compiled by Josh Bootsma
LANSING, Ill. (December 30, 2020) – Throughout 2020, The Lansing Journal has documented the many ways life has changed due to COVID-19, from the earliest cases of the virus in Illinois to how holiday plans have changed because of it. At the end of a year unlike any other in Lansing, The Lansing Journal has continued to add to a coronavirus timeline going back to the first Illinois case in January, with particular attention given to the virus’s impact on Lansing. Links to original stories or relevant websites are included in the timeline:
January
24 – Illinois health officials report the first case of coronavirus in Illinois and the second in the United States: a woman who returned from Wuhan, China, where she was caring for her sick father.
Last month, Mike Scott, Code Enforcement Officer for the Village of Lansing, notified the Alcohol & Drug Council (ADC) of Tompkins County that he had officially classified the Open Access Center as a âhospitalâ use, a use that is not only not permitted in the village, but a use that several individuals at the ADC that does not accurately describe the facilityâs purpose.
âItâs not a hospital, and the hospital doesnât have the capacity to treat people with addictions with the way we are,â Douglas Freeman, incoming president of the councilâs Board of Directors, said.
The council is currently seeking a special use permit from the village to renovate the second floor of the center to install 40 beds for patients to sleep during their stay. Freeman said such a designation would prevent people suffering from addiction from getting the necessary and precise treatment.