New COVID restrictions take effect in Illinois on Friday. Here’s what you should know.
New COVID-19 restrictions on retailers, museums and casinos in Illinois go into effect Friday to slow the spread of the disease in an effort health officials hope will ease the strain on hospitals.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 14,612 new cases and 168 new deaths Thursday for a total of 621,383 cases and 11,178 deaths.
As of Wednesday at midnight, there were 6,037 hospitalizations statewide. In the metro-east region, which includes St. Clair, Madison, Bond, Washington, Monroe, Randolph and Clinton counties, 85% of hospital beds were full.
St. Louis hospitals were also running out of space, the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force reported Thursday. Over the past week, hospitals admitted an average of 126 people with COVID-19 daily, a new record.
Restrictions remain the same for bars and restaurants, including a ban on indoor service and limited operating times. A mask mandate is still in place in Illinois as well.
Here are the restrictions that went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday:
Retail
Includes service counters
- 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.
Personal care service
- 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
- 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 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
Manufacturing
- Additional COVID 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 are 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-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 sanitation
Bars and Restaurants
- All bars and restaurants close at 11 p.m. and may reopen no earlier than 6 a.m. the following day
- No indoor service
- All bar and restaurant 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 outdoors while waiting for a table or exiting
- No dancing or standing indoors
- No tables exceeding 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).
- Meetings, social events and gatherings (including weddings, potlucks, etc.)
- Limit in home gatherings to household members
- Meeting rooms, banquet centers, private party rooms, private clubs and country clubs may not host gatherings.
- No party buses
- Funerals are limited to 10 family members of the decedents, not including staff. See IDPH guidance.
Office
- 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
Indoor recreation, theaters, cultural Institutions
E.g. casinos, bowling, arcades, movie theaters, museums and zoos
- Gaming and casinos close
- Indoor recreation centers, including theaters, performing arts centers and indoor museums and amusement centers 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/guests must wear face coverings at all times.
- Reservations required for each guest for outdoor activities
Kelsey Landis
Belleville News-Democrat