Officials say risk of COVID-19 transmission in Clinton County has increased
Clinton County health officials announced Thursday that the state had moved the county to the ``orange” level of risk for COVID-19, meaning it is not meeting targets identified by virus mitigation experts.
“A designation of orange should prompt individuals, businesses and schools to revisit their current practices, plans and behaviors as this designation indicates the risk of transmission of COVID-19 is higher than in other areas of the state and higher than it has been in our area previously,” the county health department said in its release.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health’s metrics, counties that are meeting targets developed by the mitigation experts are considered blue, while those that are not are considered orange.
The state had not updated its metrics map by Thursday evening, however, making it unclear which targets Clinton County fell short on. The metrics are updated once a week.
In its release, the county health department reminded its citizens to practice social distancing, wear masks in public, avoid large gatherings, self-monitor for symptoms and seek medical attention promptly when symptoms develop.
“The Clinton County Health Department is also working closely with the Illinois Department of Public Health to determine what additional mitigation strategies may need to be implemented, should the county remain in the high risk category,” the release stated.
Since Aug. 7, St. Clair, Monroe and Perry counties have been on the list as “orange” level. Other counties in the state with this designation include Cass, Coles, Grundy, Iroquois, Jackson, Saline, Tazewell, Union, Williamson and Winnebago.
This story was originally published August 13, 2020 at 7:11 PM.
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