As the state of Illinois remains in a stay at home order, different regions of the state are dealing with different situations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, as of April 29th, the state of Illinois has seen 52,918 cases of COVID-19, a number that continues to grow every day. 21,491 of those cases are in the city of Chicago.
60 miles northwest, Rockford, Illinois and the surrounding areas are dealing with the virus on a smaller scale. As of Wednesday, Winnebago county, home to Rockford and other communities, has reported 422 positive tests and 11 deaths from COVID-19.
The Winnebago County Department of Public Health continues to stress the importance of staying home with updated graphics posted every day to its website. The Department emphasizes that the county has multiple “locations of concern” such as the county jail, seven care centers and nursing homes, and the Rockford Rescue Mission homeless shelter.
On April 24th, the state opened a drive through testing unit last Monday at the University of Illinois College of Medicine location in Rockford.
“We’re working every day to expand testing in the state, and you’re starting to see some success,” Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said. “I want many more tests in the state, and you shouldn’t be surprised if that testing number continues to grow.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, those testing numbers vary from county to county. Winnebago County has tested 1.14% of the population. Stephenson County, Winnebago’s westerly neighbor, has tested just 0.62%.
Readers can view data on testing, cases, and deaths on the department’s website, which features an interactive map.
On May 1st, the state’s stay at home order will be extended another 30 days by Pritzker. The extension comes with some modifications, including facemask requirements in public places such as grocery stores.
While many applaud the proactiveness, not everybody is thrilled with the governor’s action.
On Wednesday, Illinois State Representative John Cabello, who represents a portion of Winnebago County, joined another state rep in sueing Pritzker because he believes the order is against citizen’s constitutional rights.
A church in Lena, Illinois is also suing the governor, as they believe the stay at home order is discriminatory to religious practices. The congregation had previously been issued a “cease and desist” order for defying the state’s orders, and plans to hold services this upcoming Sunday.
On the other hand, Rockford mayor Tom McNamara supports the governor’s action and is frustrated with the lawsuits.
“The lawsuits are disappointing,” McNamara said Wednesday morning on Q98.5 FM in Rockford. “The idea that we would be considering a wide-open economy, to me, is really just foolish and doesn’t have any basis in science.”
While Rockford’s cases are not astronomically high as of now, trends point towards the city becoming a hotspot, as new case numbers are still increasing daily.
For more information on the novel coronavirus and how to prevent the spread, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.