Chicago Easing Restrictions on Restaurants, Other Businesses

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Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), and the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) recently announced a roadmap for Chicago to continue to cautiously ease regulations on businesses as COVID-19 metrics improve. This strategy, which is also being adopted by the Cook County Department of Public Health, identifies a series of metrics that will determine when and how Chicago can carefully reopen businesses and expand indoor capacity so as not to reverse the progress made in the City’s fight against COVID-19 in recent weeks and months.  

Under the plan, indoor service at bars, restaurants, and events can expand to the lesser of 25% capacity or 50 people per room or floor effective tomorrow, February 11. The easing of additional restrictions, including the expansion of indoor capacity to 40%, will be possible once the city reaches at least the “Moderate-Risk” level in the following metrics: COVID cases diagnosed per day, COVID test positivity, Emergency Department visits for COVID-like illness and a total number of ICU beds occupied by COVID patients. Capacity can then increase to 50% after two weeks (one incubation period) of successfully maintaining at least the “Moderate-Risk” level across all four metrics. 

In recent weeks and months, Chicago has made significant progress in the ongoing fight against the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. The positivity rate today is 4.7%, the lowest it has been since early October. Total cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have also dropped considerably from the peak of the second surge. While these improved metrics are a great sign of hope and progress, Chicago remains in the midst of the pandemic, and the roadmap released today makes sure that we continue to move forward carefully and cautiously. 

Under the framework released today, now that Chicago has made enough progress to move out of state-imposed Tier 1 Mitigation Measures, CDPH has identified four metrics that are being used locally to determine the process for continuing to ease COVID-19 regulations. Those metrics are

  • COVID cases diagnosed per day: currently averaging 466, in the “High-Risk” level. This number must be below 400 new cases per day to reach the “Moderate-Risk” level.

  • COVID test positivity: currently averaging 4.7%, in the “Low-Risk” level

  • Emergency Departments visits for COVID-like illness: currently averaging 69 per day, in the “Moderate-Risk” level

  • ICU beds occupied by COVID patients: currently averaging 148, in the “Moderate-Risk” level

Based on the progress the City has already made in these metrics, effective tomorrow, indoor service can increase to the lesser of 25% or 50 people per room or floor at bars, restaurants, or events. In order to move to the next milestone and expand indoor dining capacity to 40%, Chicago will need to reach “Moderate-Risk” or better in all four categories for at least three straight days. Assuming that the other metrics continue to improve or hold steady, this will be possible once Chicago reaches fewer than 400 COVID-19 cases per day, based on the seven-day rolling average, for at least three straight days. Currently, Chicago is averaging 466 new cases per day, down from 607 one week ago.  

Once Chicago reaches the “Moderate-Risk” level for all four metrics for three days, indoor dining at bars and restaurants can expand to 40% of the establishment’s capacity. Additional updates to other business regulations will also be considered when Chicago reaches this milestone. Expansion to 50% capacity will then be possible if and when Chicago reaches “Moderate-Risk” in all four metrics and maintains those levels for a period of two weeks. More information on Chicago’s plan for cautious reopening will be available at chicago.gov/reopening.  

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