IDPH Urging People to Stay Home, No Official Order from Governor

The James R. Thompson Center in Chicago.

The James R. Thompson Center in Chicago.

Wednesday, the Illinois Department of Public Health recommended the public stay home for the next three weeks.

COVID-19 positivity rates continue to skyrocket around the state, with all 11 of the regions in the Governor’s “Restore Illinois” plan now over a 12% positivity rate, as high as 18.3% in the northwest portion of the state, including Rockford, Galena, and DeKalb.

The tweet was a suggestion from public health officials, though Governor JB Pritzker has not instituted his “Phase 3” mitigations for any region, which would mirror much of his stay-at-home order from the spring.

Two Illinois counties, Alexander in southern Illinois and Boone in northern Illinois, are reporting positivity rates over 20%.

Pritzker did not brief the media Wednesday due to the Veteran’s Day holiday, but is expected to speak at 2:30 Thursday afternoon.

NewsPatrick Pfingsten