Illinois On Track For Phase-4 Reopening Friday
We've been in Phase-3 of the "Restore Illinois" plan since late May, and according to current metrics, the earliest phase four of the plan could begin is this Friday.
The Restore Illinois website says that the following criteria will be required for phase four to begin:
- At or under a 20 percent positivity rate and increasing no more than 10 percentage points over a 14-day period
- No overall increase (i.e. stability or decrease) in hospital admissions for COVID-19-like illness for 28 days
- Available surge capacity of at least 14 percent of ICU beds, medical and surgical beds, and ventilators
- Testing available in region regardless of symptoms or risk factors
- Begin contact tracing and monitoring within 24 hours of diagnosis for more than 90% of cases in region
Under Phase-4, gatherings of up to 50 people are allowed, bars and restaurants can reopen with capacity limits, health and fitness clubs can reopen with capacity limits, and movie theaters can begin reopening.
Chicago, which has been lagging behind the rest of the state in the reopening department, is also on-board with Friday's transition to the next phase.
Chicago is on track to move into phase four of the city’s coronavirus reopening plan on Friday, along with the rest of Illinois, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and local health officials announced earlier this morning. To move into phase four, Chicago health officials set a requirement of stable or declining cases along with a goal of reaching fewer than 200 new COVID-19 cases per day, which it has now achieved, with a current 7-day average of 167 new cases per day.
Based on the city’s population and national metrics from the CDC, this will move Chicago from a high-incidence to a moderate-high incidence level, officials said.
Lightfoot and Chicago health officials will hold a news conference at 1 p.m. to discuss the transition.