CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Declining coronavirus numbers and increased hospital staffing lead to the lifting of some restrictions in most Illinois regions.
Chicago and most of its surrounding suburbs moved into Tier 2 on Monday, allowing for an increase in capacity at retailers, casinos, and cultural institutions; as well as a return of recreational and youth sports and fitness classes at a limited capacity.
Indoor dining, however, remains prohibited in Tier 2.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Monday adjustments to its mitigation metrics, as the state launched multiple health care staffing contracts to increase hospital staffing.
Related
After consulting with hospital leaders and local health departments and launching a surge staffing program to address their primary concerns, IDPH has adjusted the metrics to move away from utilizing medical/surgical bed limits to move across mitigation tiers, allowing more regions to advance.
With the change in mitigation metrics, Regions 8, 9, 10, and 11 moved from the most restrictive Tier 3 to Tier 2. In addition, Region 1 and 6 have met the metrics to move to Tier 1, and Regions 3 and 5 have met the metrics to return to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan.
Meanwhile, in Central and Northwestern Illinois, now in Tier 1, bars and restaurants are able to reopen indoors at 25 percent capacity.
It's been a long time coming said Lucus Rokus, general manager at ISU bar Pub II.
"To not see these walls filled with the laughter and the love that it is used to hurts," he told WBMD in Peoria.
The popular Illinois State University bar is prepping to reopen their doors Tuesday at 11 a.m. to students for the first time since late November. But, Rokus said, the traditional party-like atmosphere of the pub will be toned down and will feel more like a restaurant than a party bar.
“We are a college bar where people come and party, but this is going to be a sit-down operation where you come get a meal, have a couple cocktails,” Rokos said.
While Tier 1 allows for bars and restaurants to reopen for indoor dining, they must continue to follow state guidelines including 25 percent capacity or 25 guests - whichever is lesser, establishments open for indoor service must serve food, indoor service reservations are limited to a two-hour maximum duration and tables are only allowed to sit four people maximum.
“It’s nice to actually see people here and get back to what we’ve been doing for almost 50 years,” Lino’s owner Charlie Schweinler told CBS 23 in Rockford.
“Having 25 percent capacity isn’t exactly exciting news. But going from 0 it is,” Abreo owner Paul Sletten said.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported the lowest coronavirus numbers in more than three weeks, instead of the surge that was feared following Christmas, New Year's Eve, and other holidays.
Related
IDPH officials reported Monday another 3,385 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 50 additional deaths.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,072,214 cases, including 18,258 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois.
Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 63,002 specimens for a total 14,826,995.
The state’s testing positivity rate is now 5.9%, down from 7.6% a week ago.
As of Sunday night, 781,150 doses of vaccine were delivered to providers in Illinois, IDPH said. In addition, approximately 304,600 doses have been allocated to the federal government’s Pharmacy Partnership Program for long-term care facilities. This brings the total Illinois doses to 1,085,750.
Additionally as of Sunday night, 3,345 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 705 patients were in the ICU and 392 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.