Indoor Restaurant and Bar Service Trickling Back in Parts of the State
Patrons in an undated photo at the Global Gourmet in Carbondale. Carbondale is one of the cities in the state allowed to re-open bars and restaurants, at least partially, to indoor dining.
Five of the 11 regions in the state’s COVID-19 “Restore Illinois” plan are allowed to begin legally reopening bars and restaurants to indoor serve, though still at limited capacity.
Here are the regions allowed to partially re-open:
Region 1, which includes Rockford, DeKalb, and Dixon
Region 2, which includes Peoria, Bloomington, and the Quad Cities
Region 3, which includes Springfield, Jacksonville, and Quincy
Region 5, which includes Carbondale, Mt. Vernon, and Harrisburg
Region 6, which includes Champaign-Urbana, Mattoon-Charleston, and Effingham
(Here’s a map of the regions.)
None of the re-openings are allowed yet in the city of Chicago or suburbs. Each county from Kankakee to McHenry and Lake along the Wisconsin border, including all of Cook County, still have positivity rates over 8%.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported Monday more regions would be allowed to open after consultation with hospitals.
“it is critical that we maintain this progress. With new variants of COVID-19 spreading, it is more important than ever to follow the public health guidance that keeps people safe –wear and mask and watch your distance,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike.
Numerous Chicago bar and restaurant owners last week called for Governor JB Pritzker to immediately open indoor service across the state.
“Restaurant owners have done everything within their means to keep their teams together. They have followed all the guidance and protocols issued by our governor,” said celebrity Chef Rick Bayless of Frontera Restaurants, “But to carry on solely with carryout, delivery, meal kits, and mid-winter outdoor dining is simply not enough. Without the capability of some safe indoor dining, our restaurants’ long-term prospects are bleak, and we chip away – bit by bit – at the American dream. Not just the dreams our employees, who are among the most vulnerable in our society, but those of everyone contributing to the food supply chain throughout the country.”
The Illinois Restaurant Association has estimated if indoor dining is not restarted, the state will lose 5,000 or more restaurants, which they estimate will cost 120,000 jobs and in every corner of the state