BOURBONNAIS – A list of schools with potential COVID-19 exposure has grown from five to twelve in just over a week’s time.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), the updated list now includes Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School, Bishop McNamara Catholic School, Momence CUSD 1, Kankakee High School, Manteno Elementary School, Herscher High School, St. Anne Elementary School, and the Kankakee Area Special Education Cooperative.
All newly reporting schools have fewer than five cases.
They join Bradley East Elementary School, Avis Huff Student Support Services Center, Taft Primary School, Chebanse Elementary School, and Kankakee Junior High School, which previously reported exposure earlier this month.
As of last Tuesday, Kankakee County had over 2,080 active cases locally, including 123 cases in the last week, or 31% of new cases, in ages less than 18 years old.
Case breakdowns by potential exposure location are now dominant statewide in schools accounting for over 28% of all contact tracing efforts. The second closest category for a defined location is hospitals or clinics, which comes in under 8%.
Statewide, nearly 70% of ages 12 and up have received a COVID-19 vaccine of some kind while lower age groups wait to become eligible for the vaccine. Children less than 12 years old are advised by the Centers for Disease Control to wear a mask in public spaces and around anyone they don’t live with.
