Gov. J.B. Pritzker says St. Louis and southwest Illinois must respond as one to COVID
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker pleaded with metro-east residents and Missourians alike to adhere to the same coronavirus guidance during a visit to East St. Louis on Monday.
“Your community is facing concerning trends in positivity rates that we aren’t seeing in most of the other areas of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “It is in the best interest of all St. Louis and metro-east residents, Illinoisans and Missourians alike, to take action now to bring down the positivity rate, and we’re working together across the border to make sure that happens.”
Pritzker said state health officials are working with leaders in Missouri to act as a region in responding to a resurgence in coronavirus cases.
Travel doubled from some metro-east counties to the Missouri side of St. Louis from July 2019 to July 2020, according to an analysis of smart phone tracking data by Saint Louis University researchers. Most of those Illinois travelers went to St. Charles and Jefferson counties, where restrictions on businesses were lifted early and where there is no mask mandate.
“From the beginning, they had lower levels of mitigations put on in Missouri, and I think that’s had an effect on their overall positivity rate, which is higher than that of Illinois,” Pritzker said.
In Illinois, the positivity rate — or the seven-day rolling average of positive coronavirus tests — was 4.2% statewide as of Monday afternoon. In Missouri, it was 11.2%.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, focused on allowing businesses to reopen quickly when cases began dropping in May. He has also emphasized local control and has refused to order a mask mandate — practically the opposite of Pritzker’s approach.
Missouri was listed as a high-risk state to visit on a new travel advisory map from the Illinois Department of Public Health. Officials recommend self-isolation for two weeks after traveling to those states, and to avoid them if possible. The map is available at dph.illinois.gov/covid19/travel.
“We do know that this virus does not recognize borders and specific regions and it doesn’t stop at the edge of a region or county and that’s why we are trying to help residents of Illinois make the best decisions we can,” said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the state health department.
The map shows states where the average daily case rate is above 15 cases per 100,000 residents. Health officials look at case rates per capita to determine how widespread the virus is in an area and to track whether cases are going up or down.
To calculate the per capita case rate, public health experts take the average number of new COVID-19 cases reported daily over the past week, divide by population and then multiply by 100,000.
“If you are opportune to be taking a vacation or you’re able to get a couple of days away and you have some choice in the matter, please take a look at this map. It’s some simple guidance. Maybe it will help you make one choice over another,” Ezike said.
The travel guidance includes best practices for people who regularly cross state lines for work or to see family. The three most important rules no matter the reason for travel are washing hands frequently, maintaining six feet of distance and wearing a mask, Ezike said, and the same rules apply when traveling locally.
Iowa, Arkansas and Tennessee were among the closest states considered high-risk, along with more than a dozen others, as of Monday afternoon.
Returning coronavirus restrictions
The governor announced new restrictions for the metro-east Sunday after the region reached three consecutive days above the state-set threshold for positivity rate amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Illinois Department of Public Health’s website on Sunday reported an 8.5% positivity rate for the metro-east, the highest in the state. The state defines the metro-east region as St. Clair, Madison, Randolph, Clinton, Monroe, Washington and Bond counties.
Beginning Tuesday for at least two weeks, bars, restaurants and casinos will have to close by 11 p.m., a policy that lines up with St. Louis city’s rules. Party buses will not be allowed to operate in the metro-east and gathering sizes will be limited to the lesser of 25 people or 25% of room capacity. Hospitals must also limit visitations and elective surgeries.
But the restrictions could become stricter after two weeks if numbers don’t improve.
“We could be just a step away from additional mitigations if things don’t turn around in the next two weeks,” Pritzker said.
There are three tiers, each with more restrictive guidelines that can be triggered if the positivity rate holds at above 8%, such as the closure of bars and restaurants. If the positivity rate falls below 6.5% on average, the restrictions will be removed.
Asked if he thinks the first tier of restrictions will work, Pritzker said, “I don’t know.”
“We’ll know whether or not the case rate, the positivity rate is going up or down during that 14 days and at the 14-day mark,” he added.
State health officials announced 1,773 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease Monday, including 12 additional confirmed deaths, for a total of 207,854 cases and 7,756 deaths since the pandemic began.
Officials address COVID deniers
Regional officials said they continued to struggle with convincing people that COVID-19 presents a real health threat.
State Sen. Chris Belt, D-Cahokia, said public health officials had done their part, and said it’s up to the community to take guidance seriously.
“I want to address some of the emails we’ve gotten since we started this journey in March. To all of my anti-maskers or to those who believe this virus is a figment of your imagination, for those who fail to believe the science behind this pandemic: We need you. Let’s find the middle ground and get through this thing together.”
Elizabeth Patton-Whiteside, administrator for the East Side Health District, said the four impoverished townships her district represents are “a mecca of the comorbidities for the coronavirus,” such as high blood pressure and respiratory issues.
“If I sound like an angry Black woman, I am,” Patton-Whiteside said. “I’m tired. The staff is tired. Our legislators are tired. Why? We’ve got a job to do, but so do you. ... People, you need to wake up. You need to step up. You need to do better. Health officials cannot stop this virus alone.”
A distrust of testing, authority and health care have made COVID-19 public health messaging difficult in predominately Black metro-east communities. Black-majority communities in St. Clair County have twice as many cases per capita as mostly white communities when comparing zip codes with similar testing rates.
“Your buddy that you’re hanging with on the corner in the park, at church, at parties or even at funerals may be passing your casket next week,” Patton-Whiteside said. “Stop the crap about the test hurts, or, ‘I’m healthy, I don’t need to be careful.’ The test is not painful and you are not as healthy as you think.”
East St. Louis Mayor Robert Eastern III spoke about his experience contracting coronavirus. He said he “never felt so bad” in his life. The experience lead him to work with city council to implement an ordinance to require anyone in the city to wear a mask, the only metro-east municipality to take such a step.
This story was originally published August 17, 2020 at 3:11 PM.
