Tomorrow, Illinois moves into Phase 4.

Moving to Phase 4 this early was never a given.

It’s because of the people of Illinois that we’re seeing a trajectory of relative success where other parts of the country are not.

But I want to be clear: the virus hasn’t gone away, and I’m not afraid to protect the people of Illinois by moving a region back to an earlier phase if we see a surge.

Ours will not be one of the states that takes no action in response to a return to a peak.

We’ve seen what’s happened in other states that have allowed politics or short-term thinking to drive decision-making. Many states are now seeing surges in cases and hospitalizations, and they’re being forced to move backward and stay at home – that’s not the story in Illinois.

Here, we have been gradually restoring business and leisure activities in a highly deliberate manner, guided by doctors’ advice. And Illinoisans are following the mitigations that we can each do ourselves, like wearing masks, keeping 6 ft. apart & washing our hands frequently.

As a result, we have significantly reduced our positivity rate, hospitalizations, and ICU bed use, and we’ve seen dramatic declines in COVID-19 deaths.

Our case positivity rate is down 89% from its peak of nearly three months ago.

Hospitalizations of covid patients have dropped 65% from a high eight weeks ago.

Covid-related deaths per day are down 65% from a high six weeks ago.

To keep safety top of mind, we're announcing a new county-level risk assessment tool to help individuals, families and community groups inform their choices about personal and family gatherings, as well as what activities they choose to do. Find it here: http://www.dph.illinois.gov/countymetrics 

As we move forward, it’s critical that everyone continues to do their part: maintaining 6 ft of physical distance, washing our hands regularly and wearing a face covering in public.

If we want to keep moving forward, we have to do it together.

Let's be #AllInIllinois.