DOCTOR ALLISON ARWANI THE HEAD OF CHICAGO'S PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT, JOE DONLON SPOKE WITH HER TODAY, JOE JOINS US NOW THEN SHE GOT THE JOB IN JANUARY AND JUST WEEKS LATER DOCTOR ARWANI WALKED INTO THE BIGGEST HEALTH STORY OF OUR LIVES.
SHE'S BECOME SOMETHING OF A HOUSEHOLD NAME AROUND HERE APPEARING A DAILY BRIEFINGS WITH THE MAYOR AND SHE GAVE US DOCTOR ARE WE WHAT WOULD BE AND IT WAS PRETTY IT WAS PRETTY UNANIMOUS WHEN IS THIS OVER SO WE'RE STILL WATCHING THE DAY THAT'S THE MILLION-DOLLAR QUESTION BUT I DON'T HAVE AN EXACT DATE I THINK AS WE LOOK THERE'S GOING TO BE A SERIES JUST SO I THINK PEOPLE SOMETIMES WILL SAY OH YOU KNOW IT'S GOING GREAT GREAT COUPLE OF CELEBRATE AND IT'S NOT REALLY GOING TO BE JUST LIKE THAT BECAUSE IT SUPPORTS A LIGHT WHERE WE'RE.
TURNING EVERYTHING THAT TIME.
WE'RE GOING TO BE MORE LIKE THE DIAL RIGHT WHERE WE'RE OPENING SAYINGS IN A CAREFUL WAY CONTINUING TO THINK ABOUT SOCIAL DISTANCING CONTINUING TO THINK ABOUT FOLLOWING FACES OUT WATCHING PROTECTING THE TODAY, NOT EVEN SURE THAT OUR HEALTH SYSTEM REMAINED IN A STABLE PLACE AND AND INTERSTATE WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN YOU KNEW THINGS WERE ABOUT TO CHANGE DRAMATICALLY.
WHAT HAPPENED WAS WE KNOW WE STARTED SEEING CASES AND WE STARTED SEEING CASES IN A RAID THAT OPENED NUMBERS WERE LOW.
WE WERE STILL TAPPING THEM IN A COUPLE OF PLACES OVER THE NUMBERS WERE SMALL GOING RIGHT IN A DAY INTO AGREE WHERE YOU GO INTO A SAYS WORK IS THE WORK IT IS TO KEEP IT THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT THERE ALREADY WAS A FAIR BIT OF SPREAD AND WE REALLY NEEDED TO BE CAREFULLY CONFERRING WITH THE MAYOR THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE THE RIGHT THING TO DO WHAT WORRIED YOU THE MOST ABOUT THAT STAY AT HOME ORDER THE RAID AT THE NUMBERS WE'RE GOING TO WE HAVE NOT SEEN GOOD AND HE RUNS TO THAT STAY AT HOME HARDER ON YOU WE WERE IN.
TEENS ARE OVERWHELMING OUR COATS.
A LOT OF PARENTS WANT TO KNOW IF THEIR KIDS WILL BE BACK IN SCHOOL IN THE FALL, HOW RELATED TO THIS VIRUS.
I THINK THE FACT THAT CHILDREN BY AND LARGE HAVE BEEN SPARED THE IN IN MOST CASES, THE VERY SERIOUS OUTCOMES HERE.
WE'VE NOT SEEN A LOT OF HOSPITALIZATIONS ON BOARD DOCKS IN CHILDREN IS 8 ONE PIECE OF VERY GOOD NEWS HERE.
THE QUESTION REALLY IS THEIR ROLE IS AND SO CARRIERS OF THE VIRUS BY ALL ABSOLUTELY WILL HAVE THE WIDESPREAD AND I THINK WHAT WILL HAPPEN AND SERVE WHETHER POWER I WAS NOT CHICAGO.
LOOK LIKE.
WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO.
I SENSE OF NOT JUST WHERE WE ARE BUT WHERE OTHERS ARE.
AROUND THE COUNTRY ON ITS ONE THING TO HAVE YOUR PARTICULAR AREA AND BUT IF YOU ARE STARTING TO SEE A LOT OF MOVES ARE BENT THE KNEE BRING PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY THINKING ABOUT WHAT OUT LOOKS LIKE SO WE'RE REALLY NOT WANTING TO BE PREMATURE ABOUT MAKING SPECIFIC ISN'T ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT A SECOND WAVE.
WE DO RECOGNIZE THAT WHEN PEOPLE ARE OUT AND MOVING WE WILL SEE MORE CASES THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO OUT THE ASKING HIM FOR WELL IN CASE WE NEED THE CONTACT TRACING AND THE ABILITY CERTAIN THAT WE GET PEOPLE BACK TO WORK IS ONE HAND IF WE START BRINGING BACK.
A LOT OF THINGS THAT REALLY WE ENJOY MOST IN MY BUT IT'S GOT TO BE IN A WAY THAT IS SICK KEEP IT DOES NOT LEAD TO A BIG SURGE IF YOU GO TO THAT TOO FAR AND THAT'S A BIG STEP BACKWARDS AFTER WORKERS AT THE ECONOMY AND WITH PEOPLE LIKE YOU KNOW WE'RE GOING TO WORK WITH WANT TO DO IT CAREFULLY AND PROPERLY.
PEOPLE ON A BOAT THIS SUMMER.
MAY NOT HAPPEN THEN BUT THE IDEA OF MAYBE HAVING A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE SPREAD OUT SOCIAL DISTANCING THAT MIGHT HAPPEN, BUT WE'LL SEE A LOT OF THIS STUFF STILL UP IN THE AIR AND YOU AND I REALIZE, SHE'S GOT SOME IMPRESSIVE CREDENTIALS COMING INTO THIS JOB.
YES, SHE'S WORKED TO THE CDC, SHE'S HELPED TO COVER THE EBOLA SITUATION MERS I MEAN SHE'S SHE HAS WORKED WE'RE LUCKY TO HAVE.
