Illinois COVID Update: IL reports 2,312 new coronavirus cases, 16 deaths; Will, Kankakee counties enter Phase 4

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Illinois health officials reported 2,312 new COVID-19 cases and 16 deaths Monday as restrictions were rolled back in south suburban Will and Kankakee counties.

The total number of cases in Illinois now stands at 1,128,613, with a total of 19,259 deaths, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 61,263 specimens for a total of 16,100,555.

Will, Kankakee counties enter Phase 4

Will and Kankakee counties officially entered Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan Monday, rolling back some of the state's strict guidelines that have been in place for months.

As of Feb. 1, select indoor recreation facilities like bowling alleys and skating rinks can operate at 50% capacity.

Jeff Bailey, the manager at Town and Country Lanes in Joliet, said he is looking forward to allowing more customers inside, which will also boost sales.

"We are very excited about the future and optimistic about how things are going in the state," Bailey said, adding that the family-owned business has strict safety guidelines.

The Phase 4 guidelines also impact restaurants and bars. Indoor dining and drinking are now permitted for parties of up to 10 people. All tables should be 6 feet apart, but barriers can be installed to help safely separate seating. Museums are capped at 25 percent capacity. Also, seated theaters, cinemas, and performing art centers can welcome back up to 50 customers.

"While 50 is not 'woohoo,' it is still better than zero, which we have been at for a long time," said Valerie Devine, with Rialto Square Theatre.

Will and Kankakee County had to hit specific markers to move into Phase 4.

"This is a good step," said Steve Brandy, with the Will County Health Department. "Everyone was tired of hearing tiers 1, 2, 3, but let's make sure we do not have to hear this again."

The Will County Health Department wants to remind people there is still much more work that needs to be done.

RELATED: Illinois COVID vaccine map shows how many residents vaccinated by county

As of Sunday night, 2,387 patients in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 515 patients were in the ICU and 278 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from Jan. 25-31 is 4.9%.

RELATED: Illinois coronavirus testing: Where to get tested for COVID-19 in Illinois, Chicago area

The test positivity rate is a metric the state began providing in late October. It is calculated by using the total number of positive tests over the total number of tests. This is the metric being used to by state health officials to make decisions about mitigations.

A total of 1,333,475 doses of vaccine have been delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago, with an additional 496,100 doses allocated to federal government partners for long-term care facilities, bringing the total number delivered in Illinois to 1,829,575.

IDPH reports that a total of 996,410 vaccine doses have been administered, including 156,872 at long-term facilities. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered is 43,378 .

The IDPH says that vaccine distribution numbers are reported in real-time and vaccine administration numbers lag by as much as 72 hours.

Find out how many people may get a COVID-19 vaccine before you

The deaths reported Monday include:

-Christian County: 1 male 70s

-Cook County: 1 male 40s, 2 males 50s, 2 males 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s, 2 males 80s, 3 males 90s

-Grundy County: 1 female 70s

-Putnam County: 1 male 60s