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Peoria Officials Worry Rockford "Hotspot" Could Slow Regional Reopening

Gov. J.B. Pritzker's newly unveiled "Restore Illinois" plan splits the state into four "health regions" which could potentially reopen at different paces. But Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis said it's concerning the city is grouped with the Rockford area, which is considered a COVID-19 hotspot with about six times more reported cases than in Peoria.

"When you talk about a hospital system that's that far removed from ours, and we have this much available capacity here. That worries me that we could potentially be held back until they can get caught up with us," he said, noting the governor may not have considered that factor in his initial plan.

Fifty-one people are currently hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases in Peoria-area hospitals. More than 200 ICU beds and 1,000 total beds are available. There are 175 total reported cases and nine confirmed deaths in the wider Tri-County area of Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties.

By contrast, the Winnebago County Health Department reports 643 reported cases and 22 deaths.

Phase Three would allow offices, barbershops, and retail outlets to reopen with additional restrictions. It would also allow non-essential gatherings of up to 10 people. The phase could start on May 29 at the earliest.

Peoria City/County Health Department Administrator Monica Hendrickson said the Tri-County region currently hits the parameters set by the governor's office for phase 3.

"Our positivity rates are below 20 percent. Our ICU usage is also within the parameters discussed by the governor's office," she said. "And I would take it a step further. We've been monitoring those COVID-like illnesses in the ICU."

Ardis said he hopes there's additional flexibility in the plan for communities like Peoria, which he believes may begin safely moving forward sooner than other cities in the health region. "And if there isn't some flexibility given for the communities that are already there, I would be very disappointed," he said.

"We feel comfortable where we sit right now, but again that's the Peoria-specific region. I can't speak for all our partners across the state," Hendrickson said.

Ardis submitted his own Peoria County reopening road map to the governor's office. But he said the governor's announcement took him by surprise Tuesday, and said he'd need to huddle with other elected and health officials to reassess.

Peoria's "health region" of north-Central Illinois also includes cities like Bloomington, Macomb, Galesburg, LaSalle-Peru, and Moline/Rock Island.

Editor's note: The "Restore Illinois" plan splits the state into four health regions, not five. We regret the error.

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Tim is the News Director at WCBU Peoria Public Radio.