Almost a year after issuing his first home order, Governor JB Pritzker on Thursday announced his plan to reopen the state, employing a “bridge” phase that will include increasing capacity limits in museums, zoos and other places.
The governor also announced the expansion of coronavirus vaccine eligibility to all Illinois residents over the age of 16 – except in Chicago locations – as of April 12, and has set limits on vaccinations and new cases of COVID-19. for the state to return to normal.
“Although we are still in the middle of a global pandemic, the end does seem to be really in sight,” said Pritzker.
The state can enter this 28-day “bridge” phase for a complete reopening when 70% of people aged 65 and over have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Pritzker expressed optimism about the state being able to return to more normal operations and pointed to the 58% first dose vaccination rate for the elderly on Thursday morning.
The state must also maintain a bed availability rate in the intensive care unit of 20% or less and remain stable in hospital admissions for COVID-19 and COVID-like illness, mortality rate and case rate during a monitoring period. 28 days.
In the intermediate stage between Phases 4 and 5, museums will see their capacity limitations increase from 25% to 60%. The same limitations apply to zoos.
Amusement parks may increase the capacity of the restriction from 25% in phase 4 to 60% in the intermediate phase. Festivals and general open-air admission, events for spectators can accommodate 30 people per 1,000 square feet at the bridge stage.
Meetings, conferences and conventions will have their capacity limit increased to 1,000 people or 60%, whichever is less. Limitations around meetings also apply to theaters and performing arts venues.
The governor said on Thursday that Illinois will resume normal business operations “when at least 50% of our population aged 16 and over has received at least one dose”. The state’s mask requirement will be lifted when the United States Centers for Disease Control recommend it.
Pritzker did not put a date on when the state could reach the bridge phase, but with about 1% of the state’s population receiving the vaccine daily, it could happen “quickly”.
“While we are competing against a difficult clock – the new and most dangerous variants – it is entirely within our power to turn the page in this dark and devastating chapter,” said Pritzker. “These vaccines are our fastest ticket back to hug our grandchildren, eat in restaurants without worrying about the risks, school dances, community celebrations, all the things we miss in normal life.”
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During the pandemic, the governor gave local governments room to impose stricter, but no longer flexible, COVID-19 restrictions, and the city often did just that, maintaining tighter control over internal capacity limits for bars and bars. restaurants.
Citing the meager offer, Chicago was a step behind the state’s vaccination plan last month, although any Chicago resident aged 16 or over can go anywhere in the state to receive a vaccine starting April 12, he said. a spokesperson for Pritzker.
The city will open consultations for people aged 16 and over with chronic health conditions as soon as it enters Phase 1C on March 29 – more than a month after Pritzker allowed this to happen in other regions.
Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said the city, which receives its vaccine shipments separately from the rest of the state, will not open consultations as permitted in Pritzker’s plan.
“I would like to spend the first month of this 1C period still making some priorities so that people [in high-contact jobs] and people with underlying diseases are prioritized above healthy 23-year-old college students, ”said Arwady during a separate online question and answer session. “Assuming the vaccine supply is there, we will definitely expand to everyone on May 1st. We might do that before, if you’re there. … Part is just about how much vaccine you have and when. “
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Pritzker said he expects Chicago “to move quickly towards opening [vaccine appointments] further.
“I think it will be difficult for the city if people who can get vaccinated, who live a little beyond the city limits, get an appointment to get vaccinated, but people who are in the city may not be able to because they didn’t open it” , said the governor. “But then again, I think it depends on them.”
As for commercial operations, city officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Mayor Lori Lightfoot will follow the Pritzker bridge plan.
Dr. Rachel Rubin, co-leader of the Cook County Health Department, said the county has not yet made a decision on whether or not to follow the state in opening its vaccine eligibility or reopening the bridge.
“We don’t know if we will go so quickly to this bridge or if we can break it into different sections, the beginning, middle and end of that bridge, we will have to see it,” said Rubin. “My inclination at this point is that we are extremely cautious about opening up, our number of new cases has leveled off, they are not continuing to decline at this point, they have really leveled up.”
The governor’s new plan appears to allow fans to watch the Bulls and Blackhawks games at the United Center, and it also opens the door to conventions – potentially offering a blessing to the hospitality industry that was wiped out by the pandemic.
But that will depend on Lightfoot’s office.
“McCormick Place’s commitment during this pandemic has been to act in the best interest of public health and we will continue to do so while we await more information about the reopening guidelines for the city of Chicago,” said a spokeswoman for the salon on the edge of the street. lake in a statement. “We are ready to reopen as soon as public health conditions permit.”
The president of the Illinois Restaurant Association, Sam Toia, who previously clashed with management to expand internal service, called this “an important step towards recovery”.
“We urge Governor Pritzker to define a path to allow for the expansion of events with extensive security measures in place, and this pragmatic approach to loosen restrictions will greatly increase business opportunities for restaurants, event companies, conventions and culinary tourism – all which are essential to Illinois’s economic engine, ”Toia said in a statement.
Illinois Retail Merchants Association president Rob Karr said he presents “a clear path to a full reopening” – which companies expect “to be short,” he said in a statement.
Chicago Labor Federation President Bob Reiter, a member of the Sun-Times board of directors, said that “having a path to reopen helps workers and their employer plan a more defined path for the future. To continue on this path of reopening, the health and safety of workers remains an absolute priority. “
Read Governor Pritzker’s complete plan to reopen the “bridge phase”: