CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — It’s back to stricter mitigation measures for three regions of the state — Southern Illinois and south and western suburban areas — which have seen unacceptable spikes in coronavirus positivity rates, Gov. JB Pritzker said Monday.
He said Region 5 (Southern Illinois) has a positivity rate of 11.5% and more than twice the number of people being hospitalized for COVID, compared to late summer. Regions 7 (south and southwest suburbs, including Will and Kankakee counties) and 8 (west suburbs, including DuPage and Kane counties) each have positivity rates of more than 13%, Pritzker said.
These regions will join Region 1 (Northwestern Illinois) in being under “Tier 2” guidelines that, among other restrictions, cap public gatherings to 10 people. Tables at restaurants that are able to serve people outdoors would be limited to six people, he said.
The disheartening news comes as the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 10,573 new cases of coronavirus, including 14 deaths. The statewide positivity rate is 12.4%.
These levels are drastically higher compared to late summer, when Illinois had bent the curve of new infections. A second wave of COVID-19 has overtaken Illinois and the rest of the nation.
The governor said it’s too early to say whether regions would be ordered into even-stricter semi-lockdown mode.
Pritzker expressed hope Monday that Illinois will benefit from a coordinated coronavirus strategy announced by President-Elect Joe Biden. The governor said
Illinois will no longer be dealing with “at least one major impediment,” an apparent reference to President Trump.
Trump’s administration has effectively put much of the burden on states during the pandemic. Biden has signaled he will, among other measures, impose a national mask mandate and expand testing.
“We need more,” Pritzker, a fellow Democrat, said.
Related
