Here are the new COVID-19 restrictions southwest Illinois will likely see this week
If the metro-east doesn’t drastically reduce its number of coronavirus cases by Wednesday, the state will impose new rules to slow the spread, local and state officials say.
St. Clair County Chairman Mark Kern said the new restrictions, which include a ban on indoor service at bars and restaurants, are inevitable.
“I don’t believe it’s possible to get down to the level the state wants to see by Wednesday,” Kern said Sunday. “So, we have to prepare to rollback.”
The Illinois Department of Public Health allowed bars and restaurants to reopen in late June when Illinois first got a grasp on COVID-19. But cases in the metro-east region have increased steadily since July and show no sign of slowing. Public health officials blame large private gatherings, crowds at bars and restaurants, and lax rules in nearby Missouri for the spread.
Health officials monitor the percentage of tests coming back positive, among other metrics, to determine when a region needs to rollback reopening. Even if people aren’t dying from the virus, keeping case numbers low prevents hospitals from being overwhelmed by extremely sick people, IDPH director Dr. Ngozi Ezike has said.
The metro-east — St. Clair, Madison, Randolph, Clinton, Monroe, Bond and Washington counties — was the first region in the state to see a dangerous resurgence that triggered new restrictions on Aug. 18. That followed three consecutive days of 8% test positivity, or the positivity rate.
Last week, Will and Kankakee counties in northern Illinois became the second region to see restrictions, more severe than those in the metro-east. Gov. J.B. Pritzker said it was a mistake to use different standards in the region, and plans to make them match up this week.
Masks or face coverings are required throughout the state in public places where it’s not possible to maintain 6 feet of distance from others. Gatherings are limited to 50 people or less statewide.
Here are the restrictions expected in the metro-east.
One the region goes into the new phase of restrictions, IDPH will monitor the positivity rate for two weeks. If the positivity rate averages less than or equal to 6.5% over those two weeks, the region will return to Phase 4 in the state’s Restore Illinois plan.
Phase 4 allows indoor service at bars and restaurants with limited capacity.
If the region’s positivity rate averages between 6.5% and 8%, things will stay the same and IDPH will continue to monitor to see if additional restrictions are needed. If the region exceeds 8% test positivity after two weeks, more restrictions will be put into place.
The latest regional metrics can be found at dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics.
This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
