(MILAN, Ill.) As per University of Illinois policy, University of Illinois Extension, serving Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Stark Counties is postponing or cancelling programs and events with more than 50 attendees and whose primary audience is senior citizens, effective Friday, March 13, 2020. These events have been cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic to help reduce the spread of this disease in our community.

CANCELLED events include:

• The Mercer County 4-H Soup Supper that was scheduled for this Saturday, March 14 at the Aledo Fire Station.
• The Spring Series of Home Horticulture that was to take place on Mondays, March 16 – April 20 at the Rock Island County Extension office in Milan, IL
• Tools to Manage Diabetes, that was to take place March 26, 2 - 3:30 pm, at River Valley District Library, Port Byron, IL

POSTPONED events include:

• The Rock Island County Extension & 4-H Foundation’s Pork Chop Dinner & Pie Auction. It will be rescheduled for a later date TBD (It was originally scheduled for Thursday, April 2

Visit the website for information on status of events or programs in question: extension.illinois.edu/hmrs/events or call the office at (309) 756-9978.

University policies will adopt best practices endorsed by state and national health officials by minimizing face-to-face exposure in classrooms and other types of large gatherings, and by limiting international and domestic travel. They were developed with guidance from the leading-edge healthcare experts across our universities, who have been consulting daily with a leadership team composed of the president, the chancellors and the provosts from all three universities. University officials will continue to monitor the outbreak and stay in constant contact with the Governor’s Office, the Illinois Department of Public Health, local health departments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other universities around the state and the nation.