Positivity Rate Explodes In Region 8 After Weeks Of Restrictions

KANE COUNTY, IL — Public health officials imposed new restrictions last month on bars and restaurants in Kane and DuPage counties to bring down the region’s positivity rate. But two weeks later, it’s higher than ever.

Kane County’s positivity rate on Friday hit 16 percent — twice as high as the state’s 8 percent threshold for new restrictions and nearly 10 percentage points higher than it has to be for restrictions to be removed.

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DuPage County’s positivity rate has also surged during the two weeks it’s been under restrictions. The county’s rate was 8.4 percent Oct. 23, the day new mitigations took effect. As of Friday, it was 12.4 percent, according to statistics from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The positivity rate in Region 8 — made up of Kane and DuPage counties — stood at 13.7 percent Friday after growing each of the past dozen days, public health data shows.

In addition to the quickly growing positivity rate, the number of people newly hospitalized every day with COVID-19 symptoms in Kane and DuPage counties rose by over 27 percent in a week, according to public health data.

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At 13.7 percent, the region's positivity rate is more than twice as high as it less than a month ago (6.7 percent on Oct. 11), according to the state’s data.

Public health officials imposed restrictions last month after Region 8 recorded a positivity rate above 8 percent for three days in a row.

Region 8 is set to get new restrictions Wednesday, with trends quickly going the wrong way despite two weeks of increased mitigations.

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Officials have said they would remove additional restrictions when the region records positivity rates under 6.5 percent for three days in a row. However, they have promised to impose more restrictions if the regional positivity rate remains above 8 percent after 14 days with additional mitigations.

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As of Friday, Region 8 had recorded a positivity rate above 8 percent for 15 days with mitigations in place. Testing data is not made available for several days.

Current “Tier 1” restrictions ban indoor service at bars and restaurants and limit social gatherings to 25 people. “Tier 2” restrictions that start Wednesday will limit party sizes for outdoor dining to six people instead of 10.

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Gatherings, both indoor and outdoor, will be limited to 10 people, though that does not apply to students learning in person or to sports.

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Groups participating in organized recreational activities will also be limited to 10 people, but that restriction does not apply to fitness centers, according to the IDPH's plan.

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As of Monday, Kane County reported 22,579 confirmed cases and 363 deaths, while DuPage County has reported 30,977 total cases and 642 deaths, public health data shows.

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