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State lifting indoor mask mandate Feb. 28; county sees sharp decline in COVID cases

With statewide COVID-19 hospitalization rates declining faster than at any other point in the pandemic, Illinois is on track to lift the statewide indoor mask requirement on Monday, Feb. 28, Gov. JB Pritzker announced last week.

Mask requirements will continue where federally mandates, such as on airplanes and in airports. Illinois also mandates masks in:

Health care establishments, including hospitals and clinics.

Long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes.

Congregate settings, including prisons or group homes.

Daycare centers.

The state intends to continue masking requirements in P-12 schools subject to pending litigation that impacts a number of school districts.

In Randolph County, as of Sunday, Feb. 13, cases were down 59.37% in the previous seven days with 141 total cases reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control COVID data tracker. Community transmission, however, is still considered high with a case positivity rate of 4.11%.

There were five new hospital admissions in the county in the week prior to Feb. 12; 7.61% of hospital beds were in use.

The Randolph County Health Department is administering first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for those ages 5 and older, as well as booster doses, at a vaccine clinic from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24. Call (618) 826-5007 to schedule an appointment and for a pediatric vaccine appointment.

Of those ages 5 and up in Randolph County, 54.1% are fully vaccinated.