The Marion County Health Department is reporting 33 new COVID-19 cases on Friday and no additional deaths. Of the 33 new cases, none were long term care residents. One was a student not at school during their infectious period. The department reports 28 of the cases are from community spread and five from households or…… Read more »
The Metro East Region has moved out of Tier 3 to the less restrictive Tier 2 mitigations. While Tier 2 doesn’t yet allow indoor seating for bars and restaurants, it does allow fitness classes, the return of lower-risk youth and recreational sports, and the reopening of cultural institutions such as museums at 25-percent capacity. Gaming…… Read more »
The Marion County Health Department is reporting one additional COVID-19 related death and 46 new positive cases over the weekend and Monday and Tuesday. The death was a man in his 60’s. He was the 106th COVID related death in Marion County since the pandemic began. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 4,318 new…… Read more »
Patoka School students in 6th through12th grade have gone on full remote learning for at least the rest of this week. Patoka School Superintendent David Rademacher says one junior high student and one senior high student tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. Both were in school Thursday and Friday of last week putting them into…… Read more »
The Southern Illinois Region that includes Marion, Jefferson, and Wayne Counties has moved to Phase 4 of the COVID-19 Restore Illinois Plan further relaxing mitigations. The move allows all businesses to be open with capacity limits. That includes bars and restaurants, cinema and theaters. All gatherings of 50 people or fewer are allowed. All outdoor…… Read more »
The positivity rate for COVID-19 continues to fall. The statewide rate for the past seven days is down to 5.9-percent on Monday. Most indicators across the three regions that include Southern Illinois also improved. The Southern Illinois Region fell to an even six-percent. Marion County’s rate fell to three-percent. Jefferson County’s rate increased slightly to…… Read more »
The variant COVID strain found in the United Kingdom is now being confirmed in Illinois. The new strain was first found in Colorado about two weeks ago and has been popping up in several other states and has now been confirmed in a Chicago patient. State Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike says it’s not…… Read more »
The Southern Illinois Region that includes Marion, Jefferson, and Wayne Counties and two others in North-Central and Northern Illinois are now able to lift a few COVID-19 mitigations, but no indoor seating for bars and restaurants is allowed yet. Governor JB Pritzker announced the move from Tier Three mitigations, the strictest COVID rules, to Tier…… Read more »
The Marion County Health Department is reporting 25 new cases of COVID-19, but no additional deaths on Thursday. The State Department of Public Health is reporting 6,652 new cases statewide and 88 additional deaths. A male in his 70s in Jefferson County and a female in her 70s and male in his 90s in Effingham…… Read more »
The Marion County Health Department is reporting one new COVID-19 related death and 36 new positive cases for Tuesday and Wednesday. The person who passed away was a female in her 70s. She was not a long term care resident. Marion County has now had 105 COVID-19 related deaths. The Illinois Department of Public Health…… Read more »