Coronavirus Mitigations In Region 7, 8 Start Friday

ILLINOIS — Regions 7 and 8 will join Regions 1 and 5 Friday as the state imposes additional mitigations due to rising positivity rates. Regions 7 and 8 include Kane, DuPage, Will and Kankakee counties.

The mitigations for Regions 7 and 8 will begin Friday, while region 5 mitigations will begin Thursday.

This is the second time that Region 7 has faced additional resurgence mitigation measures. The region was able to return to phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan in mid-September, but is now once again seeing a test positivity rate above 8 percent, as well as “concerning” ICU availability, a release from the governor’s office states.

Data from IDPH on Tuesday shows the positivity rate in Region 8 is 9 percent, and the rate for Region 7 is 8.6 percent.

“By the end of this week, four regions will all be operating under the standard resurgence mitigations — that includes no indoor dining or indoor bar service and limiting in-person gatherings to no more than 25 individuals,” Governor J.B. Pritzker said.

“We’re Midwestern tough here in Illinois. We know how to deal with a crisis. And we know how to take care of each other.”

“The actions we take today to slow the spread of this virus will define what happens in the coming days, weeks and months,” said Dr. Justin Macariola-Coad, interim chief medical officer at Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin. “Wearing a mask, washing your hands, and keeping your distance from others will prevent the spread of this illness and save lives. The more we ignore taking these basic steps, the more people will get sick and the harder it will be on the health care system and our brave frontline clinical workers to keep up with the pandemic this winter and help care for our communities across the northwest suburbs.”

Mitigation measures, which do not include schools, taking effect Oct. 23 in Regions 7 and 8 include:

Bars

• No indoor service
• All outside bar service closes at 11:00 p.m.
• All bar patrons should be seated at tables outside
• No ordering, seating, or congregating at the 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

Restaurants

• No indoor dining or bar service
• All outdoor dining closes at 11:00 p.m.
• Outside dining 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

Meetings, Social Events, Gatherings

• Limit to lesser of 25 guests or 25 percent of overall room capacity
• No party buses
• Gaming and Casinos close at 11 p.m., are limited to 25 percent capacity, and follow mitigations for bars and restaurants, if applicable

According to a release from the governor’s office, the administration continues to distribute emergency relief for small businesses and communities impacted by the ongoing pandemic. In Regions 7 and 8, approximately $14 million has already been awarded for small businesses and community aid.

Businesses in both regions, and other regions currently under additional mitigations, will receive priority consideration for the current round of Business Interruption Grants (BIG), with $220 million available to help offset costs and losses businesses have incurred as a result of the pandemic.

As part of the administration’s response to the pandemic, the state continues to strengthen its testing operation. Illinois is now averaging over 65,000 tests per day, more than three times higher than the national average.

Related:

• Positivity Rate Climbs To 9% In Kane-DuPage; Restrictions Likely
• Positivity Rate Above 8% In Will-Kankakee; Restrictions Possible