Current trends show the number of COVID-19 cases are falling after that huge run-up with the Omicron variant. We will look at how counties across the Southern 7 region doing. Plus there has been a whole lot of talk about mask mandates both here at home and nationally this week. We’ll talk about the latest guidelines and how things look to be changing.

Contact Tracing has now been centralized in the state of Illinois. We will discuss how that has changed up the COVID response provided by your local health department like Southern 7. Plus, we introduce a new regular segment of Southern 7 Connections: it’s our regional restaurant report. We’ll discuss some of the good and not-so-good results of local restaurant inspections.

Coming out of the Christmas weekend, we’ve seen an increase in people getting COVID testing, in hospital admissions, and an increase in the overall number of positive COVID-19 cases. How is the S7 region handling the Omicron variant and what lies ahead? Plus, the CDC announced some changes shortening the quarantine time for people who have been exposed to COVID-19. We will talk about how those changes will impact our Contact Tracing efforts. With the countdown to a New Year getting ready to begin why it may be best to just celebrate without the crowds this year.