St. Clair County officials answer questions about indoor dining, other COVID-19 issues
Some people may not want to hear it.
That is, the possibility that their favorite restaurants will make changes to operations due to their experiences, good or bad, with COVID-19 restrictions over the past year.
This subject was brought up by one person who submitted a question to St. Clair County officials during their daily Facebook briefing on Sunday: When will fast-food restaurants be allowed to reopen for indoor dining?
St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern noted that indoor dining already is allowed on a limited-capacity basis.
“I think what you’re seeing ... perhaps is a new way of doing business,” he said. “Some fast-food places may decide not to reopen the indoor dining. But right now, they’re allowed to. ... Hopefully your favorite restaurant goes back to the way you want it to go. But it seems to us that maybe some may decide that it’s better for them not to.”
Other questions were answered by Myla Blandford, assistant director of the St. Clair County Health Department, and Herb Simmons, director of the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency as part of a weekly Q&A session.
Question: When will the Johnson & Johnson vaccine be available at the St. Clair County mass-vaccination site and for what time period?
Blandford: “We have had Johnson & Johnson out at the fairground in the past. We do have it at our 330 W. Main location. So if you go on the scheduler, we have built out through Wednesday. Those appointments are full. When we post more, there will be some Johnson & Johnson availability. So check back to that site, and you will be able to register.”
Question: What are the current options for COVID-19 testing in St. Clair County?
Blandford: “We want people to continue being tested in the community. Know your status before you go, especially with those family functions coming up for the holidays. We have the mall. They’ve reduced their hours. They’re Monday-Wednesday-Friday (and Saturday) from 8 to 4. We have CVS, Walgreens, and there are some other options at HSHS Medical Group.”
Question: Have there been any cases of the new COVID-19 variants detected in our area so far?
Blandford: “None of them have been reported by the Illinois Department of Public Health.”
Question: Will we need a vaccine booster and has Pfizer or Moderna begun testing boosters?
Blandford: ”It’s nothing beyond that 21- or 28-day second shot at this time.” Health officials recommend that people get two Pfizer shots (21 days apart) and two Moderna shots (28 days apart), but the second shots aren’t really considered “boosters.”
Question: What is the current rule for wearing face masks in Belleville stores?
Blandford: “Face masks are still recommended for public areas.”
Question: If someone living in St. Clair County received (his or her) vaccine in a different Illinois county, does that person’s vaccine status count for the county of residency or the county of administration?
Blandford: “If you receive the vaccine in the state of Illinois, it’s entered into I-CARE, the state registry. So they report out those numbers by county of residence.”
Question: What led St. Clair County to the decision to open up COVID-19 vaccinations to anyone 16 and older?
Kern: “Because we were seeing fewer and fewer people making appointments, we knew it was time to move on. (The Illinois Department of Public Health) agreed with that.”
Question: If our business would like to donate meals to National Guard and staff working at the mass-vaccination site in Belleville, who should we contact?
Simmons: “Call us here at the EMA office. We will put you in touch with that process. ... We’ve had several businesses in the past do that. On Fridays, we try to give the medical staff and the National Guard at the site a little Friday treat. So for the businesses that have done that and the individuals who have done that, we really appreciate it.”
This story was originally published March 28, 2021 at 6:11 PM.
