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Actions to Combat a Resurgence of COVID-19

From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois has followed the science and listened to public health experts to keep people safe.

After bending the curve in the spring, Illinois achieved relatively low rates of community spread and hospitalizations in the summer. But amid a nationwide surge, every region of Illinois saw an increase in cases and hospitalizations in the fall, which triggered the regional tiered mitigations outlined in this plan.

As the surge became more severe here in Illinois and across the nation, Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health moved all 11 regions into Tier 3 mitigations, effective November 20, 2020. At the advice of public health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the mitigations remained in place over the holidays to prevent a “surge upon a surge.” With some regions now beginning to make progress, Governor Pritzker announced that any region that has met the metrics for a reduction of mitigations will be able to move out of Tier 3 to less restrictive tiers beginning January 15, 2021.

By operating with consistent and meaningful mitigations throughout the holiday season, Illinois has saved lives, brought down community risk, and set ourselves up to safely reduce these mitigations. This approach has allowed the state to be in its strongest position to combat the virus since the pandemic began, as the administration prepares to proceed with Phase 1B of Illinois' vaccine distribution plan. Illinois also continues to build upon its nation-leading testing operation, surpassing more than 100,000 tests per day. This plan accounts for months of additional research as public health experts reach a greater scientific understanding of this virus. Ultimately, as conditions continue to improve, IDPH will re-classify regions to Tier 2, Tier 1, and back to Phase 4 as they meet the necessary metrics.

Mitigations will be applied or deliberately lifted on a regional basis based on the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Regions that have traditionally guided IDPH in its statewide public health work, allowing for a more granular approach. These regions follow county lines to account for counties that are in more than one region of the EMS system. The 11 regions are as follows:

  1. NORTH: Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, Winnebago
  2. NORTH-CENTRAL: Bureau, Fulton, Grundy, Henderson, Henry, Kendall, Knox, La Salle, Livingston, Marshall, McDonough, McLean, Mercer, Peoria, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Tazewell, Warren, Woodford
  3. WEST-CENTRAL: Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Christian, Greene, Hancock, Jersey, Logan, Macoupin, Mason, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan, Pike, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott
  4. METRO EAST: Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair, Washington
  5. SOUTHERN: Alexander, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Marion, Massac, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Saline, Union, Wabash, Wayne, White, Williamson
  6. EAST-CENTRAL: Champaign, Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, De Witt, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Iroquois, Jasper, Lawrence, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt, Richland, Shelby, Vermillion
  7. SOUTH SUBURBAN: Kankakee, Will
  8. WEST SUBURBAN: DuPage, Kane
  9. NORTH SUBURBAN: Lake, McHenry
  10. SUBURBAN COOK: Suburban Cook
  11. CHICAGO: City of Chicago
All public health criteria included in this document are subject to change. As research and data on this novel coronavirus continue to develop, this plan can and will be updated to reflect the latest science and data.

Actions to Combat a Resurgence of COVID-19

The following resurgence mitigations are in addition to the guidance outlined in Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan:
SETTING TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3
Bars and Restaurants
  • Indoor service limited to lesser of 25% or 25 persons per room
  • No tables exceeding 4 people indoors
  • Suspend indoor service if not serving food
  • Outdoor, delivery and takeout service continues under updated hours
  • Suspend indoor service
  • Outdoor, delivery and takeout service continues under updated hours
  • No tables exceeding 6 people
  • Suspend indoor service
  • Outdoor, delivery and takeout service continues under updated hours
  • No tables exceeding 6 people
Cultural institutions
  • Open under Phase 4 rules
  • Open under Phase 4 rules
  • Operations paused
Gaming and casinos
  • Open under Phase 4 rules from Illinois Gaming Board
  • Open under Phase 4 rules from Illinois Gaming Board
  • Operations paused
Hotels
  • Open under Phase 4 rules
  • Limited to registered guests
  • Fitness centers closed or operating on reservation model at 25% capacity
  • Limited to registered guests
  • Fitness centers closed or operating on reservation model at 25% capacity
Household gatherings
  • Allowed with public health guidelines
  • Limiting to 10 people is encouraged
  • Limiting to household members is encouraged
Indoor fitness classes
  • Open under Phase 4 rules
  • Groups limited to 10, including fitness classes
  • Operations paused
Meetings, events and gatherings (excluding in-person school or sports
  • Limit to lesser of 25 guests or 25% of overall capacity indoors and outdoors
  • Limit to 10 guests indoors and outdoors
  • No gatherings in meeting rooms, banquet halls, party rooms, private clubs, etc.
  • Funerals limited to 10 family members of decendents
Offices
  • Open under Phase 4 rules
  • Open under Phase 4 rules
  • Remote work encouraged
Organized group recreational activities
(fitness centers, sports, etc.)
  • Recreation, fitness centers and outdoor activities follow Phase 4 guidance
  • Sports follow measures in the All Sport Guidelines
  • Limit to lesser of 25 guests or 25% overall capacity indoors and outdoors
  • Sports follow measures in the All Sport Guidelines
  • Indoor sports and recreation paused
  • Outdoor sports and recreation, individual training allowed
  • Groups limited to 10 people

IDPH will continue to track the health metrics in all 11 regions and announce tier changes when a region makes progress. Follow the latest regional metrics at dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics. For more information on guidance for businesses, please visit the FAQ on DCEO's website.

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