Coronavirus Stay-At-Home Advisory Issued For Suburban Cook County

COOK COUNTY, IL — Public health officials Friday issued a stay-at-home advisory for suburban Cook County, asking everyone in the county to avoid non-essential activities for the next month.

"Now more than ever, we must come together to stay apart," Dr. Rachel Rubin, senior medical officer at the Cook County Department of Public Health, said in a statement. "We know limiting gatherings with friends and family can be hard, but we also know that virtual celebrations save lives."

The latest advisory aligns with the stay-at-home guidance issued Thursday by the city of Chicago. On Wednesday, the Illinois Department of Public Health urged everyone in the state to stay at home as much as possible for the next three weeks.

The Cook County Department of Public Health recommendation takes effect Monday and will last at least 30 days, department officials said.

"This guidance is in alignment with the State of Illinois, and in accordance with public health science," according to a statement announcing the advisory.

"As much as possible, please refrain from attending or hosting gatherings with people who do not live in your household," it asked. "As much as possible, do not engage in any non-essential travel, including vacations or trips to visit relatives or friends."

Employers should allow all workers to work from home if they are able to do so, and residents should avoid vacations or travelling to visit relatives or friends, according to the department.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also advised Illinoisans to hold Thanksgiving gatherings remotely, warning small household gatherings are an important contributor to the rising number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

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The positivity rate in Cook County suburbs currently exceeds 15 percent. Roughly 100,000 people have contracted the virus in the region, according to the Cook County Department of Public Health. And about 2,800 residents of the county's suburban communities have died of causes related to COVID-19 as of Friday, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office reported.

As of earlier this week, an average of 102 people were newly admitted to hospitals in Cook County suburbs every day, and for the first time, the rolling average of surgical bed availability dropped below the 20 percent threshold, according to regional metrics provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Indoor dining has been closed for two weeks in all of Cook County, with its coronavirus statistics rising at a rate that should have triggered a second tier of mitigation measures Wednesday. A spokesperson for IDPH did not immediately respond to questions about why Tier 2 restrictions have not been announced there.

Tier 2 restrictions limiting gathering sizes to 10 and capping group sizes at outdoor bars and restaurants at six are in effect in four regions in the northwest, south and collar counties, including DuPage, Kane, Kankakee and Will counties.

Tier 3 restrictions shutter non-essential retailers and service providers and suspend organized recreational activities. They have yet be imposed in any region — despite the Rockford area qualifying for them since Sunday under the state's regional COVID-19 resurgence mitigation criteria.