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COVID-19 Cases Rising Downstate

Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike

Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise in Illinois, leading Gov.  J.B. Pritzker to say some regions of the state could be facing new restrictions on bars and restaurants.  That could mean a rolling back of the state allowing indoor dining.  

Pritzker pointed to a pair new statewide COVID-19  infection trends: the largest number of new cases are occurring in young people, especially those in their twenties, and among people located downstate.  
His concerns were echoed by state Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike, who says the number of cases statewide is trending upward, and positivity rates have increased throughout the state.

The numbers still aren’t as high as they were in April and May.  But Ezike says wearing masks and keeping a distance from others would help reduce the trend.

”If we don't take further steps to reduce the spread of the virus, our numbers will continue to go up, and we will be right back where we were just a few months ago,” she said.

There is also concern about the virus spreading as many schools are getting ready to re-open.

“The percentage of the population contracting COVID-19 outside of the Chicago region has dramatically increased,” Pritzker said.

Maureen Foertsch McKinney is news editor and equity and justice beat reporter for NPR Illinois, where she has been on the staff since 2014 after Illinois Issues magazine’s merger with the station. She joined the magazine’s staff in 1998 as projects editor and became managing editor in 2003. Prior to coming to the University of Illinois Springfield, she was an education reporter and copy editor at three local newspapers, including the suburban Chicago Daily Herald, She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Eastern Illinois University and a master’s degree in English from UIS.
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