Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) will begin a centralized contact tracing system on January 13, 2022 to address the high volume of COVID-19 cases. Positive cases will receive a text message from IDPH and individuals must answer the text to opt into the state contact tracing system to receive a return to work letter. Local health departments are waiting for additional details from IDPH regarding the changes to follow-up in the contact tracing system.
With the currently high volume of cases and with the shortened isolation and quarantine periods, a positive individual &/or close contact may not receive a return to work letter before their quarantine/isolation periods are finished and they can return to work. Businesses need to be prepared for a possible delay or stoppage of return to work letters from contact tracers. (Example: An employee may not have a letter available to present to employer to prove that isolation/quarantine is over.)
Additional quarantine/isolation guidance can be found at IDPH for the general public: https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/community-guidance/quarantine-guidance.html
Additional guidance on masking and vaccines: https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/community-guidance/face-covering-vaccination-requirements.html
Peoria City/County Health Department will keep the business community updated as more information becomes available.
