The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has issued resurgence mitigation measures beginning Friday, Oct. 23 for Illinois Region 8 which includes Kane and DuPage counties.
Tier 1 restrictions are imposed on restaurants, bars and social gatherings. Indoor bar and restaurant service is prohibited. Social gatherings (including weddings and funerals) are limited to the lesser of 25 guests or 25% of overall room capacity both indoors and outdoors. Additional restrictions are available on the State's website.
IDPH added Kane County to its COVID-19 county watch list Oct. 16. Two of the metrics which triggered the warning level for Kane County include increases in the new case rate and number of deaths. As of Oct. 17, Kane County’s seven-day rolling positivity rate was 11.9%.
As detailed in the July 15 Restore Illinois resurgence plan, resurgence mitigations are applied if a region’s positivity rate averages greater than or equal to 8% for three consecutive days, or if a region experiences a sustained increase in the positivity rate. Additional factors include a sustained increase in hospital admissions for a COVID-19 like illness or reduction in hospital capacity that threatens surge capabilities. As long as the rolling positivity rate remains between 6.5% and 8%, the restrictions will remain in place. Positivity rates above 8% after 14 days may trigger more restrictions. If the rolling positivity rate drops back below 6.5%, the mitigations will be relaxed.
Kane County Health Department (KCHD) Director Barbara Jeffers responded to the Governor’s orders.
“We were aware of the possibility that we would tip the metric and find ourselves in this position,” said Jeffers. “Kane County will now be required to become more restrictive and we will work with the Governor’s Office and IDPH to implement those measures. We know we have a high positivity rate that currently exceeds 100/100,000 persons. If we work together, we can regain control of our community to get the restrictions lifted. I know the challenges of mitigation but it’s a small price to pay to wear a mask, keep your social distance, limit group sizes, wash your hands so that our community is healthy, our children return to school and our economy flourishes.”
Additional grants for businesses affected by the mitigation efforts can be found under the State's Business Interruption Grant program. KCHD is reaching out to leaders in the public and private sector to urge a united front to reverse this surge before winter and colder weather drives people indoors. This week, KCHD will release an updated toolkit on its website to help businesses protect their employees and customers.
The department continues to encourage residents to contact them with concerns about businesses not following the guidelines by calling 630-208-3801 or sending an email.
All residents are encouraged to wear a face covering, maintain 6 feet of social distance, wash hands frequently, avoid gatherings with people not in your household, and stay home when ill. For more information about COVID-19, visit the KCHD website.
Source" Kane County Health Department News Release