Governor Announces New Regions in the Fight Against Coronavirus

Governor J.B. Pritzker announced a new plan to help prevent a resurgence of COVID-19 in Illinois. Under the plan, the state is now divided in to 11 regions and new metrics will determine if the virus is becoming a big problem in a specific area. If that happens, there may be restrictions placed in that region on bars, restaurants, recreational activities and salons again according to Pritzker.

The metrics include sustained increases in cases and hospital admissions, as well as localized outbreaks. Mitigations will be applied on a regional basis based on the Emergency Medical Services Regions that have traditionally guided IDPH in its statewide public health work. Expanding to 11 regions allows for a more granular approach in this phase of the response to COVID-19. The new regions follow county lines to account for counties that are in more than one region of the EMS system.

The new regions are:

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

A map of the resurgence plan regions will be available on the state’s coronavirus website: https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/.