Illinois Set to Expand Reopening as Cases Drop 76% From Peak

(Bloomberg) -- Illinois is poised to expand its reopening on Friday to allow more business and leisure activities after a dramatic drop in its coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths from the peak, Governor J.B. Pritzker said Thursday.

All four regions of Illinois are moving into phase four of its five-part reopening plan, allowing movie theaters, zoos, museums, child care centers, health and fitness centers to open or expand services. Indoor dining at restaurants and bars also will resume under department of health guidelines with certain capacity limitations.

Illinois reported 894 cases on Thursday, and 41 deaths with a seven-day average positivity rate of 3%, down from 12% a month earlier, according to state department of public health data. The state’s daily rate of Covid-19 cases is down 76% from the peak while deaths are down 65% from a high six weeks ago, Pritzker said. He credited Illinois’s gradual reopening and residents largely abiding by social distancing measures and following recommendations to wash hands and wear masks.

“It’s because of the people of Illinois that we’re seeing a trajectory of success where other parts of the country are not,” Pritzker said during a press conference. “We’ve seen what’s happened in other states that have allowed politics or short-term thinking to drive decision-making.”

The improvement in Illinois contrasts with other parts of the country that are seeing a surge in cases and hospitalizations. Texas paused its reopening with elective surgeries suspended as Houston’s intensive-care wards reached full capacity. Arizona’s new infections increased at double the weekly average, and Florida reported infections rose more than the one-week trend.

“Many other states are now seeing significant increases in cases, hospitalizations and intensive care bed usage, and they are being forced to move backward and stay at home,” Pritzker said. “That’s not the story in Illinois.”

Illinois is being “touted” nationally as a state that’s “getting it right” but Covid-19 is still present, and the state’s residents must continue the steps taken that helped bring the numbers down, Ngozi Ezike, director of Illinois Department of Public Health, said Thursday. Pritzker added that he’s not afraid to roll back the reopening if Illinois experiences a spike in cases. He’d consider pausing elective surgeries like Texas has done.

“We expect the journey ahead to be difficult,” Pritzker said. “There are many more opportunities for the spread of Covid-19. The virus hasn’t gone away.”

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