Will-Kankakee Region: Mitigations Could Be Lifted Within 2 Days

WILL COUNTY, IL — Additional mitigations may soon be lifted for Region 7, as the region's positivity rate has fallen below the state's 6.5 percent benchmark.

"Last week, I said that I was hopeful that region 7, that is Will and Kankakee counties, might become a testament to a community's ability to turn their ship around," Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a news conference Wednesday. "I'm very happy to say my hopefulness hasn't been unwarranted. Yesterday, region 7 brought its rolling 7-day average below 7.0 for the first times in weeks. Today, that number sits at 6.4 percent; the first day below our 6.5 percent benchmark, indicating a reduced severity of community spread."

The Illinois Department of Public Health will continue to watch the rate, and if the rate stays below 6.5 percent for three days, the resurgence mitigations will be lifted, Pritzker said.

The mitigations were first put in place on Aug. 26, when the region hit 8 percent for its test positivity rate. If mitigations are lifted, indoor dining in Will and Kankakee counties could resume.

Will County was also removed from "warning level," after being at that level from IDPH for several weeks.

According to the IDPH website, the most recent data shows region 7 has 35 percent of med/surg beds available and 38 percent of ICU beds available.