Restaurants, bars and other businesses in nearly 30 counties in northwest and west-central Illinois got some good news Monday.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced it is moving Region 1 and Region 2 to Phase 4, allowing many businesses, as well as museums, to reopen, effective immediately.
This means restaurants and bars in those regions can allow indoor dining and drinking for parties up to 10 people, but tables should be spread out, keeping at least 6 feet between parties. Select indoor recreation facilities, such as bowling alleys and skating rinks, also can reopen.
Museums will also be open, though limited to 25% capacity.
Phase 4 also allows meetings and social events to take place again, with a maximum of 50 people or 50% of room capacity. Multiple groups can also gather in the same facility if they are socially distanced and in separate rooms.
Region 1, in the northwestern corner of the state, includes nine counties: Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, and Winnebago. Region 2, just south of there, covers part of west-central Illinois, stretching south just past Peoria. It includes 20 counties: Bureau, Fulton, Grundy, Henderson, Henry, Kendall, Knox, La Salle, Livingston, Marshall, McDonough, McLean, Mercer, Peoria, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Tazewell, Warren and Woodford.
Moving from Tier 1 to Phase 4 means a region’s test positivity rate is equal to or less than 6.5% and ICU bed availability is greater than or equal to 20% for three consecutive days. It also means a region hasn’t experience and increase of COVID patients in hospitals.
