Citing a downward trend in the COVID-19 positivity rate for the Metro East (Region 4), Governor Pritzker announced on Friday that the area would return to the same Phase 4 rules as most of the rest of Illinois. The area includes Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair, and Washington Counties.
Indoor dining and bar service, along with larger crowd size limits (50 people for gatherings) will resume. The region had been under harsher restrictions since mid-August, when IDPH reported the state’s positivity rate had surpassed 8%. The Governor had stated that restrictions would remain in place until the positivity rate dropped below 6.5% for three consecutive days, which it did on Friday.
Region 1, including much of Northern and Northwestern Illinois, remains under tightened restrictions. The region includes Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, and Winnebago Counties. The positivity rate for the area has been increasing slightly during the week and remains above 8%.
