All of Illinois is now under heightened mitigations imposed by the state to slow the spread of coronavirus as new restrictions began in Region 2 Wednesday.
Region 2, located in the western portion of Illinois, saw enhanced coronavirus mitigations put into place after reporting a positivity rate of more than 8% for three consecutive days.
With that, all 11 health care regions in the state of Illinois are now operating under enhanced mitigation rules as a result of elevated positivity rates and hospitalizations.
Region 2 includes Rock Island, Henry, Bureau, Putnam, Kendall, Grundy, Mercer, Knox, Henderson, Warren, McDonough, Fulton, Stark, Marshall, Peoria, Tazwell, McLean, Woodford, Livingston and LaSalle counties.
Under the new rules, all indoor dining and bar service will be suspended for at least two weeks, with gathering sizes now limited to 50 or fewer people.
“I know that the vast majority of people in this state want to keep themselves safe, their families and children safe, their parents, neighbors and friends,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement. “As cases, hospitalizations and deaths are rising across our state, across the Midwest and across the nation, we have to act responsibly and collectively to protect the people we love.”
Currently, nine other regions in the state are operating under the same restrictions as Region 2, with Region 1 operating under a second tier of restrictions in the northwestern corner of the state. There, gathering sizes are limited even further, with 10 or fewer people allowed to congregate, according to health officials.
