Gov. JB Pritzker has announced new COVID-19 restrictions that will take effect statewide. .All regions in Illinois will now operate under Tier 3 mitigations of the Resurgence Mitigation Plan.
The new mitigations affect:
- Retail
- Personal Car Services
- Health and Fitness Centers
- Hotels
- Manufacturing
- Bars and Restaurants
- Meetings and Social Events
- Offices
- Organized Group Recreational Activities
- Indoor Recreation, Theater, Cultural Institutions
The new restrictions aim to limit gatherings and encourage people to stay home as much as possible. They will go into effect at 12:01am on Friday, November 20.
The Tier 3 restrictions are as follows:
Bars and Restaurants
- All bars and restaurants close at 11pm and may reopen no earlier than 6am the following day.
- No indoor service is allowed.
- All bar and restaurant patrons must be seated at tables outside.
- No ordering, seating, or congregating at bars is allowed (bar stools should be removed).
- Tables should be six feet apart.
- No standing or congregating outdoors while waiting for a table or exiting is allowed.
- No dancing or standing indoors is allowed.
- Tables cannot seat more than six people.
- Reservations required for each party.
- No seating of multiple parties at one table.
- Indoor gaming terminals must suspend operations.
- Includes private clubs and country clubs.
Health and Fitness Centers
- Operate at no more than 25% capacity.
- No indoor group classes.
- Face coverings must be worn at all times, including while engaged in individual exercise regardless of person or machine spacing.
- Reservations are required.
- Locker room areas should be closed.
Hotels
- Hotel room occupancy should be limited to registered guests only, with the maximum allowance being the number of individuals permissible per existing fire code for each applicable guest room.
- Fitness centers should be closed, or operated only on a reservation model with capacity limited to 25% of the maximum occupancy for the room.
- Grab and go food allowed.
- Event and meeting space closed.
Indoor Recreation, Theaters, Cultural Institutions (casinos, bowling, arcades, movie theaters, museums, and zoos)
- Gaming and casinos must close.
- Indoor recreation centers, including theaters, performing arts centers and indoor museums and amusement centers, must close.
- Live streaming of performances encouraged with social distancing of performers and minimum operational staff.
- Outdoor activities allowed at 25% capacity or less.
- Outdoor group activities limited to 10 persons or less. Participants and guests must wear face coverings at all times.
- Reservations required for each guest for outdoor activities.
Manufacturing
- Additional COVID-19 training for all employees required even if previous training occurred.
- Operators should coordinate with IDPH to implement testing protocols and contact tracing, upon request, consistent with available testing supplies.
- All employees must wear face coverings at all times unless eating or drinking. Exemptions only for safety purposes.
- Only manufacturing staff and key personnel allowed in facilities. Non-production employees must work remotely. Non-essential staff and visitors are not permitted. Exemptions only for critical equipment repairs, supply deliveries and safety reasons (“critical visitors”).
- All critical visitors must have an Employee Health and Safety (EHS)-approved risk-assessment done in advance, including travel history, tracking, and temperature check prior to entrance.
- Implement additional workstation realignment when feasible.
- Stagger and space shifts, and designate shift entrances and exits (when possible) to minimize interactions of employees across unique shift groupings.
- Station sanitation required at beginning and ending of shifts.
- Operators must suspend COVID-related incentive pay and promote staying home when sick or showing symptoms.
- Implement temporary leave policies to accommodate workers who are sick.
- Develop and implement safety protocols for employee travel vans to promote spacing, require face coverings, temperature checks, air circulation, and vehicle sanitization.
Offices
- All employees who can work remotely should work remotely.
Organized Group Recreational Activities (sports, indoor sports and activity facilities, etc.)
- Pause all indoor group sporting and recreational activities including youth and adult recreational sports, individual training may remain (with facility reservation).
- Includes park districts and travel leagues.
- Outdoor sports and recreation allowed.
- Participant groups and practices outdoors limited to 10 persons or less with social distancing.
- Face coverings required for all activities at all times.
- Locker rooms should be closed.
Personal Care Services
- Operate at lesser of 25 clients or 25% capacity.
- Face coverings must be worn at all times by clients and service providers.
- Suspend services where a face covering cannot be worn (e.g. facials, beard trims).
- Physical, occupational and massage therapy allowed as deemed necessary by a medical provider, but appointments must be spaced by a minimum of 15 minutes and facilities should take steps to sanitize and circulate clean air through service rooms before and after each service.
- Virtual consultations recommended.
Retail
- Operate at no more than 25% capacity, including general merchandise stores, “big box” stores that offer groceries and pharmacy, and convenience stores.
- Grocery stores and pharmacies may operate at up to 50% capacity.
- Encourage delivery or curbside pickup options wherever possible.
- When in-store shopping is necessary, promote efficient trips and consistent circulation.
Grocery stores will remain open.
Schools should continue to follow guidance released by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) in August.
Child care facilities can continue to operate under guidance from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
This is not a new stay at home order, but Pritzker said if the new mitigations are not followed, another stay at home order could be implemented.