Illinois activates alternate housing facility in Jefferson County

Illinois has activated a pre-staged alternate housing facility in southern Illinois to address a recent spike in COVID-19 cases.

The Mt. Vernon facility will provide a place for patients to safely isolate or quarantine to mitigate the community spread of the virus, according to a statement Monday from Gov. JB Pritzker’s office. It and other alternate housing facilities are not designed to provide medical care for individuals.

Illinois Emergency Management Agency Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau said the site is one of several across the state that can be activated once a local jurisdiction “exhausts the resources they have on hand to meet the needs of their community.” Jefferson County authorities said in a statement that an outbreak at a long-term care facility has required additional state resources to help in its COVID-19 response.

“This concept is truly a collaborative effort between state and local governments to ensure we have all the tools and resources necessary to help our residents, and effectively slow the spread of this deadly virus,” she said.

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