To:

Chemical Industry Council of Illinois (CICI) Members

From:

Mark Biel, Chief Executive Officer
[email protected] or 217/522-5805 

Re:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update – Region 1 (Northwestern Illinois) Faced with Increased Restrictions; Chicago Eases Some COVID-19 Restrictions; Update on COVID-19 Cases

Region 1 (Northwestern Illinois) Faced with Increased Restrictions: Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced today that increased restrictions will be implemented for Region 1 (Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago counties), beginning this Saturday, October 3. This region is seeing a 7-day rolling average test positivity rate of 8% or above for three consecutive days, which exceeds the threshold set for establishing mitigation measures in the region under the state’s revamped Phase 4 plan.  You can see where the various regions are at in terms of their positivity rates, hospitalizations and other metrics at this link

In addition to face covering, social distancing, and hand washing requirements, for Region 1 these mitigation efforts include the following measures which will remain in effect over a 14-day period after which, more stringent mitigation measures will be implemented if the region’s positivity rate does not improve.

For bars:

  • All bars close at 11:00pm
  • No indoor service
  • All bar patrons should be seated at tables outside
  • No ordering, seating, or congregating at bar (bar stools should be removed)
  • Tables should be 6 feet apart
  • No standing or congregating indoors or outdoors while waiting for a table or exiting
  • No dancing or standing indoors
  • Reservations required for each party
  • No seating of multiple parties at one table

For restaurants:

  • All restaurants close at 11:00pm
  • No indoor dining or bar service
  • Tables should be 6 feet apart
  • No standing or congregating indoors or outdoors while waiting for a table or exiting
  • Reservations required for each party
  • No seating of multiple parties at one table

For meetings, social events and gatherings:

  • Limit to lesser of 25 guests or 25% of overall room capacity
  • No party buses
  • Gaming and Casinos close at 11:00pm, are limited to 25 percent capacity, and follow      mitigations for bars and restaurants

It should be noted, however, these increased mitigation efforts will not include classrooms where applicable.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) will track the positivity rate in Region 1 to determine if mitigations can be relaxed, if additional mitigations are required, or if current mitigation should remain in place. If the positivity rate averages less than or equal to 6.5 percent over a 14-day period, the region will return to Phase 4.  If the positivity rate averages between 6.5 percent and 8 percent, IDPH will continue to monitor the region to determine if additional mitigations are needed. If the positivity rate averages greater than or equal to 8 percent after 14 days, more stringent mitigations will be applied to further reduce spread of the virus, which can include the closure of indoor bars and dining.

A full list of mitigation measures pertaining to some businesses and industries may also be found on the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) website at DCEO COVID-19 resources

Chicago Eases Some COVID-19 Restrictions: Yesterday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and city officials announced that the city will ease some COVID-19 restrictions on businesses and other activities. Test positivity in the city has fallen to 4.5% and hospitalizations the lowest since March and deaths at an average of 2-3 per day, when they were around 50 per day at the peak of the pandemic.

Thus, effective Thursday, October 1st, at 5:00am, the following guidelines will come into effect:

  • Increased Indoor Capacity: Restaurants, health and fitness centers, personal services, non-essential retail and all other establishments that have been limited to 25% indoor capacity will now be able to increase their maximum indoor capacity to 40%. The limit of 50 total customers within one room or space at restaurants, venues and other establishments will remain in place, as will the limit of no more than six people per table.
  • Reopening of Bars: Breweries, taverns, bars and other establishments that serve alcohol without a food license may reopen with indoor seating, at 25% capacity or 50 people, whichever is fewer. Service remains limited to no more than two hours per party, and customers must be seated when eating, drinking or ordering – patrons cannot walk up to the bar to order.
  • Extended Hours for Bars and Restaurants: Bars, restaurants and other establishments that serve alcohol will now be able to sell alcohol for on-site or off-site consumption until 1:00 am and may remain open until 1:30 am. Liquor stores, grocery stores and other establishments that sell alcohol to-go through a Packaged Goods license must continue to cease alcohol sales at 9:00 p.m.
  • Increased Group Size: Maximum group size for health and fitness classes and after-school programming will increase from 10 to 15 people.
  • Expanded Personal Services: Facials, shaves and other personal services that require the removal of face coverings will be allowed.

The city also cautioned all businesses and customers to continue following all Phase 4 guidelines, including additional guidelines that will also come into effect on Thursday, October 1st:

  • When dining out at a food service establishment or bar, customers must always wear face coverings while seated, except when actively eating or drinking. This protects employees that may interact closely with patrons.
  • Patrons at indoor bars, taverns and breweries must order from their seats – they cannot walk up to the bar to order.
  • Bars, taverns and breweries that are reopening indoors must partner with a food establishment so that food is available to patrons at all times (e.g., making menus available and allowing delivery, allowing patrons to order from third-party delivery services).
  • When taking reservations and seating walk-in customers, restaurants and bars should retain an email and/or phone number for possible contact tracing.
  • Personal services that require the removal of face coverings are recommended to be kept under 15 minutes, and the employee conducting the service must always wear a face covering.
  • All places of business should provide hand sanitizer for patrons and employees to use upon entry.           

Update on COVID-19 Cases: IDPH is reporting 289,639 positive cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, an average increase of 1,438 new cases per day since reported here 4 days ago on September 25.  In total, 5,520,652 tests have now been conducted in Illinois for the virus, an average increase of 39,295 tests per day since September 25.  The state’s average positivity rate over all 11 regions for the last 4 days is at 3.6%, and also 3.6% for the last 7 days.

Unfortunately, IDPH is reporting a total of 8,614 deaths, an average increase of 13 per day since September 25.

You can also check where these cases are occurring at the State of Illinois COVID-19 website which also contains more information on this outbreak.

Also, IDPH has a case breakdown of the number of positive cases in Chicago and each county relative to the number of fatalities.  The IDPH website also now includes a breakdown of the cases under each zip code in the state.

For information on other states and countries, John Hopkins University has developed this website that provides invaluable resources at a one-stop location detailing testing and tracing trends, timelines of COVID-19 policies, and interactive maps.

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