IL Covid-19 Update #154

SUMMARY OF REPORT

1. Vaccine Distribution

2. New Mitigation Structure

3. Updated Mitigation Tiers

4. Gaming

5. Vaccine Progress Report

6. Vaccine Data Dashboard

VACCINE DISTRIBUTION

On January 25, 2021, Phase 1B will begin, allowing frontline essential workers and residents age 65 and over to get vaccinated. The frontline essential workers designation includes many residents who carry a higher risk of COVID-19 exposure because of their work duties, often because they are unable to work from home, and/or they must work closely to others without being able to socially distance. This includes first responders, education, food and agriculture, manufacturing, corrections workers and inmates, USPS workers, public transit workers, grocery store workers and staff at shelters and day cares.

In Phase 1B, Grocery Workers include: Baggers, cashiers, stockers, pick-up, and customer service representatives.

You may find the complete list HERE.

WHERE TO GET VACCINATED

The state is expanding its locations for vaccinations. As the state moves forward with its plan and continues to build out capacity, pharmacies, smaller independent pharmacies, urgent care clinics, doctors’ offices, and workplaces will all be coming online to serve as vaccination sites.

The local health departments may be found HERE.

You may find the closest vaccination cite to you HERE.

Keep in mind that all of this information, including cites, are constantly being updated.

MITIGATION RELAXED FOR ADDITIONAL REGIONS

Regions 8, 9, 10, and 11 qualify for Tier 2.

WEST SUBURBAN: DuPage, Kane

NORTH SUBURBAN: Lake, McHenry

SUBURBAN COOK: Suburban Cook

CHICAGO: City of Chicago

Region 1, 2 and 6 have met the metrics to move to Tier 1.

NORTH: Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, Winnebago

NORTH-CENTRAL: Bureau, Fulton, Grundy, Henderson, Henry, Kendall, Knox, La Salle, Livingston, Marshall, McDonough, McLean, Mercer, Peoria, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Tazewell, Warren, Woodford

EAST-CENTRAL: Champaign, Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, De Witt, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Iroquois, Jasper, Lawrence, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt, Richland, Shelby, Vermillion

Regions 3 and 5 have met the metrics to return to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan.

WEST-CENTRAL: Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Christian, Greene, Hancock, Jersey, Logan, Macoupin, Mason, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan, Pike, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott

SOUTHERN: Alexander, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Marion, Massac, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Saline, Union, Wabash, Wayne, White, Williamson

Please see below for an explanation of the Tiers.

MITIGATION EXIT PLAN

In order to move to Tier 2 mitigation, a region must meet the following metrics:

1. A test positivity rate below 12 percent for three consecutive days, as measured by the 7-day rolling average; AND
2. Greater than or equal to 20 percent available staffed ICU and medical/surgical hospital beds for three consecutive days, on a 3-day rolling average; AND
3. A sustained decrease in the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 for seven out of 10 days, on a 7-day average.

In order to move to Tier 1 mitigation, a region must meet the following metrics:

1. A test positivity rate below 8 percent for three consecutive days, as measured by the 7-day rolling average; AND
2. Greater than or equal to 20 percent available staffed ICU and medical/surgical hospital beds for three consecutive days, on a 3-day rolling average; AND
3. No sustained increase in the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 for seven out of 10 days, on a 7-day average.

In order to move to Phase 4, a region must meet the following metrics:

1. A test positivity rate less than or equal to 6.5 percent for three consecutive days, as measured by the 7-day rolling average; AND
2. Greater than or equal to 20 percent available staffed ICU and medical/surgical hospital beds for three consecutive days, on a 3-day rolling average; AND
3. No sustained increase in the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 for seven out of 10 days, on a 7-day average.

RESTAURANT AND BARS

Restaurants and bars in Regions that reach Tier 1 can open indoor dining with capacity limited to the lesser of 25 people or 25 percent of room capacity. Additionally, establishments must serve food and indoor tables must be limited to no more than four people, with reservations limited to two hours.

You may find more information HERE.

UPDATED MITIGATION TIERS

TIER 3

Bars and Restaurants

• Suspend indoor service
• Outdoor, delivery and takeout service continues under updated hours
• No tables exceeding 6 people

Cultural Institutions

• Operations paused

Gaming and Casinos

• Operations paused

Hotels

• Limited to registered guests
• Fitness centers closed or operating on reservation model at 25% capacity

Household Gatherings

• Limiting to household member is encouraged

Indoor Fitness Classes

• Operations paused

Meetings, Events, and Gatherings

• No gatherings in meeting rooms, banquet halls, party rooms, private clubs, etc.
• Funerals limited to 10 family members of decedents

Offices

• Remote work encouraged

Organized Group Recreational Activities

• Indoor sports and recreation paused
• Outdoor sports and recreation, individual training allowed
• Groups limited to 10 people

TIER 2

Bars and Restaurants

• Suspend indoor service
• Outdoor, delivery and takeout service continues under updated hours
• No tables exceeding 6 People

Cultural Institutions

• Open under Phase 4 rules

Gaming and Casinos

• Open under Phase 4 rules from Illinois Gaming Board

Hotels

• Limited to registered guests
• Fitness centers closed or operating on reservation model at 25% capacity

