Private Prom Attendees Should Quarantine: Health Department

WILL COUNTY, IL — After higher positivity rates and an out-of-state gathering of county residents, the Will County Health Department is reminding the public that the coronavirus pandemic is "far from over," a release states. The health department also advised that those who attended a private prom in Indiana organized by Lincoln-Way East graduates should quarantine themselves.

The health department said Illinois has been seeing an uptick of cases since July 4, and a contributing factor is the relaxing of social distancing and mask-wearing, and large gatherings taking place.

Region 7, which includes Will and Kankakee counties, has showed a seven-day run of positivity rate increases as of Thursday, according to the health department. A six-day positivity rate increase was also shown for all Illinois zones outside the city of Chicago.

WCHD Executive Director Sue Olenek said in a release that this is an absolute indication that Will County, and the entire state of Illinois, must be on alert and must observe precautions that have been discussed since the start of the pandemic.

“We all need to do our part and heed to the precautions if we want to see better results," Olenek said. "When socializing and congregating started to creep back up around July 4th, people began to relax and forget about observing social distancing and being fully masked while in public. If we do not want to go back to the 'stay at home' order, we need to follow these precautions seriously at all times."

The health department said contact tracers spoke to residents from the Frankfort area who had tested positive for the coronavirus and discovered they had attended a gathering in Indiana.

The gathering was a private prom in Hobart, Indiana, organized by Lincoln-Way East graduates. The health department said it discovered that up to 270 people, including high school age students and chaperones, had attended the event.

WCHD epidemiologist Alpesh Patel said in a release that the first priority here is making sure everyone who did attend the event does the right thing.

“If you are symptomatic (such as with the commonly recognized fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, sore throat), you need to isolate yourself immediately and get tested," Patel said. "If you are not symptomatic but attended this event, it is absolutely necessary to quarantine yourself for 14 days and self-monitor for the symptoms, including taking your temperature at least three times daily."

The second priority here, Patel said, is to take this incident as a serious lesson that the advice given by health experts during this pandemic must, as Olenek stated, continue to be followed and taken seriously.

“We have people finding their ways to events, out of town or out of state, where the important precautions are not being observed. You need to avoid any gatherings where social distancing cannot be practiced because it is simply impossible, and proper protection, such as the wearing of masks, is being ignored," Patel said.

“We continue to tell people DO NOT HOST these types of events, and that parents need to be more careful about allowing their kids to attend such events. Parents need to look out for lapses of good judgment, especially at times like this.”

Patel said it is also important for businesses to follow precautions, not just in the workplace but away from it as well.

“This is no time for businesses to be engaging in outings on a waterfront, or any situation where social distancing and protection will not be taken seriously. The information is out there, but many people are falling victim to denial about what is going on. We must continue to follow the logical advice about preventing COVID-19 that has been there from that start. You must still avoid unnecessary outings, observe social distancing, wear your masks, and maintain proper hand hygiene.”

Patel added that he does not see a vaccine being available to the public until early 2021.

"We have a lot more work to do. It is simply not ready. So in the meantime, it’s a constant truth that we must do our part, and take all precautions, to minimize transmission as much as possible.”

As of Thursday, Will County had 8,417 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, and 338 county residents have died.