Coronavirus at the courthouse

News and views. First the news:

Statement issued this evening by the office of Cook County Chief Circuit Judge Timothy C. Evans:

The Circuit Court of Cook County continues to monitor state and local responses to the coronavirus and will follow guidance provided by state and local public health agencies and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hand-sanitizing dispensers have been installed at courthouses, and cleaning crews are conducting regular cleanings with an emphasis on first-touch areas such as doors knobs and areas inside elevators and restrooms.

All employees have been encouraged to get a flu shot; wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands; stay home when sick; avoid close contact with people who are sick; and clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects.

If you are summoned for jury service and are experiencing any acute respiratory illness symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, headaches), flu-like symptoms, have a fever, or are coughing or sneezing, please do not report for jury service. Instead, contact the jury office on weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at (312) 603-5879 to reschedule your service to a later date, which is typically about three months later. These are standard procedures but especially important at this time.

In addition, courthouse tours scheduled in March at the Daley Center (six tours) and the Leighton Criminal Court Building (six tours) have been postponed. Two seminars for senior citizens scheduled to occur in the Daley Center in March – one regarding Medicare fraud and one regarding veterans benefits – have been postponed.

As more information becomes available or if there are changes to court operations, we will keep you posted.

And now the views:

Not sure that getting a flu shot will help in any way with Covid-19 -- the flu shot doesn't even protect against many of the varieties of influenza that were circulating rampantly before the Covid-19 virus reached these shores -- but, hey, I can get behind anything that cuts down on the hacking and wheezing that has been the soundtrack of this unusually warm winter.

And as the Staples Singers sang, back in the day, "Put your hand on your mouth when you cough, that'll help the solution."