Editorial: Don't let down your guard amid COVID-19 progress

Recent gains in the fight against COVID-19 provide some much-needed reason for optimism.

The suburban region has moved to less-restrictive Phase 4 mitigations, including opening restaurants/bars to limited indoor service, some movie theaters are open with capacity limits, more schools are shifting to in-person learning and high school sports teams are preparing to play. The greatest hope stems from the start of vaccinations in the 1b category for people over 65 and many front-line workers as we look ahead to inoculating more segments of the population.

That's all good news, but it doesn't mean happy days are here again.

What suburban residents and officials can't do now is let down their guard and stop taking the precautions that have helped get us to this point - wearing masks, frequent hand-washing, practicing social distancing, avoiding large crowds and being mindful of the serious health threat this virus still presents to us all.

While COVID-19 numbers are trending in the right direction, we aren't in the clear. Far from it. There are thousands of new cases and dozens of deaths here each day and across the country, and infections are on the rise from more-contagious variants of the disease that have arrived in the U.S.

The most sobering fact is the 500,000 deaths approaching in the United States, a staggering number about equal to the population of Kansas City, Missouri.

So, in the midst of positive news in the suburbs, we don't want to be a buzz kill, but our improving outlook must be tempered with the message for everyone to proceed cautiously or risk another spike in cases and deaths and a return to the more strict restrictions that no one wants to see.

For a cautionary tale, look to California, which widely began reopening last year following a time during which the state didn't face the same rate of increasing cases as in other parts of the country. Then, last fall a combination of holiday family gatherings and general COVID fatigue triggered a serious year-end spike in cases and renewed restrictions, including a stay-at-home order imposed in December that was only recently lifted.

The pandemic timeline in Illinois started with stay-at-home restrictions last spring, gave way to relaxed rules that allowed larger gatherings, reopening movie theaters and museums with cap limits and some indoor dining in the summer. That changed a few months later with rising case counts and virus-related deaths in a second surge that triggered a new round of restrictions.

Illinois has been no stranger to COVID fatigue, as millions ignored recommendations from public health experts not to travel or attend in-person holiday gatherings. And, when stricter guidelines were imposed to ban indoor dining, many restaurants said they would ignore the requirements and operate - some with the blessing of local elected officials.

So, as we look at today's signs of pandemic progress, it pays to remember COVID-19 is an unrelenting threat. There will be a time to celebrate overcoming the disease and enjoy a long-awaited return to normal. But we're not there yet.