Macon County COVID-19 positivity rate soars above 20% as widespread safety law violations continue unabated

Decatur and Macon County residents are now experiencing some of the worst impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.  From Dec. 29, 2021 – Jan. 4, 2022, Macon County’s seven-day % positivity was 22%, the case rate was 1,309 per 100K, and there were 1,361 new cases reported in the county (https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home).  Simultaneously, violations of the city’s three COVID-19 safety laws are widespread, enforcement of the laws the city council passed is inept, and the vaccination rate in Macon County is the lowest of any central Illinois county with a mid-sized city.  Collectively, Decatur citizens continue to be unnecessarily vulnerable to a deadly disease whose worst effects are now mostly preventable. 

SINCE APRIL 2021, THE CITY ISSUED 2,339 VIOLATIONS FOR OVERGROWN GRASS.  THE CITY ISSUED ZERO VIOLATIONS FOR COVID-19 SAFETY LAWS

To my knowledge, not a single person has died or been hospitalized in Decatur because their grass was too tall.  But in Decatur, leaving one’s grass too tall will lead to a hefty fine.  Since the start of the pandemic, 266 Macon County residents have died, hundreds have been hospitalized, and an unknown number are experiencing long-term health and economic impacts from COVID-19.  Since April 2021, not a single entity in Decatur has been cited for violating laws designed to protect our health.  With the city in the midst of its worst COVID-19 surge, it is commonplace to observe unsafe working conditions for employees and customers in numerous establishments, and I personally have lost confidence in city management to enforce life safety codes in the city of Decatur.

DECATUR HAS THREE COVID-19 SAFETY LAWS THAT HAVE BEEN IN EFFECT SINCE 2020 AND ARE INDEPENDENT OF GOVERNOR’S INDOOR MASK MANDATE

Individuals in Decatur are required to wear face coverings in indoor public places regardless of vaccination status.  Decatur has three local laws pertaining to COVID-19 safety that should be enforced (the laws were passed in August and November 2020).  One law states that any entity that sells alcohol including grocery stores, gas stations, bars and restaurants shall require customers and employees to wear face coverings over their nose and mouth at all times when on premises except when eating or drinking or when a medical condition or disability prevents the person from safely wearing a face covering (Decatur City Codes Chapter 50, 52, and 73 - https://decaturil.gov/departments/city-clerk/city-codes/).

Violations of these laws are widespread in Decatur, and it is commonplace to see community leaders, business owners, and citizens failing to take simple precautions to keep their fellow citizens and employees safe.  Sadly, inaction by the city may have resulted in unnecessary death, hospitalizations, and long-term illness of Decatur citizens.  However, ineptness in the past by city management does not mean that there must be inaction now and in the future.  For this reason, I once again ask city management to enforce laws that protect the public during the worst public health crisis of our lifetimes. 

I also ask that citizens please take the steps necessary to protect yourself, your family, and your fellow citizens.  I thank the many entities that are following COVID-19 safety laws and taking precautions to keep themselves and others safe.