Will and Kankakee counties could potentially see new coronavirus mitigation measures implemented next week after the area saw its rolling positivity rate reach 8% on Saturday.
According to data provided by the Illinois Department of Health, the two counties, which comprise Region 7 in the state’s coronavirus mitigation strategy, have seen their combined positivity rate on coronavirus testing go up from 6.7% on Aug. 12 to an even 8% on Saturday, with six consecutive days of increases in that number.
Under the IDPH’s “Restore Illinois” plan, any region that has a rolling positivity rate of 8% or higher for three consecutive days would then have coronavirus mitigation measures enacted.
Those measures include requiring bars and restaurants to close by 11 p.m. Bars would also be required to eliminate bar stools from their businesses, and all indoor tables would be required to reduce capacity to six or fewer people.
The same limitations would be applied to restaurants as well, with reservations required for all parties wishing to dine inside the establishments.
The legally mandated-maximum allowed size of gatherings would also be reduced to 25 people, or 25% of a room’s overall capacity. Party buses would also be banned under the restrictions, according to state health officials.
Those measures have already been implemented in Region 4, which includes counties adjacent to St. Louis in southwestern Illinois. That region exceeded the 8% threshold on Aug. 12, and the number has continued to increase, now sitting at 9.5% as of Saturday.
