15 months, 29 extensions and one global pandemic later, Wilmette’s local disaster declaration expires

In mid-March of 2020, then-Wilmette Village President Bob Bielinski issued a declaration of local disaster and public health emergency in response to the spread of COVID-19.

Bielinksi’s declaration was extended nearly 30 times after his initial issuance as local and state communities battled the COVID-19 pandemic. 

But Wilmette’s local disaster declaration came to an end during the Village Board’s June 22 meeting after the village had operated under it for more than a year. 

“I am glad to report that as of this evening, due to the state’s move to phase 5, high vaccination rates in Wilmette and low COVID-19 positivity rates across the state, the village’s local disaster declaration has expired and will not be extended,” Village President Senta Plunkett said. 

Plunkett added that although the declaration comes to an end, Wilmette will continue to follow the public health guidelines issued by the Illinois and Cook County Departments of Public Health. 

Vaccination rates in Wilmette are outpacing county, state and national levels, according to Cook County data. 

As of publication time, 20,229 Wilmette residents have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, per county data. That number represents 74.7 percent of all Wilmette residents. 

Just under 62 percent (61.9%) of Wilmette residents are fully vaccinated, the data shows. 

At the county level, just over 50 percent of Cook County residents are fully vaccinated, as 1.25 million people are fully vaccinated. 

The state of Illinois has administered 12.3 million vaccine doses, according to its data. Just under six million Illinois residents (5.99 million) are fully vaccinated, equaling 47 percent of the state’s population. 

Approximately 46 percent of eligible United States residents, or roughly 151 million people, are fully vaccinated, according to national data.

Village staff will provide a thorough summary of the impact of COVID-19 and the Village’s response at the next Wilmette Village board meeting on July 13, Plunkett said. 

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