Illinois COVID-19 Update: Renewed calls to lift indoor dining restrictions as IL reports 6,652 new cases, 88 deaths
Illinois House members, staff told to self-quarantine after someone at BoS Center tests positive for COVID-19
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Illinois health officials reported 6,652 new COVID-19 cases and 88 deaths Thursday.
The total number of cases in Illinois now stands at 1,052,682, with a total of 17,928 deaths, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Will, Kankakee counties could move down to Tier 3 Friday
Will and Kankakee counties are close to meeting the metrics to be able to come down from Tier 3 mitigations as early as Friday. But even so, indoor dining wouldn't allowed and there are renewed calls to change that.
At the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet where all but three staffers have had to be furloughed, any loosening of restrictions is welcome.
"It's a step in the right direction," said Val Devine, executive director at Rialto Square Theatre. "We're not going backwards, so you know, high five to us."
But for the Rialto, there's a catch.
Moving from Tier 3 down to Tier 2 allows theaters to reopen, but the still-strict capacity rules would make it a money-loser.
"Unless I'm charging $500 a ticket," Devine said. "That's not how we structure our shows and their profitability."
In addition to theaters reopening, Tier 2 allows indoor finesses classes to resume, as well as museums, casinos and bowling alleys to operate again.
However, in Will County several bowling alleys, including Strike N Spare II in Lockport, have been open for some time to organized groups in defiance of regulations.
"The majority of your tournament and league bowlers have their own equipment. They have their own shoes, so they're not sharing the equipment and they're not sharing shoes like the general public is," said Chris Watson, the general manager at Strike N Spare II.
Indoor dining and bar service are not allowed in Tier 2, or even in Tier 1, and with the holidays behind us, there are renewed calls to lift that restriction.
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"I feel very strongly that we are very close to a point where we should be talking about opening up bars and restaurants," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.
Illinois House members, staff told to self-quarantine
Members of the Illinois House of Representatives and staff were told to self-quarantine if they were at the Bank of Springfield Center on Thursday after someone who was at the facility tested positive for COVID-19.
"I've been notified of a positive COVID-19 from the BoS Center. All members and staff who were at the BoS Center today, or around someone who was, should self-quarantine. I'm awaiting more specific information and instructions from DPH and will share them ASAP," Jessica Basham, the chief of staff to the new House speaker, Emanuel "Chris" Welch, said in an email.
Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 118,036 specimens for a total 14,457,620.
As of Tuesday night, 3,511 patients in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 742 patients were in the ICU and 382 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
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The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from Jan. 7 - 13 is 8.0%.
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.
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As of Wednesday night, 704,225 doses of vaccine have been delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago, with an additional 268,525 doses allocated to federal government partners for long-term care facilities, bringing the total number delivered in Illinois to 972,750.
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IDPH reports that a total of 414,296 vaccine doses, including 51,891 at long-term facilities. The 7-day rolling average of vaccines administered is 26,703 .
The IDPH says that vaccine distribution numbers are reported in real-time and vaccine administration numbers lag by as much as 72 hours.
Deaths reported Thursday include:
- Adams County: 1 male 70s, 2 males 80s, 3 females 90s
- Bond County: 1 male 80s
- Bureau County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
- Clark County: 1 female 70s
- Cook County: 1 male 50s, 3 females 60s, 1 male 60s, 4 females 70s, 2 males 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- DeWitt County: 1 female 70s
- Douglas County: 1 male 90s
- DuPage County: 1 male 60s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Edgar County: 1 male 70s
- Effingham County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 90s
- Franklin County: 1 male 70s
- Fulton County: 1 female 90s
- Henry County: 1 male 80s
- Jefferson County: 1 male 70s
- Kane County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s
- Kankakee County: 1 male 80s
- Knox County: 1 female 60s
- Lake County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 female 90s
- LaSalle County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 90s
- Livingston County: 1 female 80s
- Macon County: 1 female 80s
- Madison County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 60s, 1 male 70s
- McHenry County: 2 females 80s
- McLean County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Mercer County: 1 male 80s
- Monroe County: 1 male 70s
- Ogle County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Peoria County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 90s
- Piatt County: 1 female 90s
- Pike County: 1 male 70s
- Richland County: 1 male 70s
- Rock Island County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 60s, 1 male 80s
- Sangamon County: 2 females 80s
- St. Clair County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s
- Tazewell County: 1 male 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s
- Vermilion County: 1 female 70s
- Warren County: 1 female 80s
- Will County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 2 females 80s
- Winnebago County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 90s
