St. Clair County cuts back on COVID-19 briefings as Illinois eliminates restrictions
It was a major milestone, but it only lasted about five minutes.
St. Clair County officials broadcast their last Facebook Live question-and-answer session related to COVID-19 on Sunday afternoon.
“We’re so excited,” said Herb Simmons, director of the county’s Emergency Management Agency. “... Today is our normal question-and-answer day, and we’ve only got one question, for the first time in 450 days.”
Simmons has been leading daily briefings, including weekly question-and-answer sessions, since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.
The briefings have drawn hundreds, sometimes thousands, of viewers each day at 3:30 p.m. on the EMA Facebook page. They’re interpreted for deaf and Spanish-speaking residents. Hospital administrators and other experts pop in on occasion.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday that on June 11 the state will move into Phase 5 of the Restore Illinois plan, meaning all restrictions will be lifted, due to low COVID-19 positivity and hospitalization rates and progress with vaccinations in the state.
As a result, St. Clair County will go from daily to weekly briefings after June 11. They will be held on Wednesdays.
“The numbers are looking good, and we want to continue that,” Simmons said, noting officials won’t stop reporting COVID-19 tests, hospitalizations, deaths and vaccinations.
On Sunday, Simmons was joined for the briefing by three of his regular co-hosts, St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern, Health Department Director Myla Blandford and EMA Assistant Director Brian Whitaker.
Whitaker read the last question from a viewer:
“If a restaurant in St. Clair County opens for patio seating, must they allow the guests access to their bathroom? Currently, they are refusing use of the restrooms.”
Blandford told the viewer to call the health department’s environmental health division at 618-233-7769 and provide the restaurant’s name, noting that regulations vary, depending on capacity and other factors.
This story was originally published June 6, 2021 at 5:19 PM.
