CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The Pritzker administration on Tuesday announced some south and west suburban areas will be under tighter coronavirus-related restrictions because they continue to exceed acceptable COVID-19 metrics.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said the stricter measures — effective Friday — will be imposed in areas known as regions 7 and 8, which include the collar counties of Will, DuPage and Kane as well as Kankakee County.
Indoor service at bars and restaurants are suspended, and indoor public gatherings will be limited to 25 people.
These regions have consistently had coronavirus positivity rates exceeding 8%, which triggers the rollbacks at businesses.
“There is no easy fix for the effects of this virus on our economy and on our public health, but we can and we will manage through this,” Pritzker said at a media briefing in Chicago. “We’re Midwestern tough here in Illinois. We know how to deal with a crisis, and we know how to take care of each other.”
Pritzker earlier this week announced Region 5 in Southern Illinois was under the same type of additional restrictions because of a surge in infections there.
Conceding the measures will hurt businesses, Pritzker said there are "piles" of studies indicating that bars and restaurants are "significant spreading locations" for the virus. He said he agreed with Chicago health officials who place some blame on private gatherings.
Illinois has seen its daily coronavirus caseload spike past 3,000 and 4,000, and the positivity rate statewide is now at 5.5%. Illinois finds itself surrounded by states, such as Wisconsin, that are experiencing even worse resurgences. Nationally, the picture also is challenging as the weather cools for much of the country.
Four of Illinois' 11 regions are under the stricter business operational measures.
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