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.

We’re going to look at the latest news surrounding COVID-19 in our region: heading toward Christmas, a new COVID variant looks to disrupt the holiday season and infect folks at an alarming rate. What will the impacts from the Omicron variant look like in southern Illinois? Plus, the Contact Tracing process for COVID-19 in Illinois is headed toward a big change for the new year. We’ll talk about how it may impact you. And, remember that battle of words between Morgan and Teresa over who had THE best hashbrown casserole? We put both their recipes to a test and we will share the winner’s secrets.