Highland cautioning residents to practice COVID-19 safety protocols amid rising cases

Highland leaders are asking residents to remain vigilant against COVID-19 in the wake of a “significant increase” in infections.

Highland’s city, public safety and parks and recreation departments all sent out a similar message on social media Monday: The Highland ambulance district has seen more than 100 new COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks, comprising 20 percent of the total cases.

“This creates an increasingly dangerous work environment for our doctors, nurses and first responders, and makes daily tasks more risky for our vulnerable citizens,” the message read.

Residents were reminded to wear a mask in public, avoid large groups and follow the medical recommendations from the Illinois Department of Public Health and federal Centers for Disease Control.

“The weather has been nice and we all want to enjoy our fall activities, but we can’t get complacent,” the message read. “In our community we have unfortunately seen serious hospitalizations and even deaths from the virus.”

The message was cross-posted to the Highland city website.

Rising numbers of COVID-19 infections have caused new restrictions likely to begin Wednesday, which will once again close indoor dining for restaurants and bars, require 11 p.m. closure of bars and taverns, and limiting gatherings to 25 people. Statewide, Illinois set a record for new COVID-19 case on Saturday with 6,161 cases in one day.