The Illinois Department of Public Health said today that Region 8, which includes DuPage and Kane Counties, has moved to Tier 1 mitigations.
What Changes in Tier 1?
Restaurants and bars can reopen for limited indoor dining with less than 25 guests or up to 25% capacity. Tables should be spaced six feet apart and all diners should be seated at tables instead of congregating at the bar or while waiting for a table.
Tier 1 also allows meetings and social events like weddings, funerals, and potlucks to operate at less than 25 guests or 25% capacity both indoors and outdoors.
Any sport in the low risk or medium risk category can begin playing competitive games, while high risk sports such as basketball and football, can begin practicing in full. Games at the high risk level can be played once a region enters Phase 4 mitigations.
The current list of risk levels from the IDPH for each sport are as follows:
- Lower risk: archery, badminton, baseball, bass fishing, bowling, climbing, competitive cheer, competitive dance, crew, cross country, cycling, disc golf, fencing, gymnastics, horseback riding, ice skating, ropes courses, sailing/canoeing/kayaking, scholastic golf, sideline spirit, skateboarding, softball, skiing, swimming/diving, tennis, track and field, weight lifting.
- Medium risk: flag football/7-on-7 football, futsal, paintball, racquetball, soccer, volleyball, water polo, wheelchair basketball
- Higher risk: basketball, boxing, football, hockey, lacrosse, martial arts, rugby, ultimate frisbee, wrestling.
Face coverings must be worn at all times in fitness centers, including individual exercise regardless of person or machine spacing.
IDPH Monitoring
IDPH will continue to monitor test positivity, ICU bed availability, and the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19. Based on the established mitigation metrics, if numbers begin to rise, regions could go back into a higher tier with increased measures.
What’s Next for Our Regions?
Region 7, which includes Will and Kankakee Counties already made the move to Tier 1 last week.
In order for both Regions 7 and 8 to move to Phase 4 mitigations, the test positivity rate must equal 6.5% or less for three consecutive days over a seven-day average, and staffed ICU bed availability must equal 20% for three consecutive days over a seven-day average, and have no sustained increase in COVID patients in the hospital with a seven-day average for seven of 10 days.
As of January 22, Region 7 is at 7.4% positivity rate and Region 8 is at 7.3%.