Household Gatherings

• Limiting to 10 people is encouraged

Indoor Fitness Classes

• Groups limited to 10, including fitness classes

Meetings, Events, and Gatherings

• Limit to 10 guests indoors and outdoors

Offices

• Open under Phase 4 rules

Organized Group Recreational Activities

• Limit to lesser of 25 guests or 25% overall capacity indoors and outdoors

TIER 1

Bars and Restaurants

• Indoor service limited to lesser of 25% or 25 persons per room
• No tables exceeding 4 people indoors
• Suspend indoor service if not serving food
• Outdoor, delivery and takeout service continues under updated hours

Cultural Institutions

• Open under Phase 4 rules

Gaming and Casinos

• Open under Phase 4 rules from Illinois Gaming Board

Hotels

• Open under Phase 4 rules

Household Gatherings

• Allowed with public health guidelines

Indoor Fitness Classes

• Open under Phase 4 rules

Meetings, Events, and Gatherings

• Limit to lesser of 25 guests or 25% overall capacity indoors and outdoors

Offices

• Open under Phase 4 rules

Organized Group Recreational Activities

• Recreation, fitness centers and outdoor activities follow Phase 4 guidance

You may find Tiered Mitigation HERE.

Phase 4

You may find the specific industry guidelines for Phase 4 HERE.

In general Phase 4 consists of the following:

Gatherings:

• All gatherings of 50 people or fewer are allowed with this limit subject to change based on latest data & guidance

Travel:

• Travel should follow IDPH and CDC approved guidance

Health care:

• All health care providers are open

Education and child care:

• P-12 schools, higher education, all summer programs, and child care open with IDPH approved safety guidance

Outdoor recreation:

• All outdoor recreation allowed

Businesses: Please click on the provided link above for industry specific guidance.

Manufacturing:

• All manufacturing open with IDPH approved safety guidance

“Non-essential” businesses:

• All employees return to work with IDPH approved safety guidance; Employers are encouraged to provide accommodations for COVID-19-vulnerable employees

Bars and restaurants:

• Open with capacity limits and IDPH approved safety guidance

Personal care services and health clubs:

• All barbershops, salons, spas and health and fitness clubs open with capacity limits and IDPH approved safety guidance

Entertainment:

• Cinema and theaters open with capacity limits and IDPH approved safety guidance

Retail:

• Open with capacity limits and IDPH approved safety guidance

CASINO GAMING AND VIDEO GAMING LICENSES

Casino gambling and video gaming licensees in regions that the Illinois Department of Public Health reclassifies to exit Tier 3 Resurgence Mitigations on January 15 can resume gaming operations beginning at 8:00 AM on Saturday, January 16, 2021 subject to the following Tier 1 and Tier 2 Mitigations.

Casino gambling at licensed casinos in Tier 1 and Tier 2 regions is restricted to within the hours of 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM daily, and casino occupancy is limited to 25% of fire code capacity. Food and beverage service is suspended inside casinos, while outdoor service, curbside and carryout is permitted. Masks must be worn at all times inside the casino. Congregating around table games, carnival games and EGDs is prohibited. Existing social distancing, sanitizing and other mitigation protocols and measures in approved Casino Pandemic Resumption Plans remain in effect.

Video gaming at licensed video gaming locations in Tier 1 and Tier 2 regions is restricted within the hours of 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM daily. Food and beverage service inside the video gaming area is suspended, while outdoor service, curbside and carryout is permitted. Masks must be worn at all times inside the video gaming area. Congregating around video gaming terminals is prohibited and there is a one person per video gaming terminal limitation. Existing social distancing, sanitizing and other mitigation protocols and measures in approved Terminal Operator Pandemic Resumption Plans remain in effect.

Gaming remains suspended in Tier 3 regions.

VACCINE ADMINISTRATION PLAN

Governor Pritzker announced that the state will move forward with an aggressive Vaccine Plan with hundreds of additional providers coming online in the coming days as the state moves to complete Phase 1A.

The state anticipates substantially completing Phase 1A next week and moving into Phase 1B of the Vaccine Plan on January 25, 2021, at which point residents over the age of 65 and frontline essential workers can receive the vaccine. While shipments from the federal government remain limited, the state is building out wide-reaching capacity to prepare for additional shipments and ensure those eligible in Phase 1B can receive their vaccine as quickly and equitably as possible. As of January 15, 2021, Illinois including Chicago has received a total of approximately 726,475 doses since vaccinations first launched last month, not including the federal program that serves long-term care residents.

In the initial phases of the state’s plan, IDPH is partnering with large pharmacies to launch hundreds of new sites in communities across Illinois. Additionally, the Illinois National Guard (ILNG) will deploy two teams to two sites in Cook County. The guard is also partnering with St. Clair County to deploy to sites there in the coming weeks, alongside additional deployments statewide.

During their initial week of service, these new sites will administer vaccinations to Illinois residents within group 1A of the state’s vaccination plan. Beginning January 25, all vaccination sites across the state will move into phase 1B of the plan and begin vaccinations for the eligible population by appointment only.

As the state moves forward with its plan and continues to build out capacity, smaller independent pharmacies, urgent care clinics, doctors’ offices, and workplaces will all be coming online to serve as vaccination sites. Additional teams from the ILNG will also deploy to regions across the state to stand up new sites and build out additional capacity at existing sites. More information on locations and how to make appointments will be available to the public on a website to be launched prior to the start of Phase 1B.

VACCINE DATA DASHBOARD

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has added a vaccination data dashboard to their website. Information includes total Illinois doses/total administered doses, vaccine administration 7-day rolling average and by individual county information. You can access the information, here.