Metro East relapse, now joined by Cook suburbs
Six of 11 regions face COVID ‘resurgence mitigation,’ Pritzker warns four others at risk
Johnnie’s Beef in Elmwood Park will only be serving customers outside until COVID-19 infections drop in suburban Cook County. (Facebook)
By Ted Cox
The governor and the Department of Public Health announced renewed “resurgence mitigation” measures on the Metro East region Monday, as well as suburban Cook County.
Effective Wednesday, that will put six of the state’s 11 regions in the plan to Restore Illinois under renewed restrictions, and the governor warned that four other regions are at immediate risk of facing the same measures before the end of the week.
The Metro East area, Region 4, only returned to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan two weeks ago, after almost two months of renewed restrictions including a ban on indoor service for restaurants and bars, as well as a limit on gatherings to 25 people or 25 percent of a designated area’s capacity, whichever is less.
Yet Metro East again had three straight days of testing positivity rates rising above 8 percent, triggering the renewed restrictions. Restaurants and bars in suburban Cook County faced the same restrictions, effective Wednesday. Making up Region 10, it became the first region to fall back due to not an 8 percent positivity rate, but thanks to “eight consecutive days of increases in test positivity and seven days of increased hospital admissions,” which combined create another threshold to impose restrictions.
“Cases, positivity, hospitalizations are all rising across the state of Illinois,” Gov. Pritzker said at his daily coronavirus briefing, held Monday in Peoria. “We’re seeing a national resurgence of the coronavirus, and Illinois is not immune.”
“Cases, positivity, hospitalizations are all rising across the state of Illinois. … We’re seeing a national resurgence of the coronavirus, and Illinois is not immune.”
Gov. Pritzker (Illinois.gov)
Pritzker warned that Region 9, Lake and McHenry counties, saw its positivity rate rise above 8 percent Monday, meaning renewed restrictions would be imposed if positivity remains that high for two more days, while Regions 3 and 6 — western Illinois including Springfield and Quincy, and eastern Illinois including Charleston and Danville — saw positivity rates hit 7.8 percent, and Chicago, making up Region 11, had positivity at 7.7 percent.
Region 1, northwest Illinois, Region 5, southern Illinois, and Regions 7 and 8, including Will, Kankakee, Kane, and DuPage counties, were already facing renewed restrictions as of Monday, with Region 1 under redoubled restrictions, including cutting the maximum party size even for outdoor bar and restaurant service from 10 to six persons.
Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike announced 4,729 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 Monday, down slightly from the new one-day record of 6,161 new cases set Saturday, but nonetheless bringing the state total to 378,985. Seventeen new deaths attributed to the coronavirus took the statewide toll to 9,522. More than 2,500 people were hospitalized receiving treatment for COVID-19.
Pritzker ordered Illinoisans to “mask up,” and Ezike reemphasized the three W’s — wear a mask, wash hands, watch social distancing — saying “all of them,” not just one or two, are critical to slowing transmission of the disease.
According to Pritzker and Ezike, private gatherings in homes with people meeting without masks were fast become the top cause of COVID transmissions. “It’s also bars and restaurants,” Ezike added. “It’s work. It’s school.”
Pritzker emphasized the renewed restrictions are intended to once again slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep schools and businesses open.
Pritzker said State Police would first issue warnings to businesses in violation, followed by dispersal orders and citations. He said bars and restaurants also faced losing their liquor or gaming licenses.
“I’ve been very reluctant to take that kind of action,” Pritzker said, “because it’s hard to get your license back once you lose it.”
Pritzker repeated that there’s a $220 million fund for Business Interruption Grants for Illinois businesses that feel the impact of the economic fallout from the pandemic.