Two of Aurora’s four counties are on the State’s COVID-19 Watch List for increasing COVID-19 metrics. Both Kane and Will Counties were added to the list last weekend.
The Illinois Department of Public Health Watch List designation occurs when two of the eight metrics identified by the State reach the warning level. For Kane County, the two measures above the set threshold include the new case rate and number of deaths. For Will County, the two measures are the new case rate and emergency room visits.
The target case rate over a seven-day rolling basis is 50 new cases per 100,000:
• Kane County is recording about 105 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000.
• Will County is recording about 93 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000.
For Kane County, there were seven deaths reported last week, up from five the previous week and four the prior week. The warning level for this measure occurs when there are two consecutive weeks with more than a 20% increase.
For Will County, approximately 5.8% of emergency room visits are for COVID-19-like illness. The State agency target for counties is for that percentage to be decreasing or stable.
More is at www.dph.illinois.gov/countymetrics.
If a county continues to increase in the metric categories, the entire county could be returned to more restrictive rules, as we experienced previously, as part of the mitigation plan, including:
• Reduction or suspension of indoor or in-person dining at bars and restaurants;
• Even stricter limits for public gatherings;
• Reduction or suspension of athletics, gyms, and other recreational activities;
• Reduction or suspension of in-person visits to retail stores, including barbershops and beauty salons.
• Ultimately, businesses could suffer irreparable damages and social lives will be heavily impacted.
We must all work together to fight the resurgence of COVID-19 in our community with these practices:
• Wear face masks in the public. Period.
• Watch your distance from others.
• Wash your hands and use hand sanitizer.
• Stop attending and/or being host to large gatherings
• Businesses: Strictly enforce the wearing of masks in your establishments.
• The Kane County Health Department will augment its ability to respond to resident concerns about businesses that may not be taking steps to protect customers and employees. Residents can report their concerns by calling 630-208-3801 or send to COVIDConcerns@co.kane.il.us.
—City of Aurora government