Self-described ‘cautious’ county pol tests positive for COVID-19: ‘I’m not a person who would touch doorknobs’

A commissioner on the Cook County Board has tested positive for the coronavirus about a week after appearing at an event with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

In a series of tweets, Kevin Morrison, who was elected in 2018, said Wednesday he was “feeling well with very little symptoms.”

“Upon receiving my positive test results, I immediately contacted anyone that I knowingly came in contact with and encouraged them to be tested,” Morrison tweeted.

“I will be following Illinois Department of Public Health and Cook County Department of Public Health guidance and will be self-isolating for at least 14 days and will not resume any in-person activities until a confirmed negative test. I encourage everyone to continue to follow public health guidance and to stay safe.”

Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times file

Morrison and Preckwinkle appeared together last Wednesday to announce the launch of the county’s COVID-19 Small Business Assistance program along with Commissioner Donna Miller, state Rep. William Davis and community partners.

Morrison said he got his test results Wednesday after someone in his close circle started to feel ill over the weekend and “as a precaution I got tested Monday and — lo and behold — I tested positive.”

The freshman Democrat, whose district includes Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates and Elk Grove Village, said he felt fine but a little exhausted Wednesday. Even before the pandemic he described himself as a “cautious” person.

“I’m not a person who would touch doorknobs — I’d use my shirt,” Morrison said. “I’m taking lots of vitamins and trying to stay healthy.”

Morrison is the first openly LGBTQ county commissioner. The northwest suburban Democrat also touts himself as the youngest person elected to the board — 28 in November of 2018. In a significant upset, he beat longtime incumbent Timothy Schneider, who also serves as the chairman of the Illinois Republican Party.

Rich Hein/Sun-Times file

A spokesman for Preckwinkle said the County Board president tested negative for the virus Tuesday, after news that a staff member of Gov. J.B. Pritzker tested positive for the virus.

“I wish Commissioner Kevin Morrison a speedy recovery,” Preckwinkle said in a tweet. “I understand that he will follow the health experts’ guidance and self-isolate for at least 14 days or until a negative test. All of us at Cook County look forward to having you back and healthy very soon. Get well soon, Commissioner @Kevin4Cook.”

Morrison said Preckwinkle’s team reached out to those at the event last week, but he was told no contact tracers would be reaching out to him to see who he’d been in contact with.

To those in similar predicaments, he urged people to take it upon themselves to reach out to “anyone you knowingly came in contact with” so they’ll get tested.

To those who are still healthy, Morrison warned “make sure you’re taking all the precautions necessary to keep you and your family safe.”