Region 4 Moves to Phase 4

4th Feb, 2021

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced Region 4 (Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair, Washington) is moving to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan effective today.  Additional information about which tier and phase regions are in can be found at the top of the IDPH website homepage.  

A Phase 4 Guidelines Overview can be found on the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity website.

Phase 4 Guidelines include the following:

Restaurants and Bars

  • Indoor dining and drinking now permitted for parties of up to 10 people
  • Seated areas should be arranged so that tables allow for 6 feet between parties; impermeable barriers may be installed between booths which are less than 6 feet apart

Retail and Service Counter

  • Continue capacity limit of no more than 50% occupancy

Personal Care

  • Continue capacity limit of no more than 50% occupancy

Indoor/Outdoor Recreation

  • Reopening select indoor recreation facilities (e.g., bowling alleys, skating rinks); indoor playgrounds and trampoline parks should remain closed
  • Indoor recreation to operate at lesser of 50 customers or 50% of facility capacity

Museums

  • Capacity limit of no more than 25% occupancy
  • Guided tours should be limited to 50 or fewer people per group

Meetings and Social Events

  • Limit to the lesser of 50 people or 50% of room capacity
  • Multiple groups may meet in the same facility if they are socially distanced and in separate rooms

IDPH will continue to closely monitor test positivity, ICU bed availability, and the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19.  Should data show regions trending in the wrong direction, based on the established mitigation metrics, regions could once again find themselves in a higher tier with increased measures.

Metrics for moving from a higher to lower tier are as follows:

Moving from Tier 3 to Tier 2

  • Test positivity rate ≥ 8% and below 12% for three consecutive days (7-day average); AND
  • Staffed ICU bed availability ≥ 20% for three consecutive days (7-day average); AND
  • Sustained decline in COVID patients in hospital (7-day average for 7 of 10 days)

Moving from Tier 2 to Tier 1

  • Test positivity rate between 6.5% and 8% for three consecutive days (7-day average); AND
  • Staffed ICU bed availability ≥ 20% for three consecutive days (7-day average); AND
  • No sustained increase in COVID patients in hospital (7-day average for 7 of 10 days)

Moving from Tier 1 to Phase 4

  • Test positivity rate ≤ 6.5% for three consecutive days (7-day average); AND
  • Staffed ICU bed availability ≥ 20% for three consecutive days (7-day average); AND
  • No sustained increase in COVID patients in hospital (7-day average for 7 of 10 days)

Information about mitigation and resurgence metrics can be found on the IDPH website at http://www.dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics.

Regions 8 and 9 Move to Phase 4

3rd Feb, 2021

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced Region 8 (DuPage, Kane), and Region 9 (Lake, McHenry) are moving to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan effective today.  Additional information about which tier and phase regions are in can be found at the top of the IDPH website homepage.  

A Phase 4 Guidelines Overview can be found on the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity website.

Phase 4 Guidelines include the following:

Restaurants and Bars

  • Indoor dining and drinking now permitted for parties of up to 10 people
  • Seated areas should be arranged so that tables allow for 6 feet between parties; impermeable barriers may be installed between booths which are less than 6 feet apart

Retail and Service Counter

  • Continue capacity limit of no more than 50% occupancy

Personal Care

  • Continue capacity limit of no more than 50% occupancy

Indoor/Outdoor Recreation

  • Reopening select indoor recreation facilities (e.g., bowling alleys, skating rinks); indoor playgrounds and trampoline parks should remain closed
  • Indoor recreation to operate at lesser of 50 customers or 50% of facility capacity

Museums

  • Capacity limit of no more than 25% occupancy
  • Guided tours should be limited to 50 or fewer people per group

Meetings and Social Events

  • Limit to the lesser of 50 people or 50% of room capacity
  • Multiple groups may meet in the same facility if they are socially distanced and in separate rooms

IDPH will continue to closely monitor test positivity, ICU bed availability, and the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19.  Should data show regions trending in the wrong direction, based on the established mitigation metrics, regions could once again find themselves in a higher tier with increased measures.

Metrics for moving from a higher to lower tier are as follows:

Moving from Tier 3 to Tier 2

  • Test positivity rate ≥ 8% and below 12% for three consecutive days (7-day average); AND
  • Staffed ICU bed availability ≥ 20% for three consecutive days (7-day average); AND
  • Sustained decline in COVID patients in hospital (7-day average for 7 of 10 days)

Moving from Tier 2 to Tier 1

  • Test positivity rate between 6.5% and 8% for three consecutive days (7-day average); AND
  • Staffed ICU bed availability ≥ 20% for three consecutive days (7-day average); AND
  • No sustained increase in COVID patients in hospital (7-day average for 7 of 10 days)

Moving from Tier 1 to Phase 4

  • Test positivity rate ≤ 6.5% for three consecutive days (7-day average); AND
  • Staffed ICU bed availability ≥ 20% for three consecutive days (7-day average); AND
  • No sustained increase in COVID patients in hospital (7-day average for 7 of 10 days)

Information about mitigation and resurgence metrics can be found on the IDPH website at http://www.dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics.

Region 10 Moves to Phase 4

2nd Feb, 2021

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced Region 10, suburban Cook County, is moving to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan effective today. Additional information about which tier and phase regions are in can be found at the top of the IDPH website homepage.  

