CHICAGO, IL – Restrictions designed to curb the spread of coronavirus, including a ban on indoor meals, could return to the suburban Cook district in “a matter of days,” a county public health official told reporters on Saturday.
Dr. Rachel Rubin, co-leader of the Cook County Department of Public Health, said that another increase in cases could cause the department to reissue the restrictions, reported the Chicago Tribune. That could mean banning indoor meals and imposing limits on meetings, she said.
“We may very well have to crack down in a matter of days,” said Rubin, according to the Tribune report. “I am not promising this in one way or another.”
Rubin’s prediction comes at a time when coronavirus cases are on the rise in Cook County.
Cook County’s seven-day average in the suburbs remains at 498 daily cases. Last week, the positivity rate was 5 percent, close to the 8 percent benchmark that led to the closure last fall.
The county ended some mitigation measures in late March, including an increase in the number of people allowed to eat in outdoor groups and the opening of amusement parks with a 25% capacity.
The reversal also affected outdoor fitness classes, meetings, social events and recreational activities, increasing capacity to 50 percent or 100 people.