The McLean County Health Department on Thursday reported the county has gone three consecutive days without any new confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Eighty-six COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in McLean County, while 75 of those have recovered. Seven patients remain in home isolation and one patient is hospitalized. Three have died.
County health officials have reported four new cases in the last week, though they have frequently stressed the total most certainly paints an incomplete picture because coronavirus testing has been limited.
State and federal health officials also advise against getting tested for mild symptoms, because you may be increasing the risk of spreading infection.
COVID-19 testing continues daily at the McLean County Fairgrounds in Bloomington to anyone who is showing symptoms. More than 2,500 people have seen tested at the site since it opened in late March.
The county health department estimated about 1,750 McLean County residents have been tested for COVID-19.
While McLean County’s COVID-19 new cases have been on the decline, statewide numbers tell a different story. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported a new high of 2,049 cases on Wednesday and announced 1,826 new cases on Thursday, bringing the state total to 36,934.
The state announced 123 deaths on Thursday, including a Champaign County man in his 90s and Sangamon County man in his 70s.
Gov. JB Pritzker has announced he’s extending Illinois’ shelter-in-place order through May but with several changes. Starting May 1, the state will require people wear masks in public when they can't maintain a six-feet social distance.
Pritzker will reopen state parks, while garden centers, greenhouses and nurseries can reopen as essential businesses. The state will allow retail stores to reopen as nonessential businesses to handle phone and online orders.
Essential businesses will be required to provide masks for all employees who are unable to maintain social distancing.
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