BREAKING NEWS: Covid-19 metrics are rapidly accelerating across Illinois, an ominous sign that more mitigations and a potential shutdown could be on the horizon. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, over the previous three days, cases are up 7,858 (up 2,256 compared to last weekend). Individual day’s numbers are: Saturday: +3,034 Sunday: +2,259 Monday: +2,565 7-day Average: 2,713 (+321) Positivity: 4.9% (+0.3%) Hospitalizations: 1,384 (+184) Deaths: +29 (3-day total, up 18 or +163%) Last week, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced a return to covid mitigations... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois students preschool through 12 will be required to wear masks during school and indoor sports and activities, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker just announced. As previously reported on QuadCities.com, during an online press conference this afternoon, the governor announced that due to spiking covid rates, especially among unvaccinated people, there would be a return to some covid mitigations in Illinois. Pritzker announced the following mitigations will take place: Masks will be required in all preschool through grade 12 schools, daycares, and indoor sports. There will be no mask... Read More

Over 14 percent of Quad-Citians could face evictions today after the expiration of the rent moratorium due to covid-19. In June, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed an extension to the eviction moratorium further preventing the eviction of tenants who were unable to make rental payments. The moratorium that was scheduled to expire on June 30, 2021 was extended through July 31, 2021 — yesterday. That was intended to be the final extension and another has not been reached. “The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a historic threat to the nation’s public health. Keeping people in their... Read More

It was mid-March of last year when we first heard the news. There was going to be a shutdown. But what did that mean? None of us had ever lived through anything like that. What was that even going to entail? How would our lives change, if at all? Already, events had started to get canceled. Sports games for kids. School. Arts activities. Concerts. Theater shows. Everything was going on hold for a couple of weeks. But it was just going to be a couple of weeks. A month, max. And, hell, it was winter, the weather was terrible anyway, we weren’t going to be going outside as it was. It wasn’t... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois will reopen tomorrow after over a year in various stages of covid lockdown! Governor JB Pritzker announced earlier this week that the metrics had been met to put Illinois into Phase 5, which is the least restrictive of all the mitigation phases for the pandemic. So what does that mean for you? How will your life change, for the better, with fewer restrictions? And what restrictions, if any, still remain? According to the Illinois Department of Health, under Phase 5 (the new phase), fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask except where required... Read More

The Illinois Quad-Cities will open up more today and leave many covid restrictions behind as the state moves into a “Bridge Phase,” dropping many covid restrictions on businesses and the public. Governor JB Pritzker announced the lifting of the restrictions this week, and said that he foresees a full state reopening by June 11, given the increasing numbers of people in Illinois being vaccinated. Under the Bridge Phase: Bars and restaurants: Can now operate within their regular liquor license hours and reopen standing areas at 25 percent capacity. Social events: Indoor events can have... Read More

There’s finally some momentum in a good direction in regard to covid-19 in the Illinois Quad-Cities, Region 2 and the state in general. Positivity rates for coronavirus cases were the lowest they’ve been since March, at 3.3 percent. Statewide, over the past week an average of 72,613 COVID-19 vaccines have been administered daily, bringing the total number of people vaccinated statewide to 9,450,418, according to the Illinois Department of Health. At this point, 4,145,711, or 32.54% of the total population of the state, has been fully vaccinated. Over half of Illinois residents... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: While covid-19 numbers across Illinois have been getting worse, particularly in the Quad-Cities’ Region 2, that may not automatically trigger shutdowns and mitigations, Illinois Department of Health officials said today. “The resurgence mitigation plan was designed before we had vaccines,” Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said in a statement. All 11 of Illinois’ regions are in Phase 4, where they’ve been since emerging from mitigations in February. Previously, mitigations would automatically kick in, triggering more restrictions,... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Rock Island County covid-19 numbers have remained steady over the past week, but the numbers in and around Peoria continue to look ominous for Illinois Region 2, which includes the Illinois Quad-Cities. If Peoria’s numbers continue to drag the region down, it could lead to the entire region, including the Quad-Cities, going back into a shutdown or other mitigations for covid. Based on the latest numbers released over the weekend by the Illinois Department of Health, Rock Island County has held pretty constant around a 5 percent positivity rate for covid, safely below the 8... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: With covid-19 numbers beginning to soar nationwide, a consortium of researchers has recommended that some states — including Illinois — should again issue stay-home orders to stop the momentum of the outbreaks. As of yet, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has remained optimistic about the state’s ability to turn the numbers around, however, he has acknowledged the negative trend. Covid numbers have been on the rise in Illinois over the past few weeks, particularly surging around Chicago and Central Illinois, most notably Peoria, which could drive Region 2, which includes... Read More