Yesterday, Governor J.B. Pritzker announced COVID -19 resurgence mitigations would be implemented in Region 7 (Will and Kankakee counties) and Region 8 (Kane and DuPage counties), beginning on Friday.
COVID Mitigations
Both regions have had COVID-19 positivity rates of 8% or higher for three consecutive days.The mitigations call for limiting in-person gatherings to no more than 25 individuals. They’ll also have an effect on restaurants and bar businesses, prohibiting indoor dining and indoor bar service: but do allow for outdoor dining until 11 p.m.
Back To Curbside Pick Up For Some
“When we opened in Phase 4 we had outdoor dining as an alternative,” said Reba Osborne the director of government affairs at the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce. “[But] that was when it was 70 degrees. When it’s 40 degrees that’s not necessarily an alternative. So they’ll probably have to shift back again to curbside and delivery.”
That’s exactly what Everdine’s Grilled Cheese in Downtown Naperville will do, since the restaurant doesn’t have a patio. They do have some outdoor space, but don’t expect customers will want to sit outside in the coming weeks.
“It’s a bummer, but obviously we want everyone to be safe,” said Kelly Herkert co-owner of Everdine’s Grilled Cheese. “Everyone’s health and safety are the most important things, and so if this is what has to be done, it’s just what has to be done. I’m going to roll with the punches and hopefully we get through it quickly and we can go back to dine-in and 50% capacity soon.”
Region 7 Back To COVID Mitigations
This will be the second time in several months Region 7 is back under resurgence mitigations. Bars and restaurants that are fortunate enough to have outdoor heated spaces like Paris Bistro will buy some much needed time before things resume to normal, but can’t sustain setback for much longer.
“It’s so hard,” said Paris Bistro Owner Gabriela Trejo. “So first off overall you have to lay off some employees because you don’t need as many as you used to. It’s also going to be hard because [indoor dining] is going to be closed. We’re going to start at zero like we did before back in March. Luckily people have been supporting us so that’s helping us a lot.”
Like Everdine’s, Paris Bistro will offer pickup, and is looking into delivery options. Both businesses ask community members to follow health guidelines so they can resume indoor operations.
How to Move Back To Phase 4
According to Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines Regions 7 and 8 can go back to Phase 4 if they stay at or below a 6.5% positivity rate for three consecutive days.
Naperville News 17’s Christian Canizal reports.
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