CHICAGO (WBBM Newsradio) — Illinois will enter a transitional “bridge” phase of reopening on Friday May 14 as the state continues its emergence from the pandemic, Gov. JB Pritzker announced today.
The state, which currently is in Phase 4, could completely reopen into the final Phase 5 as soon as Friday June 11, “barring any significant reversals in key COVID-19 statewide indicators,” the governor’s office said.
The Bridge Phase will allow expanded capacity limits for businesses and gatherings leading up to that final phase, when the state goes back to "normal," or near-normal. Pritzker said face coverings would continue to be recommended in some situations, until the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deems them no longer necessary.
“I’m pleased to announce that the concerning upward movement of cases and hospitalizations we were seeing a few weeks ago have stabilized – a testament to the lifesaving, community-protecting power of vaccinations,” Pritzker said in a prepared statement.
“As a result, on Friday, May 14th, the State of Illinois will move into the Bridge Phase of our mitigation plan – one step closer to removing nearly all of the remaining mitigations, and a very hopeful move toward fully reopening. I want to thank people across Illinois who are getting vaccinated, wearing their masks, and continuing to do their part to make your friends and family safer and your communities healthier.”
Pritzker’s announcement Thursday comes as COVID-19 vaccines become more widely available and as other states remove restrictions entirely. Sixty percent of adult residents in Illinois have received their first dose of vaccine, including 85% of residents ages 65 and older, the governor’s office said.
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Thursday reported 1,778 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease, including 40 additional deaths. The statewide “positivity” rate for coronavirus tests is at 3%.
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