ILLINOIS, USA — Indoor dining can resume immediately in the Metro East after COVID-19 restrictions were loosened Thursday morning.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Region 4, which includes Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair and Washington counties is moving to Phase 4 of the state’s Restore Illinois Plan.
The Metro East was the last region in the state under Tier 2 restrictions, which did not allow for indoor dining, due to hospitalization capacity. The region needed to have three days in a row of 20% ICU capacity for restrictions to be loosened. Wednesday marked the second day in a row.
Because the region's positivity rate has dropped to 6.5%, the region is eligible to skip Tier 1 restrictions and go directly to Phase 4 restrictions. The region was in Phase 4 restrictions from late June until the region's positivity rate surpassed 8% in late October.
Since October, the positivity rate was as high as 16.1%, but has dipped to 6.5% — the Phase 4 threshold — for the last three days.
Phase 4 allows restaurants to welcome diners back inside, gyms to hold indoor classes and groups of 50 people to gather in the region. All health care and outdoor recreation locations are able to open and most other businesses will see a further loosening of restrictions.
Workers in all industries should continue to work from home where possible, continue to wear face coverings and frequently wash hands. Additionally, all employers should continue health screenings when employees enter the workplace and again in the middle of a shift when it's longer than five hours.
Phase 4 guidelines include:
Restaurants and bars
- Indoor dining and drinking now permitted for parties of up to 10 people
- Seated areas should be arranged so that tables allow for 6 feet between parties; impermeable barriers may be installed between booths which are less than 6 feet apart
Retail and Service Counter
- Continue capacity limit of no more than 50% occupancy
Personal Care
- Continue capacity limit of no more than 50% occupancy
Indoor/Outdoor Recreation
- Reopening select indoor recreation facilities (e.g., bowling alleys, skating rinks); indoor playgrounds and trampoline parks should remain closed
- Indoor recreation to operate at lesser of 50 customers or 50% of facility capacity
Museums
- Capacity limit of no more than 25% occupancy
- Guided tours should be limited to 50 or fewer people per group
Meetings and Social Events
- Limit to the lesser of 50 people or 50% of room capacity
- Multiple groups may meet in the same facility if they are socially distanced and in separate rooms
More information about Phase 4 and other COVID-19 restrictions can be found on the Illinois Department of Public Health website.