Governor JB Pritzker says expanding the number of regions for tracking COVID-19 will allow the state to take a more "surgical approach" when responding to outbreaks. The new plan, announced Wednesday, breaks the state into 11 regions. Those regions largely mirror the state's Emergency Medical Services regions.
In addition, Pritzker says new guidelines will allow health officials in each region and at the state level to put new restrictions in place where there are outbreaks of COVID-19, with new metrics guiding when those rules will be addressed.
"We're focusing on detecting and mitigating localized outbreaks by working with municipalities and counties, to take targeted steps to contain outbreaks," Pritzker said.
He says when positivity rates go up dramatically, or when hospitalizations rise or capacity dips, specific regions could see a move back to stricter restrictions on bars and restaurants, as well as other activities.
