ILLINOIS, USA — New COVID-19 restrictions are now in effect in Illinois.
The Tier 3 mitigations limit capacity at nearly every type of business across the state and shut down others.
Governor J.B. Pritzker asked for cooperation as cases nationwide continue to rise. The Tier 3 mitigations are a step looser than a full stay-at-home order.
Tier 3 restrictions include:
- Business capacity capped at 25%
- Essential places (grocery store, pharmacy) capacity will remain at 50%
- No more indoor dining. Patio dining is still an option.
- Gaming and entertainment businesses will close.
- No gatherings larger than 25 people.
"To stop this spread and preserve some semblance of the holidays, all of us need to do more than just wear our masks now – though masks are mandatory throughout the state," Gov. Pritzker said earlier this week while announcing the new restrictions. "The simple fact is that COVID-19 is spreading so quickly and so widely, and our hospitals are beginning to experience real strain and at the current infection rate, they will be overwhelmed. So whenever possible, we need you to stay home."
Schools and child care centers can continue to stay open under guidelines issued by the state health department.
"The community spread is wide, so we need to have a statewide order," Pritzker said.
These restrictions will be reevaluated in 30 days.
On Thursday, Illinois reported 14,612 new cases. The seven-day rolling average has held fairly flat for the past week and was at an average of 12,120 new daily cases on Thursday.