Region 6 Mitigations Effective Nov. 2, Record Number of Daily Tests: 95,111

On Friday, Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced COVID-19 resurgence mitigations will be implemented in Region 6—East-Central Illinois—beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, November 2, 2020. The region has seen a 7-day rolling average test positivity rate of 8 percent or above for three consecutive days, which exceeds the thresholds set for establishing mitigation measures under the state’s Restore Illinois Resurgence Plan.

Region 6 includes Iroquois, Ford, Dewitt, Piatt, Champaign, Vermillion, Macon, Moultrie, Douglas, Edgar, Shelby, Coles, Cumberland, Clark, Fayette, Effingham, Jasper, Crawford, Clay, Richland, and Lawrence counties.

The administration says that businesses in Region 6, as well as other regions currently under additional mitigations, will receive priority consideration for the current round of the Business Interruption Grants (BIG) program. To date, through BIG, more than $42 million has been directed to regions currently under mitigations or where mitigations will soon take effect. These programs are guided by an equity framework and seek to address the hardest hit communities with emergency relief dollars.

“As of this morning, Region 6 has now sustained an average positivity rate of 8 percent or higher for three days, today hitting 8.6 percent – meaning that, starting Monday, they will join the majority of the state in operating under resurgence mitigations,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “With community transmission rates on the rise all around our state, it’s more important than ever to take caution, mask up, avoid gatherings and ensure your family gets through this as safe as can be. Let’s remember that the quickest way we get kids back into schools and businesses open and workers employed is to bring down infections, positivity rates, and hospitalizations in our communities – and that means mask up, wash up, back up, and sleeve up to get your flu shot.”

“We are on the precipice of the entire state entering into mitigation,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “These last few regions have seen rapid increases in test positivity, one right after another, because of increasing disease spread throughout our communities. We need all people to adhere to both the community mitigation measures and well as personal and family measures so we can swiftly turn our entire state around.”

As expected, mitigation measures taking effect November 2 in Region 6 include:

Bars

     No indoor service

     All outside bar service closes at 11:00 p.m.

     All bar patrons should be seated at tables outside

     No ordering, seating, or congregating at bar (bar stools should be removed)

     Tables should be 6 feet apart

     No standing or congregating indoors or outdoors while waiting for a table or exiting

     No dancing or standing indoors

     Reservations required for each party

     No seating of multiple parties at one table

Restaurants

     No indoor dining or bar service

     All outdoor dining closes at 11:00 p.m.

     Outside dining tables should be 6 feet apart

     No standing or congregating indoors or outdoors while waiting for a table or exiting

     Reservations required for each party

     No seating of multiple parties at one table

Meetings, Social Events, Gatherings

     Limit to lesser of 25 guests or 25 percent of overall room capacity

     No party buses

     Gaming and Casinos close at 11:00 p.m., are limited to 25 percent capacity, and follow mitigations for bars and restaurants, if applicable

These mitigations do not apply to schools or polling places.

Today, Illinois reported a record high of 95,111 tests in a single day.  Region 6 is currently seeing an 8.6% positivity rate, an increase from 5.2% in mid-September, a summer peak of 6.2% over Labor Day weekend, and a low of 1.1% in late-June. While nearly every region is seeing sustained increases in both positivity and hospitalization rates, today the COVID-related hospital admissions in Region 6 have tripled since mid-September, now averaging 18 admissions per day.

In the coming days, IDPH will continue to track the positivity rate in Region 6 to determine if mitigations can be relaxed, if additional mitigations are required, or if current mitigations should remain in place. If the positivity rate averages less than or equal to 6.5% for three consecutive days, then the regions will return to Phase 4 mitigations under the Restore llinois Plan. If the positivity rate averages between 6.5% and 8%, the new mitigations will remain in place and unchanged. If the positivity rate averages greater than or equal to 8% after 14 days, more stringent mitigations may be applied to further reduce spread of the virus.

A total of ten of the state’s 11 regions have triggered one of the state’s failsafe state-action metrics. 

A full list of mitigation measures pertaining to some businesses and industries may be found on the DCEO website at www.dceocovid19resources.com/restore-illinois.

Officials with the City of Effingham stated: "The City encourages all citizens to abide by the Tier 1 requirements which may be seen at https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/restore-illinois-mitigation-plan.  Citizens who wish to file a complaint regarding violations of the rules should file the complaint with the Illinois Department of Public Health at dph.illinois.org or with the Illinois State Police isp.illinois.gov.  Local law enforcement will continue to educate and encourage compliance."

Mobile testing from IDPH will be at the Effingham County Health Department from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, November 1.