The Illinois Department of Public Health announced on Saturday that Region 5 has met the requirements to enter into mitigation of the Tier 1 coronavirus, meaning that indoor meals can be resumed.
Region 5, which is in southern Illinois, can enter Level 1 mitigations immediately, including bringing back indoor meals and bar service. The region includes the following counties: Marion, Jefferson, Wayne, Edwards, Wabash, Perry, Jackson, Franklin, Williamson, Saline, Hamilton, White, Gallatin, Union, Johnson, Pope, Hardin, Alexander, Massac and Pulaski.
In Tier 1, the region will be able to open internal meals for 25 people or 25% of the capacity per room, whichever is smaller, with only four people allowed per table.
Here is a breakdown of what changes at Level 1:
- Internal service limited to less than 25% or 25 people per room
- The establishment must serve food for internal service
- Reservations required and limited to 2 hours
- No table with more than 4 people indoors
- Bars and restaurants close at 11 pm and cannot reopen before 6 am the next day
- Social gatherings can be limited to 25 people or 25% of both internal and external capacity
“And, of course, all regions that have improved enough to move to Phase
4, you can resume some larger internal operations in bars and restaurants like
as long as the tables are kept two meters apart, just like last summer, “said Pritzker.
On Friday, two other regions of Illinois were allowed to return to Tier 2 mitigations, with several other regions close to doing the same.
The move to Tier 2 will mean the return of group gym classes and the reopening of cultural institutions such as museums, with a capacity limit of 25%, among others.
Regions leaving Tier 3 mitigations may also resume youth and recreational sports.
“Higher levels of play will be allowed as metrics are improved at the subsequent level,” according to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s office.
All 11 regions of Illinois have been under Level 3 mitigations since November 20, suspending in-house restaurants across the state and closing museums and casinos.
According to state guidelines, a region may move to Tier 2 mitigations if it sees a test positivity rate of less than 12% for three consecutive days and more than 20% of the ICUs and hospital beds are available, as well as declining rates. hospitalizations for COVID-19 in seven of the previous 10 days.
To move to Level 1, regions need:
- A test positivity rate below 8 percent for three consecutive days, measured by the 7-day moving average; AND
- Greater than or equal to 20 percent available in ICUs and medical / surgical hospital beds for three consecutive days, on a 3-day moving average; AND
- No sustained increase in the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 for seven out of 10 days, on an average of 7 days.
To return to Phase 4, however, regions need to:
- A test positivity rate less than or equal to 6.5 percent for three consecutive days, measured by the 7-day moving average; AND
- Greater than or equal to 20 percent available in ICUs and medical / surgical hospital beds for three consecutive days, on a 3-day moving average; AND
- No sustained increase in the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 for seven out of 10 days, on an average of 7 days.