Illinois could see another stay-at-home order if COVID doesn’t slow, Pritzker says
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Thursday “some form of a mandatory stay-at-home order” could be in Illinois’ future if the spread of coronavirus doesn’t slow as winter approaches, though it’s not an action he wants to take.
“With many community leaders choosing not to listen to the doctors, we are left with not many tools left in our toolbox to fight this,” Pritzker said at a news briefing in Chicago. “The numbers don’t lie. If things don’t take a turn in the coming days, we will quickly reach the point when some form of a mandatory stay-at-home order is all that will be left.”
“With every fiber of my being I do not want us to get there, but right now that seems like where we are heading.”
Illinoisans can prevent the spread by wearing a mask when out in public, staying at home as much as possible, and avoiding travel and even small gatherings. State health officials recommended Illinoisans avoid going out whenever possible except for essential errands during the next three weeks.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 12,702 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus statewide Thursday, including 43 additional deaths.
“This is an all-time high,” said Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued a stay-at-home advisory for city residents starting Monday. Meantime, the city of Springfield and Sangamon County reversed their decisions to ignore a ban on indoor service at bars and restaurants as coronavirus cases skyrocket statewide.
Pritzker addressed those who deny the seriousness of the virus.
“What is it going to take to get you to be a part of the solution?” Pritzker said.
Increasingly taxed hospitals in Illinois, the metro-east and in St. Louis caused concern among doctors and public health officials on both sides of the Mississippi River.
St. Louis’ largest health care systems saw the seven-day moving average of hospital admissions increase from 99 on Wednesday to 101 Thursday, a new record, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force. The data includes Memorial hospitals in the metro-east.
Hospitalizations in the southwestern Illinois region have surpassed spring levels during the first wave of COVID-19. As of Wednesday night, 5,258 people in Illinois were in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 956 were in intensive care units and 438 were on ventilators.
The daily number of patients hospitalized statewide is a record, Ezike said.
“We never saw that number in wave one. This is an all-time high and I am telling you that that number is only going to increase based on the numbers of cases we’ve identified in the last several weeks,” Ezike said.
Hospitalizations are increasing in all of Illinois’ 11 public health regions, and the percentage of COVID-19 tests coming back positive is in the double digits in every region. IDPH reported Thursday the metro-east, or Region 4 as the state refers to it, has a 13.9% testing positivity rate, up from 13.4% on Wednesday.
Holiday gatherings and COVID
Illinoisans planning to travel for Thanksgiving and other holidays should take extra precautions, public health officials warned.
Staying at home and holding virtual visits is the safest option, but IDPH released a set of guidelines for celebrating. A full list can be found online at dph.illinois.gov/covid19/community-guidance/holiday-season-safety-tips.
The guidance includes:
- Consider traveling in your own vehicle to avoid exposure
- Communicate with guests and hosts about precautions and expectations before a visit or overnight stay
- Celebrate holidays outside whenever possible
- Indoor gatherings should be kept small and guests should wear masks and remain socially distanced
- Consider asking guests to quarantine or isolate as much as possible before a gathering
This story was originally published November 12, 2020 at 3:11 PM.
