Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned Monday that Illinois could be in the predicted second wave of the coronavirus pandemic as cases surge in all regions across the state.
"Experts have predicted for months that the country could see a resurgence of the virus as temperatures get colder and more people spend more time inside," Pritzker said. "Here in Illinois, it looks like a new wave could be upon us."
Pritzker said every region of the state has started to move "in the wrong direction," as cases, positvity rates, hospitalizations and deaths increase throughout Illinois.
According to data available through the Illinois Department of Public Health, Region 5, located in southeastern Illinois, has exceeded the 8% threshold for its seven-day positivity rate for three consecutive days. The region currently sits at 9.1%.
Pritzker said that the region will see new coronavirus mitigation standards put into place on Thursday, including a prohibition on indoor dining and bar service.
Region 7, comprised of Will and Kankakee counties, and Region 8, home to Kane and DuPage counties, could have heightened mitigations added as soon as Tuesday.
Region 1, located in northwestern Illinois, is already under enhanced mitigation rules, but has seen its positivity rate climb to an alarming 11.1% in recent days.
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The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 3,113 new cases of coronavirus Monday, along with 22 additional deaths.
In all, 347,161 cases of the virus have been confirmed in the state during the pandemic.
Monday's additional deaths bring the total number of coronavirus-related fatalities to 9,236.
The state’s seven-day positivity rate increased once again, going up to 5.4%. That number is the highest the state has reported since early June, and comes as the state has reported nearly 25,000 cases last week, the highest seven-day total since the pandemic began.
In light of the recent coronavirus surge, Pritzker announced that he and Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike will resume daily coronavirus briefings.
Pritzker had delivered daily updates early on in the pandemic, but those updates were reduced to weekly briefings over the summer "as Illinois began to see relative success in keeping this virus at bay."
