The state’s hospitality industry is asking for a solid plan to work towards fully reopening.
During a virtual Senate Committee Hearing, those representing hotels, foodservice, and bars stressed the need for more guidance as Illinois sits in Phase 4 of Covid mitigations. That includes Illinois Restaurant Association President Sam Toia, who says current rules need to be revisited.
“We are not asking for 100% capacity right now, but 50 people per event, per room…we got to start dialing that up. So we need a plan for predictability. We cannot lose another summer. If we do we are going to lose a lot of jobs here in the state of Illinois.”
Senator Dave Syverson of Rockford agreed.
“We keep Wal-Mart’s open where you’ve got 500 plus people crowded together around deli counters and that somehow is safe but you can’t have more than 50 people at an event? That’s not science, that’s politics.”
Senate Committee members want to work with public health officials and some industry leaders over the next few weeks to come up with a detailed game plan to transition into Phase 5.
