Daywatch: Heightened risks for the unvaccinated, the child care and worker shortage crises collide and Black-owned restaurants celebrate Juneteenth

Good morning, Chicago. As we begin life in phase five of Illinois’ reopening plan, there are no capacity limits or social distancing measures for the first time since Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s initial statewide shutdown in March 2020. However, businesses can impose their own restrictions as they see fit. Here’s our phase five guide and here’s what’s still off-limits.

Now that we are in phase five, we’re also making some changes to Daywatch. With cases continuing to trend downward, I am going to move away from including the latest numbers each day, though you can always find them on our daily tracker.

This doesn’t mean I will stop writing about the coronavirus or including the articles written by my amazing colleagues on the topic. If there are trends or numbers of note, those will certainly be included here. As always, if you have thoughts or questions, send an email my way.

— Nicole Stock, audience editor

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Unvaccinated? Beware: As state loosens restrictions, the risk of a serious COVID-19 infection may be higher than it was last summer.

Illinois dropped many of its remaining pandemic restrictions Friday, but public health data shows two different realities lie ahead for people as that reopening begins.

For those who are fully vaccinated, the threat of a serious infection is largely (but not entirely) over. But for people who haven’t gotten the shot, the risks of catching COVID-19 remain — and researchers are worried about how this group will fare this summer.

Second special prosecutor in two years adds to turbulence for State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office

For the second time in two years, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office will soon find itself under the scrutiny of a special prosecutor empowered to investigate accusations of high-stakes legal and ethical lapses. The underlying cases that triggered the two probes could hardly be more different.

Saying goodbye to ‘Nun Grandma’: The San Francisco philanthropist, widow and mother of 10 who gave it all up to spend her last 31 years in a Des Plaines monastery

Before her death Saturday, Sister Mary Joseph of the Trinity was perhaps the world’s most unlikely nun. As the world emerges out of quarantine, her extended family celebrates the life of a woman who chose it — despite millions of reasons not to.

As Illinois reopens and jobs return, so does the demand for affordable child care. Can an industry in crisis pre-pandemic help get parents back to work?

The steep shortage of affordable, high-quality child care for working families across the U.S. — already a crisis decades before the pandemic — has only worsened during the past 15 months.

Now, with the long-awaited reopening of Illinois, some say a critical shortage of workers, in businesses ranging from restaurants and retailers to health care and manufacturing, underscores Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s goal of transforming the state’s child care programs by improving equity, accessibility and affordability.

95 Black-owned restaurants in Chicago area to commemorate Juneteenth with food specials

For the second year in a row, Black-owned restaurants around Chicago will commemorate Juneteenth by offering food specials for either $6.19 or $16.19. The two-day promotion will run June 18 and 19. Search our map to find a restaurant near you.

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