Yingling Updates Residents on Lake County COVID-19 Mitigation Status

ROUND LAKE BEACH, Ill. – State Rep. Sam Yingling, D-Grayslake, is highlighting Lake County’s move to Phase 4 of the Illinois Department of Public Health’s (IDPH) COVID-19 mitigation plan.

“While the COVID-19 virus is still present in our communities, the work that residents have put into keeping everyone safe is paying off,” said Yingling. “With the improvement of various key metrics over the past few weeks, it is now safe enough to loosen some restrictions.”

As of Feb. 3, North Suburban Region 9, which includes Lake and McHenry Counties, will be moved from Tier 1 to Phase 4 under IDPH’s Restore Illinois Plan. This move is due to the region’s testing positivity rate, staffed intensive care unit beds availability, and the number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital surpassing their respective benchmarks. Under Phase 4, changes include residents being able to have meetings, social events, and gatherings with up to 50 people and indoor dining and drinking now permitted for parties of up to 10 people. For more information, please visit the IDPH website at http://www.dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Yingling has supported efforts to keep residents informed as the situation develops. He voted for legislation that included $719 million in new funding for public health, with $416 million of those funds going to COVID-19 testing and other related services. Yingling has also worked to bring economic relief to residents by expanding unemployment benefits and protecting essential workers who have contracted the virus.

“While it is exciting to see our improvement, it is important that we all continue to social distance and take the necessary precautions to not catch or spread this virus,” said Yingling. “While we wait for the vaccine to get distributed to more people, I hope everyone continues to stay safe and healthy.”