Governor Pritzker Moves Illinois from 4 Covid Regions to 11 COVID Regions

Governor Pritzker announced today that he is evolving the State’s COVID response by moving Illinois from four COVID regions to eleven COVID regions (based on the eleven EMS/hospital regions established by IDPH). The new COVID 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, 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

Governor Pritzker announced another evolution in Illinois’ COVID response – local mitigation plans. Local mitigation plans will allow the Governor’s response team to go into “hotspots” within in a region and work with local officials to develop region-specific response programs instead of forcing the entire region (or State) to transition back to Phase 3. The possible mitigations a region could face include restrictions on bars and restaurants, retail businesses, meetings, social events, religious gatherings, and team recreation – each category has three tiers of mitigation options.

The full range of mitigation plans can be viewed on the State of Illinois website.