PEORIA, Ill. — While local leaders said Thursday the Peoria region will not immediately be moved back to phase three of Restore Illinois, they did hint more stringent efforts to prevent further spread of the coronavirus will be forthcoming.
The area’s 28-day rolling hospitalization rate from COVID-19 rose all the way to a positive 33%. A region must remain in the negative numbers of that metric in order to be in no danger of being moved back a phase.
Peoria City/County Health Department Administrator Monica Hendrickson explained why the mitigation plan introduced Wednesday by Gov. J.B. Pritzker spared Peoria region from being kicked back to phase three.
“Between phase three and phase four, you are seeing where that mitigation plan kind of sits,” she said.
“So, it really is a way for us to assess ourselves and kind of stay within phase four without necessarily having to go all the way back to phase three. So, I think it kind of is a layer within there.
“There are three tiers, so I would say when you look at tier three, if you’re at a point where you’re doing all of tier three intervention, you’re very much at the cusp of going back to phase three.”
But just because the area was spared from going back to the restrictions phase three carries doesn’t mean action will not be taken.
“We are dangerously close to having to take a step back,” said Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis.
“Our business community cannot afford that.”
Ardis said spot checks by police of bars and restaurants could be on the docket.
The area broke the millennium mark of cases, with 1,026.
Additionally, the tri-county mourned the death of a Woodford County resident in their 50s, marking the third county death and the area’s 40th. This resident did not live at a long-term care facility.
Peoria County’s count sat at 771, with 517 fully recovered. 214 cases were in home isolation, while 11 sat in area hospitals.
Tazewell County ‘s total count since the start of the pandemic rose to 197. 151 were considered to be recovered, while 37 patients were in home isolation, and one person was hospitalized.
69% of patients were considered fully recovered.
A little over a quarter, 25.7%, were in home isolation. 1.4% were hospitalized.
Two people were in area intensive care units for potential COVID cases. Four cases in ICUs were confirmed.
21 non-ICU beds were being occupied.
