Sentinel Poll: What's your plan for Thanksgiving?

There are currently 772 patients, down 46 from Sunday following a four-day surge, who have tested positive for the Coronavirus in Champaign County. There another 1,348 in quarantine due to having been in contact with a COVID-positive individual.

With the recent rise in positivity and another possible stay-at-home lockdown on the horizon, what are your plans for sharing this Thanksgiving with family and friends?

For many of us it will be a difficult decision and others a no-brainer. After you vote, leave a comment (kid safe and SFW friendly please) with what led to your decision or which way your are leaning at the moment.

bike trails

Poll closes Friday, November 20, 2020

Active COVID case count rises to 69

The number of active confirmed COVID-19 cases in the area has risen to 69 as of this morning according to the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District dashboard. The combined total is an all-time high for the viral infection in the six communities The Sentinel covers.

With the exception of Philo, each of the five other communities saw at least one new positive case in a 24 hour period. The CUPHD currently reports Ogden, St. Joseph and Royal added one additional case in each village. Meanwhile, Sidney added 2 additional cases for a total of five and Tolono's case count is now at 29, up four from 25 on Saturday. There are six active cases in Ogden, 19 in St. Joseph and Royal's new case is the first in several weeks.

The pandemic continues to surge as countywide there are now 818 active confirmed cases and 1,449 additional individuals under quarantine who may have been in contact with an infected individual today. Yesterday, there 749 active cases with 1,166 residents under close contact quarantine.

The Illinois Department of Public Health continues to ask residents of the state to limit their contact with others, wear a mask and wash their hands frequently to help stop the spread of the virus that has claimed 39 lives locally and 10,670 Illinoisans.