The Illinois Department of Public Health on Thursday announced the Metro-East Region that includes Clinton and Washington Counties is moving to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan effective Thursday. The region also includes Bond, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, and St. Clair County.
Here’s what the move to Phase 4 means:
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 that 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 such as bowling alleys and skating rinks. However, 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
The Metro-East Region was able to advance to Phase 4 as a result of having ICU bed capacity of 20-percent and a positivity rate of 6.5-percent for three consecutive days.
The Illinois Department of Public Health will continue to closely monitor test positivity, ICU bed availability, and the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19. Should data show regions trending in the wrong direction, based on the established mitigation metrics, regions could once again find themselves in a higher tier with increased measures.
A Phase 4 Guidelines Overview can be found on the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity website.
