OGLE COUNTY – For the first time since Illinois entered phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan, a county in the Northern Illinois Rockford Region is at the warning level for coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Jo Daviess County is considered to be at a warning level for COVID-19 Friday. This increase in community spread of COVID-19 is associated with travel to hotspots including neighboring Iowa and larger social gatherings.
“As a community, we must heed the warning and work together to adhere to the social distancing and masking guidance that will help slow the spread of COVID-19 while moving our community forward toward recovery,” said Sandra Schleicher, Jo Daviess County Health Department Public Health Administrator. “Our individual actions impact our local community’s ability to prevent further morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 and will impact the safety of activities in our communities like the opening of schools.”
The health departments in the Northern Illinois Rockford Region express concern that the spread of COVID-19 will continue to increase in communities throughout the region and will require additional strategies to protect the public’s health. The public is urged to take steps to protect our communities and reduce the need to adhere to stricter guidance.

The public can to do their part to protect their community by consistently taking the following actions:
WEAR A FACE MASK: Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth covering
WATCH YOUR DISTANCE: Keep at least 6 feet apart from others
WASH YOUR HANDS: Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for 20 seconds
The public can reduce the risk of becoming COVID-19 positive by leaving a place where guidelines are not being followed, people are not masking or social distancing, or the gathering is too large. Together, we can move beyond this pandemic.
For more information go to IDPH and CDC websites at http://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-conditions/diseases-a-z-list/coronavirus or https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
For general questions about COVID-19, call the IDPH hotline at 1-800-889-3931.