LEE COUNTY — KSB Hospital has joined forces with Rochelle Community Hospital to assist with on-site COVID-19 testing at Rochelle Foods in Rochelle. This is a reminder to any business in Lee County that if you have any questions about protecting your employees and patrons, please contact the Lee County Health Department at 815/284-3371. If an employee develops COVID-like symptoms, please contact the health department immediately, so staff can work with you to reduce the risk of an outbreak occurring. Guidance for businesses was sent out several weeks ago and more will be forthcoming. If you don’t receive this, please let the health department know.   

The number of positive cases of COVID-19 in Lee County remains 18. The number of recovered individuals who have been lifted off isolation has risen to 7. Today, the State of Illinois reported 1,826 new cases.  The total cases in Illinois is 36,934 across 96 of 102 counties. There were 123 additional deaths for a total of 1,688. 

Thank you to Mama Cimino’s for providing lunch to the Lee County Health Department today.  The staff is very appreciative.

Today Governor Pritzker announced an extension of the stay at home order through May 31. There will be some minor modifications from the current order.  Some highlights include: Fishing and golf will open.   State Parks will begin to open systematically, but not all at once.  Retail stores that are deemed non-essential, can begin on-line sales and curb (pick up) sales.  Animal grooming is now permitted, along with greenhouses being opened.  Additionally, masks or face coverings will be required when in public if social distancing is not able to be followed. More information will be forthcoming.

What to do if you think you have COVID-19: (UPDATED INFORMATION)

During the current Corona Virus outbreak, individuals with symptoms SHOULD NOT GO to health care facilities such as hospitals, clinics, and urgent care centers without CALLING FIRST.  Instead, they can seek care by using one of the following options: 

• Use the “KSB Care Anywhere” virtual care app (https://ksbhospital.zipnosis.com/) for a free 5 question screening in order to help differentiate your symptoms between the virus and other seasonal maladies. While a credit card is required for a more involved assessment, no charges will be applied if a COVID-19 testing referral is made.
• KSB is offering a Coronavirus HOTLINE, by which symptoms can be evaluated against federal screening guidelines, and if appropriate, a referral is made to their Drive-Thru Screening site. The screening site is available ONLY through the hotline and between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm on weekdays by calling 815-285-7777.
• Residents with a Primary Care Practitioner can also CALL their office for advice. Again, CALL FIRST before going to the office.

Residents can go to the following websites for additional information:

Go to KSB, IDPH, or CDC websites.  Lee County Health Department provides regular updates on its Facebook page.

• https://www.ksbhospital.com/coronavirus-outbreak-covid-19/
• http://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-conditions/diseases-a-z-list/coronavirus
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
• For businesses: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html
• Facebook: Lee County IL Health Departmen 

For general questions about COVID-19, call the IDPH hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or 211.