What does it mean when a County Moves to the “Bridge Phase”?
Following recommendations from public health experts, Illinois will move forward with a dial-like approach between the mitigations in Phase 4, which currently apply to the entire state, and the post-pandemic new normal of Phase 5. This Bridge to Phase 5 will allow for higher capacity limits and increased business operations, before public health experts tell us it is safe to move to the new normal that Phase 5 will bring. Like the prior evidenced-based approaches to deliberately lift mitigations that have kept us safe and saved lives, this gradual path to Phase 5 will protect the progress we’ve made while allowing us to reopen the economy. Once 70% of residents 65 and older have been vaccinated and barring any reversals in our COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths for a 28-day monitoring period, the Bridge to Phase 5 will begin with increased capacity limits in both indoor and outdoor settings. Once 50% of residents 16 and older have been vaccinated and stable or declining COVID-19 metrics are recorded during a 28-day monitoring period, Phase 5 will be implemented, removing capacity limits altogether. All regions of the state will move through these next phases together based on statewide metrics
RESTAURANTS AND BARS
•60% capacity
Standing areas of: 50%outdoors 30% indoors
PERSONAL CARE
•Continue capacity limit of no more than 60% occupancy
INDOOR/OUTDOOR RECREATION
•Indoor recreation to operate at lesser of 100 people or 50% of facility capacity
•Outdoor recreation to operate at maximum of 100 people
MEETINGS AND SOCIAL EVENTS
•Indoor of 250
•Outdoor of 500
These metrics are intended to be used for local level awareness to help local leaders, businesses, local health departments, and the public make informed decisions about personal and family gatherings, as well as what activities they choose to do. The metrics are updated weekly, from the Sunday-Saturday of the prior week.
A map and information of each county’s status can be found on the IDPH website at dph.illinois.gov County Level COVID-19 Risk Metrics | IDPH
IDPH is monitoring key indicators to identify early but significant increases of COVID-19