Southwest Illinois is on its way to lifted COVID restrictions, Gov. J.B. Pritzker says
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the state is “rooting for metro-east,” which is on its way toward having additional COVID-19 restrictions lifted.
“You’re so close and you’re heading in the right direction,” Pritzker said during a news briefing in Chicago.
The region has been under extra restrictions, including a ban on indoor service at bars and restaurants, since Aug. 18 when it surpassed an 8% positivity rate threshold. Metro-East Region 4 under the Illinois Department of Public Health’s coronavirus resurgence map includes St. Clair, Madison, Monroe, Washington, Clinton, Bond and Randolph counties.
The seven-day rolling average percentage of tests coming back positive in the metro-east was 7.3% on Wednesday, more than a percentage and a half lower than a week ago, according to the most recent data available from IDPH. Pritzker and local public health authorities say the additional restrictions caused the decrease, as well as more people wearing masks and following social distancing guidelines.
The region’s progress brings it closer to a return to Phase 4 of the state’s reopening plan, Restore Illinois. Indoor dining and drinking at bars and restaurants are allowed with capacity limits under that phase. If the metro-east reaches a 6.5% positivity rate, some restrictions may be lifted.
State public health officials say the metro-east’s high rate of coronavirus cases is worsened by its proximity to Missouri, where restrictions are softer or even nonexistent in some counties.
“Despite bordering Missouri, which has a 12% positivity rate, Region 4 has brought its average down,” Pritzker said Wednesday. “They may be on their way down to 6.5% and removal of regional mitigations.”
Under Phase 4, Illinois still has a mask mandate for public places where social distancing is not possible, and crowds are limited to 50 people or less.
Statewide, the seven-day positivity rate was 3.5% for the period from Sept. 16-22. Over the last week, eight of the 11 IDPH-defined regions saw a decrease in positivity rates. Region 1 in northern Illinois, in the Rockford area, has continued to climb toward the 8% threshold. As of Wednesday, the region was reporting a 7.5% rate.
Illinois averages 52,000 tests daily, Pritzker said, allowing the state to monitor the virus’ presence.
State health officials announced 1,848 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in Illinois, including 22 additional deaths, for a total of 279,114 cases and 8,508 deaths since the pandemic began.
