This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Ill. – The first cases of coronavirus have been identified in central and southern Illinois. The Illinois Department of Public Health says that a woman in her 60s and a woman in her 70s have tested positive in St. Clair County. A Woodford County resident in his 70s and a Cumberland County resident in his 70s both tested positive for COVID-19. A DuPage County woman in her 60s residing in a long-term care facility has also tested positive.

St. Clair County officials say that the women who tested positive in the area have both recently traveled internationally. Investigators are trying to reach out to people who have recently been in contact with the women. They are now both under quarantine in their homes.

The Illinois Department of Public Health says that they are trying to determine how the people contracted the disease. An investigation is underway into possible exposures and travel histories of all of the individuals.

Illinois is starting to receive results from commercial lab tests. The Illinois Department of Public Health expects the number of cases identified to dramatically increase because more people are getting tested. There are now a total of 64 coronavirus cases in the state.

The state of Illinois recommends social distancing among the ways to combat the virus. Governor JB Pritzker recently closed schools in the state to help slow the spread of the disease.

For information about how you, your school, workplace, and community can prepare, please visit Preventing COVID-19 Spread in Communities. For general questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.