A Phase 4 Guidelines Overview can be found on the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity website.

Phase 4 Guidelines include the following:

Restaurants and Bars

  • Indoor dining and drinking now permitted for parties of up to 10 people
  • Seated areas should be arranged so that tables allow for 6 feet between parties; impermeable barriers may be installed between booths which are less than 6 feet apart

Retail and Service Counter

  • Continue capacity limit of no more than 50% occupancy

Personal Care

  • Continue capacity limit of no more than 50% occupancy

Indoor/Outdoor Recreation

  • Reopening select indoor recreation facilities (e.g., bowling alleys, skating rinks); indoor playgrounds and trampoline parks should remain closed
  • Indoor recreation to operate at lesser of 50 customers or 50% of facility capacity

Museums

  • Capacity limit of no more than 25% occupancy
  • Guided tours should be limited to 50 or fewer people per group

Meetings and Social Events

  • Limit to the lesser of 50 people or 50% of room capacity
  • Multiple groups may meet in the same facility if they are socially distanced and in separate rooms

IDPH will continue to closely monitor test positivity, ICU bed availability, and the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19.  Should data show regions trending in the wrong direction, based on the established mitigation metrics, regions could once again find themselves in a higher tier with increased measures.

Metrics for moving from a higher to lower tier are as follows:

Moving from Tier 3 to Tier 2

  • Test positivity rate ≥ 8% and below 12% for three consecutive days (7-day average); AND
  • Staffed ICU bed availability ≥ 20% for three consecutive days (7-day average); AND
  • Sustained decline in COVID patients in hospital (7-day average for 7 of 10 days)

Moving from Tier 2 to Tier 1

  • Test positivity rate between 6.5% and 8% for three consecutive days (7-day average); AND
  • Staffed ICU bed availability ≥ 20% for three consecutive days (7-day average); AND
  • No sustained increase in COVID patients in hospital (7-day average for 7 of 10 days)

Moving from Tier 1 to Phase 4

  • Test positivity rate ≤ 6.5% for three consecutive days (7-day average); AND
  • Staffed ICU bed availability ≥ 20% for three consecutive days (7-day average); AND
  • No sustained increase in COVID patients in hospital (7-day average for 7 of 10 days)

Information about mitigation and resurgence metrics can be found on the IDPH website at http://www.dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics.

2 More Illinois Regions Move to Phase 4 COVID-19 Mitigations

Published January 25, 2021  Updated on January 25, 2021 at 10:29 am

Two of Illinois’ 11 regions moved to Phase 4 coronavirus mitigations Monday, further loosening restrictions put in place to slow the pandemic’s spread.

Region 1 and Region 2 both moved to Phase 4 effective Monday, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced.

Region 1 includes Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago counties, while Region 2 includes Bureau, Fulton, Grundy, Henderson, Henry, Kendall, Knox, La Salle, Livingston, Marshall, McDonough, McLean, Mercer, Peoria, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Tazewell, Warren and Woodford counties.

To move from Tier 1 to Phase 4, a region must meet the following criteria:

  • Test positivity rate ≤ 6.5% for three consecutive days (7-day average) AND
  • Staffed hospital and ICU beds ≥ 20% for three consecutive days (3-day average) AND
  • No sustained increase in COVID patients in hospital (7-day average over 7 of 10 days)

Here’s a look at the guidelines for Phase 4:

Gatherings: All gatherings of 50 people or fewer are allowed with this limit subject to change based on latest data and guidance

Travel: Travel should follow IDPH and CDC approved guidance

Health care: All health care providers are open

Education and child care: P-12 schools, higher education, all summer programs, and child care open with IDPH approved safety guidance

Outdoor recreation: All outdoor recreation allowed

Businesses:

  • Manufacturing: All manufacturing open with IDPH approved safety guidance
  • “Non-essential” businesses: All employees can return to work with IDPH approved safety guidance; Employers are encouraged to provide accommodations for COVID-19-vulnerable employees
  • Bars and restaurants: Open with capacity limits and IDPH approved safety guidance
  • Personal care services and health clubs: All barbershops, salons, spas and health and fitness clubs open with capacity limits and IDPH approved safety guidance
  • Entertainment: Cinema and theaters open with capacity limits and IDPH approved safety guidance
  • Retail: Open with capacity limits and IDPH approved safety guidance

Regions 1 and 2 now join three other regions – 3, 5 and 6 – in the least restrictive of the mitigation levels currently available under the state’s system.

State health officials announced last week that all 11 of Illinois’ regions are now out of Tier 3, the most restrictive of the mitigation levels that was implemented statewide in late November amid a second wave of the pandemic.

Tier 3 suspended indoor dining across Illinois and closed down museums and casinos, among other mitigations which lasted through the holiday season. Pritzker announced earlier this month that regions could begin to lift those most stringent restrictions on Jan. 15 if they met the criteria.

“With all regions of Illinois now out of Tier 3, we can now see that the entire state is headed down the right path,” IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said Friday. “During the summer, we were on this same path.  We know that we must continue to take precautions and be smart about how we relax some of the mitigation measures, which are in place to protect our health and safety.”

The health department plans to “closely monitor test positivity, ICU bed availability, and the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19” for all regions and if numbers begin trending in the wrong direction, regions could see increased mitigations return.

For a full breakdown of what’s allowed in each tier click here.