Vermilion County is one of 30 counties across Illinois that is considered to be at a warning level for COVID-19, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
IDPH says Vermilion County has an excessive new case rate, with almost 60 active cases, and the number of county residents who have visited the emergency room with COVID-19 has increased more than 20 percent recently, according to Vermilion County Health Department Administrator Doug Toole.
“This is a warning, and an opportunity for us to remind and encourage businesses and residents to be thoughtful,” Toole said. “If we remain on the warning list, and other counties in our region do, as well, the state might temporarily tighten up some of the guidelines to aid in social distancing and help us to return to a lower-risk situation.”
Toole says the state’s numbers reflect the numbers from August 30 through September 5. He said due to increasing cases this week, including 14 new cases on Thursday, he expects Vermilion County to remain at a warning level next Friday as well.
Vermilion County is one of seven counties in Region 6 considered to be at a warning level for COVID-19. The other counties are all in the southern half of the region–Coles, Crawford, Effingham, Jasper, Lawrence and Shelby counties. All six of the other counties were at a warning level last Friday.
