Parts of tri states continued to see sharp increases in the number of coronavirus cases between October 28 and November 5. The virus is blamed for 30 deaths in the region during that time period.
Here is a breakdown of the total COVID-19 cases in each county since the pandemic began and the number of deaths attributed to the virus (the October 28 figures are in parentheses). The information comes from the states of Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri.
- Adams County: 2,534 cases/28 deaths (2,004/22)
- Brown County: 149 cases/0 deaths (117/0)
- Cass County: 484 cases/11 deaths (468/11)
- Clark County: 156 cases/2 deaths (113/1)
- Des Moines County: 1,864cases/13 deaths (1,442/10)
- Fulton County: 744 cases/2 deaths (557/1)
- Hancock County: 425 cases/4 deaths (321/4)
- Henderson County: 158 cases/0 deaths (131/0)
- Lee County: 1,220 cases/13 deaths (969/10)
- Lewis County: 260 cases/2 deaths (204/2)
- Knox County: 1,612 cases/25 deaths (1,362/21)
- Mason County: 377 cases/12 deaths (317/5)
- McDonough County: 895 cases/24 deaths (789/20)
- Scotland County: 92 cases/1 death (73/1)
- Schuyler County: 112 cases/1 death (93/1)
- Van Buren County: 228 cases/2 deaths (183/2)
- Warren County: 627 cases/10 deaths (529/9)
The state of Illinois on Thursday passed the 10,000 mark for deaths attributed to the coronavirus.
Mitigation Effort
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker placed the entire state under a COVID-19 Resurgence Mitigation order. Numerous restrictions come with that, including bans on indoor dining or bar services. But several Macomb restaurant owners told the city council this week it’s not feasible for them to close their dining areas again.
“The first time it happened was the longest three months that we have ever experienced,” said Lauren Switzer, who operates Rocky’s Bar & Grill. “Another shutdown will be extremely detrimental and many will not survive.”
She said the business is following protocols for preventing the spread of COVID-19. But she added they didn’t go into business to serve meals in Styrofoam for customers to take home.
Mayor Mike Inman has been recording video updates to the community throughout the pandemic. In the latest one, he said mayors cannot override the governor’s directive without a court order. He’s encouraging local bars and restaurants to comply with the governor’s directive.
“We would be remiss and we would be giving them a false sense of security if we somehow said that there won’t be any enforcement by the governor’s office if they choose to not abide by the order. That’s simply not the case. We can’t assure them of that,” Inman said.
He told Tri States Public Radio it is not the city’s role to enforce the governor’s resurgence mitigation order. He said enforcement of public health measures has historically fallen to the local and state health departments.
Inman encouraged residents to support local businesses. He said the region could resume indoor dining and bar service if it can reduce its COVID-19 positivity rate in the next couple weeks.
He also said the city can help small businesses with the process of securing funding to help them through the pandemic.
Other Information
Hickory Grove Supportive Living Facility in Carthage reported an outbreak of COVID-19. A release from the facility said people were exposed to the virus between Friday, October 30 and Monday, November 2. Hickory Grove will not allow face-to-face visitors for the time being. The facility is working with the health department on contact tracing.
The Hancock County Sheriff’s Department issued a release saying the courthouse was closed Friday, November 6, for cleaning due to a possible COVID-19 exposure. The building will reopen Monday, November 9 at 8:00 a.m.
Due to the increase in COVID-19 cases in the region, the Monmouth College administration said the school will conduct cooldown period beginning Monday, November 9, and continuing through the end of the semester on Tuesday, November 24. Most classes will be held remotely, though some such as labs and music ensembles will be held in-person with mask social distancing rules in place.
This story was produced by Tri States Public Radio. TSPR relies on financial support from our readers and listeners in order to provide coverage of the issues that matter to west central Illinois, southeast Iowa, and northeast Missouri. As someone who values the content created by TSPR's news department please consider making a financial contribution.
