Kankakee, Will each report at 17.5%, nearly double August COVID high

BOURBONNAIS – As more school and institutions take action as COVID-19 positivity rises in Region 7, it’s safe to say the positivity storm is already upon us.

Region 7, which includes Kankakee and Will counties, has nearly doubled its previous positivity high set back in August when a warning was placed on the region closing restaurants and bars for the first time locally.  Tuesday, Region 7 tested in at 17.5%, just 0.1% away from doubling an 8.8% rolling positivity high set on August 28^th.

As a result of increasing positivity across the Region and Illinois, Kankakee School District 111 and Manteno High School announced a move to remote learning Monday, while some businesses locally have begun to voluntarily push customers out of indoor settings.

“With the cases of COVID-19 continuing to increase in our area, we are taking extra precautions for the safety of everyone.  We will be offering takeout and curbside pickup ONLY until further notice.” Stefari Café located in Downtown Kankakee posted in a statement to Instagram Monday. Restaurants and bars in Region 7 have been ordered to close indoor service in Kankakee and Will Counties since October 23^rd.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, through contact tracing efforts as of Nov. 6^th, 3,870 bars and restaurants throughout the state of Illinois were labeled as sites of potential exposure, including some 245 locations spread out across Region 7.

Tuesday, IDPH announced a new single-day record 12,623 cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, including 79 deaths, marking a fifth straight day with over 10,000 new cases in Illinois.  A previous case high of 12,438 cases was reported last Saturday.  Among Tuesday’s newly reported deaths included a man from Grundy County and three residents of Will County, including a man in his 30s.

Last Saturday, 5,277 residents of Region 7 received COVID-19 tests resulting in 1,078 cases in Will and Kankakee counties, a positivity rating of 20.4% on the day. Kankakee and Will County are now matched for weekly rolling positivity rating at 17.5%.

Region 7 will become one of an increasing number of regions statewide to enter TIER 2 mitigations tomorrow.

View this post on Instagram

Dear Customers, With the cases of COVID-19 continuing to increase in our area, we are taking extra precaution for the safety of everyone. We will be offering takeout and curbside pick up ONLY until further notice. You may walk in to take your favorites to-go or call ahead to place your order! (815)573-5330 Thank you for understanding!

A post shared by Stefari Café (@stefaricafe) on Nov 9, 2020 at 2:00pm PST