Some Randolph County coronavirus cases can be traced back to the same public gathering
At least the first nine of Randolph County’s coronavirus cases can be traced back to the same gathering the weekend before the governor shut down bars and restaurants in Illinois, a health official said.
Randolph County Health Department Administrator Angela Oathout said Wednesday that officials had identified the common thread through interviews with the nine patients at the time: They all either visited the same public place or had contact with someone who did.
Oathout declined to identify the location of the gathering.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive order to close bars and restaurants, except for take-out orders, took effect Monday, March 16. The first people in Randolph County to test positive for the COVID-19 respiratory disease, caused by a new coronavirus, were at the public place the weekend of March 13, when those businesses were still open.
Even though the gathering took place before the governor’s order to shutter those businesses and before his stay-at-home order on March 20, Oathout said health officials were warning people to avoid crowded places at the time.
“We were begging you not to have any group gatherings,” she said of the guidance.
This story was originally published April 4, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
