Indoor Dining Returns In Algonquin As Region Shifts To Tier 1
ALGONQUIN, IL — Patrons who dig dining indoors got some good news on Tuesday: bars and restaurants in Algonquin can again serve customers indoors for the first time in nearly three months.
The return of indoor dining came as Lake and McHenry Counties entered the Illinois Department of Health's Tier 1, which lessens COVID-19 mitigation measures in the region.
As of Tuesday, restaurants and bars can reopen for up to 25 people or 25 percent of a space's overall capacity, whichever is smaller.
No more than four people may sit at a single table, and tables must be six feet apart. Patrons must wear face coverings at all times, except when actively eating and drinking at their seats, and leave the premises by 11 p.m.
Only establishments that serve food — or otherwise make food available — may allow people inside, according to the latest business guidelines from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker's administration halted indoor dining and bar service in Lake and McHenry counties on Oct. 31 due to the region's coronavirus positivity rate remaining above an 8 percent threshold for more than three days.
The north suburban region was the last in the Chicago area to exceed the threshold and shift to Tier 1 restrictions. By the end of November, the entire state had been moved to Tier 3, as state officials put in place the strictest restrictions since last spring's stay-at-home order.
With Tuesday's announcement, Region 9 is back to Tier 1 — only this time it does not include an outright ban on indoor service at bars and restaurants.
Also permitted under the latest version of Tier 1: social gatherings of up to 25 people or 25 percent of room capacity. The gathering size limits apply to events for both business and pleasure, but not in-person instruction or sports.
Region 7, made up of Will and Kankakee counties, moved down to Tier 1 Thursday. Chicago and suburban Cook County, Regions 10 and 11 in Pritzker's Restore Illinois reopening plan, moved into the tier on Saturday.
"We have long pushed for the careful resumption of limited indoor dining, and I am thrilled that we have made enough progress in the fight against COVID-19 to reopen our businesses and bring workers back," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. "As we enter this next phase, I again call on all businesses and residents to make sure we continue moving forward by following the guidelines for safe indoor dining and committing to the safety precautions that helped us flatten the curve a second time."
Some restaurants and bars began allowing customers inside immediately, while others have decided to hold off.
Those limiting their operations to takeout, delivery or outdoor service have cited logistics and safety concerns, as some health experts warn that reopening restaurants may lead to a new surge in infections with a new, more contagious strain of the coronavirus — the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 first identified in the United Kingdom and recently detected in Chicago — that is expected to become dominant in the Chicago area.
Indoor dining remains forbidden in Region 4 in Metro East, which moved from Tier 3 to Tier 2 Friday.
Regions 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6, which includes all of northwest, central and the rest of southern Illinois, have moved back to Phase 4, shedding all three tiers of additional mitigation measures.
Three days of an average test positivity rate below 6.5 percent, combined with stable or decreasing numbers of people hospitalized with COVID-19 and at least 20 percent ICU bed available, makes a region eligible to move from Tier 1 back to Phase 4.
"With all regions of Illinois now out of Tier 3, we can now see that the entire state is headed down the right path," Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said Friday in a statement.
"During the summer, we were on this same path," she said. "We know that we must continue to take precautions and be smart about how we relax some of the mitigation measures, which are in place to protect our health and safety."
Patch editor Jonah Meadows contributed to this report
This article originally appeared on the Algonquin-Lake In The Hills Patch
