PEORIA, Ill. — After being placed last Wednesday into tier one COVID-19 mitigation protocols, Region Two’s numbers have kept rising.
On Thursday, the region reached 14 consecutive days of a rolling seven-day positivity rate of over 8%. Thursday’s number was 15.1%.
When those criteria are met for a region, the Illinois Department of Public Health can intervene and move that region into tier two mitigation.
Such measures were imposed Wednesday upon Regions five, seven, and eight.
With those mitigation restrictions, party sizes at bars and restaurants are reduced to six, from 10.
Professional, social, and cultural gatherings are limited to 10.
Peoria City/County Health Department said five people between Wednesday and Thursday died of COVID complications.
In Tazewell, a male in his 70s and female in her 80s, neither of whom lived in long-term care, passed away.
Peoria County experienced the deaths of a man in his 60s and woman in her 70s who did not live in long-term care.
Meanwhile, a female in her 90s who lived at Bickford also succumbed to the virus.
The tri-county had 228 new cases. 109 of them were in Peoria County, 84 were in Tazewell, and 35 were in Woodford.
162 people were in hospital beds because of the virus. 34 of them were in intensive care.
The area’s recovery rate ticked slightly upwards, to 73.66%.
