COVID restrictions in southwest IL could be lifted Friday if positivity rate stays low
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the metro-east could see loosened COVID-19 restrictions as soon as Friday if the region continues on a downward trend in its number of coronavirus cases.
The percentage of COVID-19 tests coming back positive fell from 6.7% Tuesday to 6.3% Wednesday in the metro-east, or Region 4, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The region includes St. Clair, Madison, Bond, Clinton, Monroe, Randolph and Washington counties.
“That’s enormous progress,” Pritzker said during a news briefing in Chicago. “... Region 4 could see a return to the looser restrictions enacted in most of the state as soon as Friday, perhaps.”
The metro-east has been under extra restrictions compared to the rest of the state since Aug. 18, when it surpassed the 8% positivity rate threshold. Surpassing that metric triggered additional rules, such as a ban on indoor service and bars and restaurants.
The region has to maintain a positivity rate below 6.5% for three consecutive days before IDPH will consider lifting the extra restrictions. The metro-east would then return to Phase 4 of the state’s reopening plan, said Jordan Abudayyeh, a spokeswomen for the governor’s office.
Indoor service at bars and restaurants with capacity limits and other rules is allowed under Phase 4, which originally went into effect in Illinois on June 26.
After the Fourth of July holiday, cases began climbing in the Illinois region near St. Louis, driven in part by large gatherings. The metro-east at one point saw an average positivity rate above 10%, and then saw it stabilize between 7% and 8% for several weeks.
Leaders from St. Clair County, where the positivity rate has been consistently below 6.5% for several days, have said other counties contributed to the higher regional rate.
IDPH divided the state into 11 regions where they track coronavirus resurgence metrics. Each county in a region contributes to a collective, regional positivity rate.
Region 1 in northern Illinois is the only other area in the state under additional restrictions. The central Illinois region that includes Springfield and Quincy was the only one that managed to slow the increase of its positivity rate in recent weeks, Pritzker said.
The state still prohibits gatherings of more than 50 people under Phase 4, and masks are required in public places where it’s not possible to maintain 6 feet of distance from others.
State health officials reported 2,630 new confirmed coronavirus cases Wednesday, including 42 additional deaths, for a total of 307,641 cases and 8,878 deaths since the pandemic began.
This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 12:41 PM.
