CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Friday that all of the state's 11 regions have now moved out of Tier 3 mitigation.
Additionally, IDPH announced that if metrics continue to improve and/or remain stable, Region 10 (Suburban Cook County) and Region 11 (Chicago) are on track to advance to Tier 1 on Saturday.
Tier 1 mitigations allows for indoor service at bars and restaurants at 25 percent capacity or 25 people, whichever is less. Establishments offering indoor service must serve food.
Those dining indoors are limited to a two-hour stay and only four people are allowed at a table. All patrons need to be seated at a table and tables must be spaced six feet apart.
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Pritzker said Friday at a news conference that our ability to have limited restaurant service and youth sports "could be cut short if we aren't extremely careful. The CDC is already warning that the faster-spreading U.K. variant could become the dominant strain in the United States in March. And a virus that's more contagious ultimately results in more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths.
"I know none of us wants to see another wave of COVID that brings on more mitigations, so let's not let our guard down."
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Additionally in Tier 1, meetings, social events, and gatherings are allowed at 25 percent capacity or 25 guests, whichever is less, for both indoor and outdoor venues. Recreational sports can also continue with capacity limits.
“With all regions of Illinois now out of Tier 3, we can now see that the entire state is headed down the right path,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “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.”
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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 increase measures.
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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.