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 With a new wave of COVID-19 surging across the
state of Illinois, the Midwest and the nation, Governor JB Pritzker
and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced
additional COVID-19 resurgence mitigations will take effect in every
region across the state in an attempt to slow the spread of the
virus. Tier 3 mitigations build on the Resurgence Mitigation Plan
released in July to suppress the spread of the virus and prevent
hospitals from becoming overrun. This latest round of mitigations
aims to limit gatherings and encourages residents to stay home as
much as possible and follow proper safety measures when out in
public. The mitigations carefully balance the paramount goal of
saving lives while preserving the option for in-person learning for
children and protecting as much of the economy as possible from the
continued impacts of the virus.
The Tier 3 resurgence mitigations will take effect statewide at
12:01 am on Friday, November 20, 2020.
“To stop this spread and preserve some semblance of the holidays,
all of us need to do more than just wear our masks now – though
masks are mandatory throughout the state. The simple fact is that
COVID-19 is spreading so quickly and so widely, and our hospitals
are beginning to experience real strain and at the current infection
rate they will be overwhelmed. So whenever possible, we need you to
stay home,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I’m hopeful that by limiting
our in-person interactions, we will succeed at avoiding a stay at
home order like what we had in the spring – when the choice between
saving lives and saving livelihoods was even more stark. Tier 3 may
allow us to do both. Like in other states like Michigan and
California and Washington, it’s our best effort to avoid a
stay-at-home order and save lives.”
The first tiers of the Resurgence Mitigation Plan initially
suppressed the virus and protected the progress Illinois made
towards bending the curve during the Spring, while allowing each of
the state’s eleven regions to progress through the phases based on
local metrics. But with COVID-19 spread now exponential in every
region of the state, our statewide positivity rate at record highs
and hospitalizations already surpassing our Spring peak, an
additional tier of more stringent, statewide mitigations is required
to combat the surge and preserve hospital capacity.
“There is no denying that the state is headed in the wrong direction
with increased cases, hospitalizations, and deaths,” said IDPH
Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “There also is no denying that reducing
the opportunities for the virus to spread can reverse our direction.
This includes staying home as much as possible, wearing a mask and
keeping social distance when we do have to go out, and not gathering
with people outside our households. Until a vaccine is widely
available and people understand the importance of being vaccinated,
we must continue to take preventive actions to stop the transmission
of the virus. Right now, our preventive actions are the best way to
prevent new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.”
While this latest round of mitigations does not include a stay at
home order, if the mitigations are not adhered to and cases continue
to rise in the weeks ahead, another order may be required.
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 For
all regions, additional mitigation measures taking effect Friday,
November 20th include guidance for the following settings and
industries:
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Retail
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Personal Car Services
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Health and Fitness Centers
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Hotels
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Manufacturing
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Bars and Restaurants
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Meetings and Social Events
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Offices
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Organized Group Recreational Activities
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Indoor Recreation, Theater, Cultural Institutions
As they have since the start of COVID-19, grocery
stores across the state will remain open and available. Child care
facilities may continue to operate subject to guidelines from the
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. School
districts and officials should continue to follow the extensive
guidance released by the Illinois State Board of Education in August
to make decisions related to in-person and remote learning at the
local level.
To prevent the further spread of COVID-19, Illinois residents are
urged to stay home as much as possible and celebrate upcoming
holidays with members of their household. Illinoisans over the age
of two years are required to wear a face covering when out in public
and social distancing is not easily achievable. Anyone exhibiting
symptoms of COVID-19 or who may have been in contact with someone
exhibiting symptoms should seek out testing and quarantine at home;
anyone who has tested positive for the virus should isolate at home
as directed by their physician or local health department.
IDPH will continue to track the positivity rates and hospital
capacity metrics in regions over a 14-day monitoring periods to
determine if mitigations can be relaxed, if additional mitigations
are required, or if current mitigation should remain in place. In
order for a region to move back to Tier 2 mitigations, a region must
experience less than 7-day 12 percent test positivity average for
three consecutive days AND greater than 20 percent available
intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital bed availability for three
consecutive days AND declining 7-day COVID hospitalizations average
in 7 out of the last 10 days. Follow the latest regional metrics at:
https://dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics
In response to the rising test positivity rate statewide, the
administration continues to strengthen its nation-leading testing
operation. Last week, the state reported a record high of 114,370
tests within a 24-hour period, now averaging more than 97,800 tests
per day. Although the administration continues to build upon this
progress, the state’s rate of growth in positivity is outpacing the
growth in testing. It is critical to get tested before developing
symptoms, as testing remains free to all Illinois residents and
readily available throughout the state. To find a testing center
near you, please visit DPH.Illinois.Gov/Testing.
Tier Three Mitigation Guidelines - Pdf
[Office of the Governor JB Pritzker] |
