West Loop Community Organization issued the following announcement on Nov. 18.
Please be advised that Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced the re-implementation of statewide Tier 3 COVID-19 mitigations. Measures going into statewide effect this Friday, November 20, at 12:01AM are listed below.
With a new wave of COVID-19 surging across the state of Illinois and the nation, the state is committed to listening to public health experts and following the science to keep people safe. Tier 3 builds on the State's Resurgence Mitigation Plan first released in July to suppress the spread of the novel coronavirus and to ensure our hospitals do not become overrun. This new tier aims to limit gatherings, and it encourages people to stay home to the greatest extent possible while permitting some industries to remain open at significantly reduced capacities and with proper safety measures in place.
All detailed Phase 4 operational guidance remains in effect. Where Phase 4 guidance and Tier 3 Mitigations imply different standards, the more restrictive Tier 3 Mitigations will apply. School districts and local officials should follow extensive guidance released by IDPH and ISBE in August and make decisions related to in-person and remote learning at the local level, based on the unique needs of their communities. Child care facilities may continue to operate subject to DCFS guidelines.
Under these resurgence mitigations, the following industries or activities must close effective Friday, November 20, at 12:01AM:
Movie Theaters
Indoor Recreational Facilities (i.e. bowling alleys, arcades)
Performance Venues
Museums
Indoor Group Sports and Recreational Activities
Meeting Rooms, Banquet Centers, Private Party Rooms, Private Clubs and Country Clubs may not host gatherings: Special events at places of worship or funeral homes, such as weddings, funerals, Bar Mitzvahs or wakes, limited to 10 people
The following industries or activities may continue operating under the following additional regulations:
Bars and Restaurants: Outdoor service, take-out, curbside pick-up and delivery can continue under existing regulations; private event spaces must be closed
Retail stores: 25% capacity
Grocery Stores and Pharmacies: 50% capacity (note- big box store that sell a combination of general retail, groceries and/or pharmacies among other goods must operate at 25% capacity)
Health and Fitness Centers: 25% capacity; reservations are required; indoor fitness classes must cease; outdoor activities allowed at 25% capacity with group activities limited to 10 people or less; locker room areas should be closed.
Hotels: Limited to registered guests only
Personal Services: 25% capacity or 25 people, whichever is less; services that require the removal of face coverings must cease
Offices: Work remotely if possible
Outdoor Activities: Outdoor museums, performance venues and other outdoor activities can continue at 25% capacity; group size limited to 10 people or less; total capacity limited to 100 people.
As a reminder, all non-essential businesses in Chicago must be closed from 11PM-6AM. All other regulations not explicitly mentioned above remain in place, including the requirement for employees and customers to wear face coverings and to maintain 6 feet of social distancing.
Additionally, concurrent updates to the Emergency Travel Order, which now uses color-coded advisories, go into effect Friday. Stay up to date on the order and see more Chicago-specific COVID-19 guidance through chicago.gov/coronavirus.
IDPH will continue to track the positivity rates and hospital capacity metrics in regions over 14-day monitoring periods to determine if mitigations can be relaxed, if additional mitigations are required, or if current mitigation should remain in place. In order for a region to move back to Tier 2 mitigations, a region must experience a) a <12% 7-day average test positivity rate for 3 consecutive days, b) a >20% available intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital bed availability for 3 consecutive days, and c) declining 7-day average COVID hospitalizations for 7 out of the last 10 days.
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