Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro and Reverend Al Sharpton were among those who sent prayers for the couple, hoping for their recovery from the virus.
Others included the founder of the Arab American Institute, James Zogby, who recalled traveling with Jackson “through 2 historical presidential campaigns.
Jackson and his wife are being treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, a nonprofit that Jackson founded and chairs, announced in a statement on Saturday.
The civil rights leader was vaccinated against COVID-19 and received his first dose in January during a public event where he was calling for people to get vaxxed the soonest, the Associated Press reported on Sunday.
“Doctors are currently monitoring the condition of both,” the nonprofit’s statement read. “Anyone who has been around either of them for the last five or six days should follow the CDC guidelines.”
Newsweek contacted the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition for an update about Jackson and his wife, but didn’t receive a response by the time of publishing.
Throughout his career, Jackson has long advocated for the Black community and been outspoken about police brutality carried out against Black people in the U.S. Last year, he said that officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor should be held accountable and charged with murder.
“They murdered her,” Jackson told the Louisville Courier Journal at the time. “Nobody has the right to murder anybody. Especially those that have a badge and a gun on.”
Meanwhile, Chicago on August 10 expanded its travel advisory, adding more states amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the city. The city recommended that unvaccinated travelers coming from over 30 states should quarantine or test negative for the COVID-19 upon arrival.
The states included North Carolina, Idaho, Orego, New York and Indiana.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced on August 4 a statewide mask mandate in all public and private schools.
“Without these measures, we would likely see many more outbreaks than in the latter half of the last school year. Preventing outbreaks from the start also prevents kids from having to stay home because they’re sick or in quarantine,” the governor said during a conference at the time.
“Too few school districts have chosen to follow the federal Centers for Disease Control prescriptions for keeping students and staff safe,” Pritzker added.
