COVID-19 restrictions on bars, restaurants in southwest IL to be eased Friday evening
Additional coronavirus restrictions in the metro-east will be lifted Friday after the region met a key coronavirus measurement, according to St. Clair County leaders.
Bars and restaurants may reopen for indoor service as of 5 p.m. with no time closure limits. Parties of up to 10 people are allowed to eat and drink inside the establishments. Tables should be 6 feet apart or use impermeable barriers between booths that are less than 6 feet apart.
Other requirements for restaurants under Phase 4 of Illinois’ reopening plan are still in place, such as a statewide mask mandate when in public places where social distancing is not possible.
The restrictions were lifted after the region, which includes St. Clair, Madison, Bond, Washington, Clinton, Monroe and Randolph counties, managed to reduce the percentage of COVID-19 tests coming back positive to below 6.5% for three consecutive days.
In a call with local leaders Friday morning, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois Department of Public Health officials said the region could return to Phase 4.
As of Friday, the seven-day rolling average positivity rate for the metro-east was 5.8%, according to IDPH. The rate fell from a high of 10.5% on Aug. 27.
Local leaders warned residents they would need to remain cautious going forward to avoid a return to resurgence restrictions as the winter season threatens to shut down outdoor dining. Wearing a mask, maintaining 6 feet of distance from others, avoiding crowds and frequent handwashing can prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“We want to stay where we are. We want to keep our businesses open so they can have a good holiday season,” St. Clair County Chairman Mark Kern said.
Herb Simmons, St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency director, said the region “can’t let our foot up off the gas.”
“Because otherwise we will be back doing this same thing again,” Simmons said. “... I just lost two friends, a husband and wife team, this week to the virus. So it’s real. It’s there. But this is a little bit of good news for us, especially our business owners and for those of you who maybe now can go out and get something to eat.”
The metro-east region could return to a ban on indoor service at bars and restaurants if it surpasses an 8% positivity rate for three consecutive days.
Keeping the positivity rate low doesn’t just allow businesses to operate with fewer restrictions, it prevents death, Kern added. County officials announced yet another death Friday, a woman in her 80s, bringing the county’s death toll to 201 since the pandemic began.
“We’ve got to get the positivity rate even lower than it is today,” Kern said.
Restrictions went into place on Aug. 18 after the region surpassed an 8% positivity rate for three consecutive days. The state’s decision was met with strong pushback from local business groups and elected officials. Pritzker defended his position, saying the region’s economy could not return to full strength without controlling the spread of COVID-19.
Local legislators praised the return to Phase 4.
“Our small businesses were the hit the hardest by this mitigation plan,” state Sen. Rachelle Crowe, D-Glen Carbon. “Because of the commitment by the people of the Metro East to mask up and practice social distancing, these businesses will be able to return to operating how they were before the spike in cases.”
State Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, said the announcement “could not have come soon enough.”
“I was not happy about the previous restrictions put in place, but it’s about time these restrictions were lifted,” Meier said.
State health officials reported 2,818 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, including 35 additional deaths, for a total of 313,518 cases and 8,945 deaths since the pandemic began.
This story was originally published October 9, 2020 at 9:48 AM.
