IL Will Not Be 'Downgraded' From Tier 3 Mitigations: Pritzker

ILLINOIS — Although the statewide coronavirus metrics have seemed promising over the past few days, Illinois will continue to operate under Gov. J.B. Pritzker's Tier 3 mitigations.

The dip in the number of cases in Illinois over the last few days comes as "we see are seeing a near-record high numbers of hospitalizations," Pritzker said during his Monday news conference, meaning that the state's ability to handle any new surge in COVID-19 patients is still limited.

"We had hoped to see more progress in lowering hospitalizations by now," he said. "The challenge we face was highlighted over the weekend by Dr. Anthony Fauci, who offered a bleak outlook and a warning that over the next two or three weeks we may see a surge upon a surge related to the holidays."

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The number of patients fighting COVID-19 in the hospitals still eclipses Illinois' spring peak by 23 percent.

"With the advice of IDPH and other infectious disease experts, no region will be downgraded from our current Tier 3 mitigations for the next few weeks, even if they might be on track to meet those metrics," Pritzker said.

Fauci told Pritzker that the massive number of indoor gatherings due to people visiting family across the nation will very likely bring a post-Thanksgiving surge, and he believes this is no time to pull back on mitigations.

"The hope now is that we can fend off the surge in the next few weeks to get to a healthier holiday time in the latter half of December," Pritzker said. "Our collective prayer is that everyone stays healthy and that the numbers continue its downward trajectory. I ask the public to join us in making that prayer come true."