Some Illinois Regions could see some COVID-19 mitigations lifted by Jan. 15, if they meet criteria set forth by IDPH.
In the Jan. 6 COVID-19 press conference, Gov. JB Pritzker said that the state will wait 14 days, one incubation period from New Year’s Day, before making a decision on which regions will be able to move out of Tier 3.
“Since Nov. 30, I have maintained – at the advice of Dr. [Anthony] Fauci, the [Illinois Department of Public Health] and other infectious disease experts – that it would be unwise to downgrade any region from our current Tier Three mitigations while in the holiday season, when people were particularly prone to gather in multi-family groups and do it without masks – the things that could deliver the worrisome ‘surge upon a surge,'” Pritzker said during an update on the state’s coronavirus response.
“I’m cautiously optimistic as there are some early signs indicating that some regions have made real progress and won’t reverse that progress this week or next,” Pritzker said.
A region can move to Tier 2 mitigations if it sees a test positivity rate less than 12-percent for three consecutive days and more than 20% of ICU and hospital beds are available, as well as declining COVID-19 hospitalizations in seven of the previous 10 days.
Currently Region 6, covering Champaign, Douglas, Ford, Piatt and Vermilion counties meets two of the state’s criteria for advancing to Tier 2: a test positivity rate of less than 12 percent for three consecutive days; greater than 20 percent available intensive care unit and hospital bed availability.
But the region is experiencing a seven-day increase of COVID hospitalizations, according the IDPH website.
Regions 1, 3, 7 and 10 are currently meeting the criteria to move to another Tier.
All of Illinois have been under Tier 3 mitigations since Nov. 20
