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 - Will, Kankakee Counties Fall Backward from Phase 4; Expanded Statewide Face Covering Requirement for All Bars and Restaurants; Update on COVID-19 Cases

Will, Kankakee Counties Fall Backward from Phase 4Today, Governor Pritzker announced that new mitigation efforts will be implemented for Will and Kankakee Counties, effective tomorrow, August 26.  There mitigation efforts can be found attached to this Update.

This area is Region 7 of the state’s revamped Phase 4 plan.  Some cities in Will County like Aurora, Bolingbrook, Naperville, and Plainfield will now be subject to these mitigation efforts while the rest of these municipalities located in parts of other counties like DuPage, Kane, and Kendall County will see no change at all, at least for the time being.

This is the second region of the state now reporting three consecutive days of a positivity rate exceeding 8%, triggering implementation of increased mitigation efforts.  As you may recall, similar mitigation efforts have been employed for the St. Louis Metro-East area of the state (Region 4) last week.

You can see where the various regions are at in terms of their positivity rates, hospitalizations and other metrics at this link.  For Region 7, these mitigation measures will supersede the revamped Restore Illinois Phase 4 guidelines. 

The new mitigation measures were developed in close coordination with local public health administrators and county officials and account for the unique characteristics of the region. These measures 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.

In addition to face covering, social distancing, and hand washing requirements, for Region 7 these mitigation efforts include the following:

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 7 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 be found on the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) website at DCEO COVID-19 resources

Expanded Statewide Face Covering Requirement for All Bars and Restaurants: Also, today Governor Pritzker announced that, effective tomorrow, August 26, all bar, restaurant and food service establishment patrons in the state are required to wear face coverings during any interaction with wait staff, food service workers and other employees such as ordering, delivering food and beverages, and servicing tables.  This requirement will also apply to any recreational facilities, museums and entertainment venues.  Guidance information on this new requirement can be found here.

Update on COVID-19 Cases: IDPH is reporting 223,470 positive cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, an average increase of 1,930 new cases per day since reported here 6 days ago on August 19.  In total, 3,781,050 tests have now been conducted in Illinois for the virus, an average increase of 48,579 tests per day since August 19.  The state’s average positivity rate over all 11 regions is at 4%.  Again, you can see where the various regions are at in terms of their positivity rates, hospitalizations and other metrics at this link.     

Unfortunately, IDPH is reporting a total of 7,917 deaths, an average increase of 18.5 per day since August 19.

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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