St. Clair County officials urge mask use, caution on St. Patrick’s Day as COVID-19 slows
St. Clair County officials are asking the public to be cautious during upcoming St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in hopes of avoiding another spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths.
County Board Chairman Mark Kern and Emergency Management Agency Director Herb Simmons on Thursday urged people to follow social distance guidelines, wear a mask and wash their hands if they plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day next Wednesday.
Kern said a COVID-19 spike due to the celebrations over the weekend and into next week could reverse the progress the county and region have made over the past several months, citing the significant spikes in COVID-19 cases after holiday celebrations like Halloween and Thanksgiving last year.
“We’re not through this yet, many people have gotten vaccinated but not enough that we can let down our guard,” he said. “Now is not the time to take our foot off the accelerator pedal. Let’s keep our foot on the gas.”
“Let’s especially be weary over this St. Patrick’s Day holiday,” Kern added. “It’s supposed to be raining a lot of the weekend so people may be pushed indoors. and that’s a worry.”
The metro-east’s COVID-19 case rate shot up at a staggering rate during the holiday season last year, starting at a 6.3% weekly positive rate in early October and peaking at 16.1% just before Thanksgiving on Nov. 17, the highest ever. The rate rose again after Christmas and New Year’s celebrations but has fallen steadily since the start of 2021, reaching the lowest rate the Illinois Department of Public Health has recorded at 3.2% Thursday.
As for vaccinations, the state reports 27,689 people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in St. Clair County, or roughly 10.61% of the county’s population. Kern said that number is too low for premature celebrations.