Half of state, including Morgan region, meeting guides to loosen restrictions Tim Kirsininkas Capitol News Illinois, David C.L. Bauer, dbauer@myjournalcourier.com Jan. 14, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail The state’s rolling COVID-19 positivity rate dropped for the fifth straight day Wednesday as Illinois Department of Public Health officials reported 5,862 new confirmed and probable cases with an additional 97 deaths. The seven-day rolling positivity rate stood at 7.3%, down from 8.5% one week ago and down two-tenths of a percentage point from Tuesday. Wednesday marked two months since the state’s rolling positivity rate peaked at 13.2% on Nov. 13. The entire state has been under Tier 3 mitigations since Nov. 20 in an effort to prevent an exacerbated spike in cases around the holidays.