Tightened COVID-19 restrictions will begin Wednesday in southwest IL, Pritzker says
Tightened COVID-19 restrictions will officially go back into effect Wednesday in the metro-east, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Monday, after the region’s positivity rate surpassed a state-set threshold for three consecutive days.
The announcement comes roughly two weeks after tier 1 restrictions that are part of the Restore Illinois plan were lifted in the metro-east. The tighter restrictions mostly affect indoor dining, bars and large gatherings.
Since the restrictions were eased on Oct. 9, the positivity rate in the region has steadily increased from 6.5% to 8.4% as of Oct. 23, when the latest data was available. The metro-east, or Region 4, includes St. Clair, Madison, Monroe, Bond, Washington, Clinton and Randolph counties.
The state uses the seven-day positivity rate to track whether restrictions are needed to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Illinois’ 11 regions. The rate is the average amount of positive cases compared to the total amount of tests administered over a seven-day period.
If a region has three consecutive days with a seven-day rolling average of 8% or more, tier 1 restrictions are put into place by the state, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
St. Clair County Chairman Mark Kern said last week this round of restrictions could mean that many local businesses in the county and in the region will have to close. He said the culprits of the high positivity rate were nearby counties that aren’t doing their part to lower the amount of new COVID-19 cases and tests.
“If we aren’t all together in this region we’re all going to be under this mitigation,” Kern said. “It’s not good for local business and many aren’t going to survive another round.”
Here’s what tier 1 restrictions include:
BARS:
- All bars close at 11 p.m.
- No indoor service
- All bar patrons should be seated at tables outside
No ordering, seating, or congregating at bar (bar stools should be removed)
Tables should be 6 feet apart
No standing or congregating indoors or outdoors while waiting for a table or exiting
No dancing or standing indoors
Reservations required for each party
No seating of multiple parties at one table
RESTAURANTS:
- All restaurants close at 11 p.m.
No indoor dining or bar service
Tables should be 6 feet apart
No standing or congregating indoors or outdoors while waiting for a table or exiting
Reservations required for each party
No seating of multiple parties at one table
MEETINGS, SOCIAL EVENTS AND GATHERINGS:
- Limit to lesser of 25 guests or 25% of overall room capacity
- Reception halls are limited to lesser of 25 guests or 25% of overall room capacity
No party buses
If the region continues to have a positivity rate above 8% for the next 14 days, further restrictions could be added to Region 4.
Restore Illinois’ second-tier restrictions include tightened mitigation efforts on in-person dining and social gatherings, as well as new restrictions on retail businesses, salons and offices. Additionally, hospitals would be advised to reduce elective surgeries and visitation.
In an announcement about the restrictions on Region 4 and Region 10, Pritzker said Monday every region in Illinois is seeing increasing positivity rates. Region 10 is the first region in Illinois to be shut down due to not only its positivity rate but also its amount of COVID-19 hospitalizations.
“Over the weekend, two more regions – Region 4, Metro East, as well as Region 10, Suburban Cook County – triggered our metrics for additional mitigations, meaning that, starting Wednesday, 6 of our 11 regions will be operating under our resurgence framework,” he said. “ Region 10, on the other hand, is the first region in Illinois to earn additional mitigations not because of its positivity rate alone, but because its positivity rate and its COVID-related hospitalizations have both seen a sustained increase over the last 10 days.”
Illinois Department of Public Health Director Ngozi Ezike said going forward into flu season, hospitalization capacity levels could worsen.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, we were concerned about overwhelming our hospitals, and we must take action now to prevent that possibility,” Ezike said. “We are entering flu season and our hospitals are facing both COVID-19 and flu admissions. The same things that can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 will help prevent the spread of flu. Please, wash your hands, watch your distance, and wear your mask. And make sure to get your flu shot.”
As of Monday, Region 4’s hospital bed capacity was at 26% and the ICU capacity was at 37%. In the past week, the state also broke its record of new daily COVID-19 cases three times.
A total of 8.6 million confirmed infections and over 225,000 deaths have been reported in the U.S. , higher than anywhere in the world, The Associated Press reported Monday. A widely cited model from the University of Washington projects about 386,000 COVID-19 deaths by Feb. 1.
The AP, citing Johns Hopkins University, also reported the seven-day rolling average for daily new cases in the United States hit a record high on Sunday of 68,767, eclipsing the previous mark of 67,293, set in mid-July. The U.S. recorded more than 80,000 new cases on both Friday and Saturday — the highest marks ever — though testing has expanded dramatically over the course of the outbreak, making direct comparisons problematic.
This story was originally published October 26, 2020 at 11:57 AM.