Actions to Combat a Resurgence of COVID-19

From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois has followed the science and listened to public health experts to keep people safe.

After bending the curve in the spring, Illinois achieved relatively low rates of community spread and hospitalizations in the summer. But amid a nationwide surge, every region of Illinois saw an increase in cases and hospitalizations in the fall, which triggered the regional tiered mitigations outlined in this plan.

As the surge became more severe here in Illinois and across the nation, Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health moved all 11 regions into Tier 3 mitigations, effective November 20, 2020. At the advice of public health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the mitigations remained in place over the holidays to prevent a “surge upon a surge.” With some regions now beginning to make progress, Governor Pritzker announced that any region that has met the metrics for a reduction of mitigations will be able to move out of Tier 3 to less restrictive tiers beginning January 15, 2021.

By operating with consistent and meaningful mitigations throughout the holiday season, Illinois has saved lives, brought down community risk, and set ourselves up to safely reduce these mitigations. This approach has allowed the state to be in its strongest position to combat the virus since the pandemic began, as the administration prepares to proceed with Phase 1B of Illinois' vaccine distribution plan. Illinois also continues to build upon its nation-leading testing operation, surpassing more than 100,000 tests per day. This plan accounts for months of additional research as public health experts reach a greater scientific understanding of this virus. Ultimately, as conditions continue to improve, IDPH will re-classify regions to Tier 2, Tier 1, and back to Phase 4 as they meet the necessary metrics.

Resurgence Mitigation Plan:

Tier 1 Resurgence Mitigations:

Tier 2 Resurgence Mitigations:

Mitigations will be applied or deliberately lifted on a regional basis based on the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Regions that have traditionally guided IDPH in its statewide public health work, allowing for a more granular approach. These regions follow county lines to account for counties that are in more than one region of the EMS system. The 11 regions are as follows:

NORTH: Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, Winnebago
NORTH-CENTRAL: Bureau, Fulton, Grundy, Henderson, Henry, Kendall, Knox, La Salle, Livingston, Marshall, McDonough, McLean, Mercer, Peoria, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Tazewell, Warren, Woodford
WEST-CENTRAL: Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Christian, Greene, Hancock, Jersey, Logan, Macoupin, Mason, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan, Pike, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott
METRO EAST: Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair, Washington
SOUTHERN: Alexander, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Marion, Massac, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Saline, Union, Wabash, Wayne, White, Williamson
EAST-CENTRAL: Champaign, Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, De Witt, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Iroquois, Jasper, Lawrence, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt, Richland, Shelby, Vermillion
SOUTH SUBURBAN: Kankakee, Will
WEST SUBURBAN: DuPage, Kane
NORTH SUBURBAN: Lake, McHenry
SUBURBAN COOK: Suburban Cook
CHICAGO: City of Chicago

All public health criteria included in this document are subject to change. As research and data on this novel coronavirus continue to develop, this plan can and will be updated to reflect the latest science and data.