Monday marked a day of major changes, as several regions of Illinois were able to loosen restrictions on the coronavirus even further, as the state changed its mitigation guidelines.
The Illinois Department of Health announced that, due to a change in personnel contracts, which increases hospital staff across the state, Regions 8, 9, 10 and 11 may move from level 3 more restrictive to level 2. In addition, regions 1 and 6 met the metrics to move to Level 1 and regions 3 and 5 met the metrics to return to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan.
“Hospital leaders made clear the importance of staff in their ongoing response to this pandemic and conveyed that staff contracts will be extraordinarily valuable in their ability to meet the needs of their communities,” said the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health. , Dr. Ngozi Ezike in a statement. “We are pleased to see the majority of our regions moving out of Level 3 mitigations with this change, and it is critical that we maintain this progress. With the new propagation variants of COVID-19, it is more important than ever to follow the public health guidelines that keep people safe – use and mask and observe from a distance ”.
Here’s a look at where each region is located:
Phase 4 Mitigations implemented:
Region 3 (West Illinois) –
Hancock, Adams, Pike, Calhoun, Jersey, Greene, Scott, Brown, Schuyler, Cass, Morgan, Macoupin, Montgomery, Christian, Sangamon, Logan, Menard, Mason
Region 5 (South Illinois) –
Marion, Jefferson, Wayne, Edwards, Wabash, Perry, Jackson, Franklin, Williamson, Saline, Hamilton, White, Gallatin, Union, Johnson, Pope, Hardin, Alexander, Massac, Pulaski
At this stage, meetings of 50 people or less are allowed and indoor service is allowed in bars and restaurants with limited capacity, among others. For a complete view of what is allowed at this stage, click on here.
Level 1 mitigations implemented:
Region 1 (Northwest Illinois) –
Jo Davies, Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, Dekalb, Carrol, Ogle, Whiteside, Lee, Crawford
Region 2 (West-Central Illinois) –
Rock Island, Henry, Bureau, Putnam, Kendall, Grundy, Mercer, Knox, Henderson, Warren, McDonough, Fulton, Stark, Marshall, Peoria, Tazwell, McLean, Woodford, Livingston, Lasalle
Region 6 (East-Central Illinois) –
Iroquois, Ford, Dewitt, Piatt, Champaign, Vermillion, Macon, Moultrie, Douglas, Edgar, Shelby, Coles, Cumberland, Clark, Fayette, Effingham, Jasper, Crawford, Clay, Richland, Lawrence
A change to this level means that indoor meals can be resumed with limited capacity, but only for establishments serving food. For a complete view of what is allowed at this level, click on here.
Level 2 mitigations implemented:
Region 8 –
Kane, Dupage
Region 9 –
McHenry, Lake
Region 10 –
Suburban cook
Region 11 –
Chicago
A change to this level means the reopening of cultural institutions, such as museums and also casinos. For a complete view of what is allowed at this level, click on here.
Level 3 mitigations implemented:
Region 4 (southwestern Illinois) –
Bond, Madison, St. Clair, Clinton, Washington, Monroe, Randolph
Region 7 –
Will, Kankakee
This is the most restrictive level and is the one that all Illinois has been under since last year. For a complete view of what is allowed at this level, click on here.
What does it take to pass each level or level?
According to state guidelines, a region can move to Tier 2 mitigations if it sees a test positivity rate of less than 12% for three consecutive days and more than 20% of ICU and hospital beds are available, as well as the decline of hospitalizations for COVID-19 in seven of the previous 10 days.
To move to Level 1, regions need:
- A test positivity rate below 8 percent for three consecutive days, measured by the 7-day moving average; AND
- Greater than or equal to 20 percent available in ICUs and medical / surgical hospital beds for three consecutive days, on a 3-day moving average; AND
- No sustained increase in the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 for seven out of 10 days, on an average of 7 days.
To return to the previous Phase 4, however, regions need to:
- A test positivity rate less than or equal to 6.5 percent for three consecutive days, measured by the 7-day moving average; AND
- Greater than or equal to 20 percent available in ICUs and medical / surgical hospital beds for three consecutive days, on a 3-day moving average; AND
- No sustained increase in the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 for seven out of 10 days, on an average of 7 days.