Rock Island County has moved back into warning status for COVID-19 following a surge in cases. It’s one of the only counties in Region 2 of Illinois to do so, and unless a majority of the region reaches warning status, there won’t be any new restrictions on indoor dining or gatherings.
Nita Ludwig, Administrator of the Rock Island County Health Department, says the proximity to Iowa also plays a role in the county’s warning status. The case positivity rate is 2.2% on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities. Across the river, that number is nearly 5 times higher at 9.6%.
“We know that people cross the river all the time, and they could pick up an infection over there and bring it back to our county, so that’s definitely something to watch, but really I believe it’s our case counts going up… and some of the hospitalizations we really want to watch, too.”
The health department is still contact tracing the recent spike in COVID-19 cases, but a majority of those who tested positive have been 18-25 years old.
