SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — After Sunday’s announcement Region Two had advanced to tier one COVID-19 mitigation level, the Illinois Department of Public Health turned its attention Monday towards what happens next.
After a region reaches tier one, the next step is a return to phase four of the Restore Illinois plan.
For a respective region to graduate back to phase four, three things must happen.
The region’s test positivity rate must be less than 6.5% for three consecutive days, as measured by the seven-day rolling average, while there must be an intensive care bed availability greater than or equal to 20%, and there can be no sustained increase in the number of COVID patients in hospitals for seven out of 10 days, on a seven-day average.
Region Two on Monday was at a 7.2% positivity rate. ICU bed capacity within the region was at 27%, the 11th consecutive day of an availability greater than 20%.
Additionally, the region had reached 10 straight days of a decrease in the number of COVID patients in hospitals.
Regions Three (Springfield) and Five (Carbondale) as of Monday had been allowed to advance to phase four.
