Illinois’ strict approach to COVID-19 reopening worked, Governor J.B. Pritzker says
As Illinois gets set to move into the next phase of its regional reopening plan, state officials are claiming a victory in controlling the spread of COVID-19.
Starting Friday under Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan, restaurants and bars will be allowed to reopen for indoor dining as long as they adhere to social distancing and capacity guidelines. Groups of up to 50 people are allowed, up from 10 in Phase 3.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has faced criticism from some Republicans and downstate residents for implementing what GOP members say are the strictest coronavirus rules nationwide. But Pritzker said “short-term thinking and politics” in some states where governors reopened economies quickly caused a resurgence of cases, hospitalizations and intensive care unit usage.
The U.S. reached a new high point in the number of new cases on Wednesday, as the virus continues to spread across the south and west.
“That’s not the story in Illinois,” Pritzker said during a news conference in Chicago Thursday. “Here, we have been gradually restoring businesses and leisure activities in a highly deliberate manner.”
The state has seen a 65% decrease in coronavirus-related deaths from a peak six weeks ago, Pritzker said. Since a height seven weeks ago, COVID-19 cases decreased by 76%, and ICU bed usage dropped by more than 60% since the first week in May.
“Illinois is being touted across the country for getting it right,” said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.
But Pritzker reminded residents that the decision to move to the next phase was not a given, and was dependent on expert analysis of COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations.
“If any single region of the state were trending in the wrong direction,” Pritzker said, “we could not in good conscience offer that region the go-ahead for Phase 4.”
If state officials continue to follow recommendations from doctors and scientists, residents can continue to “move toward normalcy.”
“We expect the journey ahead to be difficult,” Pritzker said. “The virus hasn’t gone away.”
The state could still move back to a prior phase, or portions of it, if the metrics worsen, the governor said. If hospitalizations increase, for instance, the state could go back to suspending elective surgeries to make room for COVID-19 patients.
Masks still recommended
Illinoisans will still be asked to wear masks in public places, and anyone who is sick should stay at home, Ezike said.
Wearing masks has become a political issue for many, said University of Chicago epidemiologist Dr. Emily Landon.
“I understand that some people have come to see wearing masks as some sort of political symbol,” Landon said. “But unless the mask literally has a political statement written on it, I guess, it’s not political. It’s a piece of fabric that covers a part of your body that needs to be protected, like gloves in the winter.”
Staying home was an important tool in fighting “a raging firestorm of infection,” Landon said, but wearing masks and contact tracing are essential to putting out “embers” as people return to public life.
“We have to learn to extinguish these small sparks by starving them of the fuel they need in order to spread,” Landon said. “We do this by wearing masks, by keeping our distance, washing our hands, staying home when we’re sick, getting tested when we need to be and engaging with and following the advice of contact tracers when they call.”
It’s not clear when the state will move into the fifth and final phase in the plan, which requires either a COVID-19 vaccine, an effective treatment or no new cases for “a sustained period.”
Public health officials announced 894 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in Illinois, including 41 additional deaths, for a total of 139,434 cases and 6,810 deaths since the pandemic began. The state surpassed 30,000 tests in a 24-hour period for the first time.
Here is a list of guidelines and changes residents can expect. A complete list of detailed guidance is available at Illinois.gov/businessguidelines.
- Indoor Dining: Indoor dining can reopen with groups of 10 or less and tables spaced six feet apart. Standing areas are limited to 25% of capacity.
- Cinema and Theater: Indoor seated theaters, cinemas and performing arts centers can allow admission with the lesser of up to 50 people or 50% of overall theater or performance space capacity (applies to each screening room). Outdoor capacity is limited to 20% of overall theater or performance space. Concessions are permitted with restrictions.
- Meetings and events: Venues and meeting spaces can resume with the lesser of up to 50 people or 50% capacity. Multiple groups are permitted provided there is space to appropriately social distance and limit interaction between groups. This includes activities such as conferences and weddings.
- Outdoor seated spectator events: Outdoor spectator sports can resume with no more than 20% of seating capacity. Concessions are permitted with restrictions.
- Youth and Recreational Sports: Revised guidelines allow competitive play and tournaments. Youth and recreational sports venues can operate at 50% of capacity, 20% seating capacity for spectators. Group sizes up to 50 with multiple groups are permitted during practice and competitive games in venues with space to appropriately social distance and limit interaction between groups. Concessions are permitted with restrictions.
- Health and fitness centers: Revised guidelines allow gyms to open at 50% capacity with group fitness classes of up to 50 and new safety guidelines for indoors. Multiple groups permitted with space to appropriately social distance and limit interaction between groups.
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 3:07 PM.
