavirus. None of the messaging is changing on this."

Arwady: All over the world, one of the major questions has been: How likely is it that a person with coronavirus will spread this and how many people will they infect?
On avg, a person with coronavirus has been spreading it to 2-3 other people.

Arwady: Remember social distancing is important, protecting vulnerable people is important, etc.

Lightfoot: "We're working on a package here at the local level that would address [people who need financial help]."

Lightfoot is asked why city is suspending responses to FOIA requests.
Lightfoot: "I don't believe that that's correct. We may have asked for additional time but we certainly haven't taken that action yet that I'm aware of." Responding to FOIA is taken "seriously."

Arwady: "We are increasingly seeing additional testing capacity at some of our larger hospitals. We're seeing some of the commercial labs start to come online. I want folks to understand there are still limitations on some of the supplies ... ."

Soni: City utility bills are not due until May 1. They have communication going out. There will be info.

Lightfoot: City will work with private metering company to ensure only ticketing that happens is if there's a car or something that poses a safety threat.

An e xpired meter that's otherwise legally parked — you'll not be getting ticketed.

Reporter points out to Lightfoot her admin IS sending out notices saying FOIA responses are being responded.

Lightfoot: "I will look into that. ... As we pare down to essential services, we will try to be as responsive to folks as possible."

responses are being suspended*, not responded

Arwady: "I was not very pleased to see the names of these individuals" in reference to the woman who died in Auburn Gresham.

Arwady says the woman WAS a contact of a confirmed coronavirus case.

Lightfoot: "We are not looking, at this point, of moving [police officers] to 12-hour shifts. And I wouldn't say that we closed down the academy. Obviously we're mindful of the directive that came to the state of gatherings of 50 or more."

So recruits have been moved to districts, other key places to "provide additional support."

Arwady: "Again, whenever we have a confirmed case, there's an evaluation of whether" there's been close contact. Those people could be quarantined.
But for people who have "broadly shared an office," there's not an expectation they'd quarantine an entire office.

Lightfoot: "I think this is a very challenging time for everybody involved. If you think about where we were evne just a week ago, a week ago we made the big step of shutting down all St. Patrick's Day activities. And then on Friday we closed the schools. ...

"A couple days later, the bars and restaurants. This is a lot for people to absorb. And in spite of that, I think our Chicago spirit is really rising to the top. People are really rallying even though they're scared and feel like it's very uncertain times. ...

"People recognize we need to do these things to keep people safe and, quite literally, to save lives. It's not an easy time. It's a difficult time. ...

"But I know Chicagoans are really working hard to adapt to these very fluid changes that are dramatically affecting day-to-day activities."

Lightfoot: Facts will help people weather this storm.

Lightfoot: "So far, underneath very difficult circumstances, we're doing well."

Lightfoot: We've had three lengthy cabinet meetings just since last week. They've urged department heads to provide continuing operational plans & ID essential and nonessential workers.

Lightfoot: City has talked to various labor unions that represent city workers. They want "workers to understand what is gonna be happening about our sick leave policies, our teleworking policies. ..."

Lightfoot: Suspension on ticketing, fines, etc. started today.

Lightfoot: There's been a lot of engagement with aldermen. She "welcomes the suggestion of our City Council colleagues, but the best way to communicate is to do that directly."

Lightfoot: Chicago is "very well-prepared and well-situated" for coronavirus cases.

Arwady: "We have quite a strong health care preparedness program."

Arwady: "We're now really having daily calls about these details. The Health Department has a lot of information about the capacity, about where there's the ability to increase that ...

"capacity as needed, and certainly we have thought and done a lot of planning for worst-case scenarios. But at this point, we're absolutely meeting the needs who are there."

Lightfoot: "We have, for a while now, been thinking about hospital capacity." There's a group working on contingencies in the event they need to bring online additional hospital beds, particularly for quarantine.

Lightfoot says she learned of the employee in Procurement testing positive for coronavirus yesterday.

Lightfoot: "We have been talking to the entire criminal justice network, if you will, about things we can do to keep the jail population low. Obviously we're not going to shy away from arresting people who are committing violent crime."

But they're working with courts, Sheriff's Office & SA to make sure they're all focused on the population of "folks who pose the biggest risk, & we'll keep evaluating" those actions.

Lightfoot: They want to keep jail population low while keeping public safe.

Lightfoot: "One of the most important things we can do is keep people economically solvent ... . If people don't have resources, they're not going to be able to pay taxes, ultimately. And we know there's a significant amount of economic pressure all over ...

"and particularly on service employees, hourly workers, in the hospitality area, in particular.
"That's why we're looking at ways we can give them relief, put money in their pocket rather than collecting it" and driving people into bankruptcy.

Lightfoot: A healthy economy where people have money in their pocket helps the city in the longterm.

Lightfoot: "The bottom line is: We're doing well. ... We have a substantial amount of cash" if it's needed.

Soni on canceling fees, fines, etc.: "We feel that the impact will not be that significant to the city."

Soni: When there was the financial crisis, overall city revenues went down 2%.

Soni: "Providing this relief is much more important so people can keep on investing into the economy, we can help businesses keep on getting business and then we are able to get our revenue from that source."

Pritzker: "This isn't free parking." People do still have to pay for parking as they normally would, but ticketing activities will be focused on public safety. "However, if a car's just left on the street, it's going to be deemed abandoned & that car will be towed ... ."

Call over. Story here: blockclubchicago.org/2020/03/18/chi…