Illinois blames COVID spike in metro-east region on St. Clair and Randolph counties
Illinois officials said this week that St. Clair and Randolph counties are the “primary contributors” to the metro-east’s spiking coronavirus cases as the region nears the threshold to bring back restrictions.
But they also cited “concerning trends and behaviors” from nearby Clinton County in a news release from the state health department.
The governor and Illinois Department of Public Health are urging the metro-east’s leaders to enforce public health guidance before the state steps in with restrictions on places like bars and restaurants that reopened June 26.
The state’s guidance calls for face coverings such as masks in public, at least 6 feet of distance between people and no more than 50 people in a crowd to prevent the virus from spreading. The novel coronavirus causes the COVID-19 respiratory disease.
As of Monday, over 7% of the metro-east’s coronavirus tests were positive. If it reaches 8% for three consecutive days, the state will step in to reimpose restrictions.
Restrictions could include suspending indoor bar service, reducing indoor dining capacity, placing additional limits on gatherings and room capacity or expanding remote work, according to state.
“Businesses that disregard public health guidance are putting themselves and their communities at risk and threatening the progress we’ve made for the vast majority of businesses that are safely reopening,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker stated in the news release. “I urge county and local officials in the Metro East region to take action in response to those who refuse to help keep people safe and to consider broader mitigations before the state is required to take action.”
Illinois defines the Metro East region as St. Clair, Madison, Randolph, Clinton, Monroe, Washington and Bond counties.
Coronavirus spikes in St. Clair, Randolph counties
St. Clair County typically reports the highest number of new coronavirus cases daily in the metro-east. But five of the county’s record high one-day increases were in July, including one on Wednesday.
The most new cases St. Clair County has reported in a single day was 105 on Saturday.
Officials in St. Clair County have said the spike in coronavirus diagnoses could be due to Fourth of July gatherings. If that were the case, they said they expected the numbers to go down this week.
After smaller numbers on Monday and Tuesday, the county was back up to 72 new cases Wednesday.
Herb Simmons, director of St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency, said Wednesday that leaders throughout the county were planning to talk about the situation and that the state’s EMA director is offering help to “get these numbers under control.”
“We’re going to be talking with mayors tomorrow because it doesn’t do good for one community to say, ‘OK, we’re going to enforce this this way,’ but then the neighboring communities aren’t doing that,” Simmons said during the county’s daily coronavirus briefing. “And our mayors, our city leaders have been very good at supporting us because they know how serious it is.”
Simmons said Illinois Emergency Management Agency Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau is sending a representative from her office to St. Clair County to “brainstorm.”
St. Clair County officials have restarted daily coronavirus briefings to inform the public about developments and encourage them to follow safety measures like masking.
“We’re living these numbers because if we have to start shutting things down, I’m afraid that it’s going to be far more difficult the second time around to get reopened,” St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern said in Wednesday’s briefing.
In Randolph County, an outbreak of the virus at the Chester Mental Health Center is contributing to the county’s spike in cases. Illinois officials said a total of six residents and 41 employees there have tested positive for COVID-19 since June 25.
Large gatherings in Clinton County
In Clinton County, four people have tested positive for COVID-19 after events involving the party bus company Shakin’ Shuttle, the Illinois Department of Public Health said in its release. The governor also talked about the party bus during a news conference Wednesday.
“We’re encouraging local officials to shut down things, for example, like we’re aware of a party bus company in the metro-east where people get on and they go from bar to bar to bar,” Pritzker said. “Well, guess what happened? Somebody on one of those party buses either contracted it along the way or had it when they went on a party bus and spread it to the locations that they went to.
“So the local officials have to be asking themselves, ‘How do we cut down on the spread?’ Well, one way to do that might be to, first of all, completely disinfect all the buses. Second of all, make sure you’ve got social distancing, and third, possibly shutting down those party buses.”
Clinton County health officials asked at least 160 residents to quarantine after large gatherings the weekend of July 11, including some events that traveled to bars. Participants did not wear masks or stay at least 6 feet apart at the events, according to the health department.
Health Department Administrator Sean Eifert estimated that hundreds of people were exposed to the virus.
“It appears from the health department standpoint that people have let their guard down too early,” Eifert said Monday.
The party bus company could not immediately be reached for comment.
The state health department’s news release also mentions Hidden Lake Winery in Aviston. Illinois officials said they are “concerned with reports of large gatherings without social distancing” in the metro-east.
“Specifically, Hidden Lake Winery in Aviston is reported to have hosted several large events, contrary to public health guidance,” the release stated.
Steve Gorazd, who co-owns Hidden Lake Winery with his wife Angela Gorazd, said the governor’s mandate limiting more than 50 people at a gathering was nullified because of a recent ruling by Clay County Circuit Court Judge Michael McHaney. Asked by a Belleville News-Democrat reporter if the winery had hosted any gatherings with more than 50 people, Angela Gorazd said, “I don’t wish to answer any of your questions.”
McHaney’s ruling invalidated the governor’s COVID-19 executive orders, but Pritzker’s office and plaintiffs in the case disagree on whether the ruling affects just Clay County or if it applies statewide, Capitol News Illinois reported last week.
Whether the ruling exempts Hidden Lake Winery from the governor’s mandate “could be subject to debate,” said Tom DeVore, a Bond County attorney who represents the owners of Hidden Lake Winery.
DeVore said he did not know if Hidden Lake Winery had hosted events with more than 50 people, but he said whether they have or haven’t “doesn’t matter.”
“It’s borderline defamatory ... because there’s the suggestion (by the Illinois Department of Public Health) that they have engaged in some wrongdoing, which is complete conjecture,” DeVore said.
“If these people don’t have their businesses open, they’re going to go bankrupt. They’re going to lose everything they worked all their lives for. That doesn’t mean they’re trying to cause anybody any harm,” DeVore added. “Just because they’re trying to support their families, themselves and their business and employees doesn’t automatically mean that they’re a danger to the community.”
BND reporters Mike Koziatek and Hana Muslic contributed to this report.
