Coronavirus Restrictions Loosen Again As Aurora Moves To Phase 4

AURORA, IL — Just a week after Aurora restaurants and bars were allowed to welcome customers back inside for the first time in three months, public health officials are further loosening coronavirus-related restrictions.

Region 8 — made up of Kane and DuPage counties — moved into Phase 4 of the state’s Restore Illinois plan on Wednesday after its positivity rate dipped below 6.5 percent for three days in a row.

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The move to Phase 4 means restaurants and bars in Aurora can now serve parties of up to 10 people inside instead of four, though seating areas must be 6 feet apart, according to Phase 4 guidelines.

Phase 4 doubles the maximum gathering size to 50, with movie-theater screenings and indoor performances once again allowed in Aurora. Outdoor spectator events can welcome back guests with a 20 percent seating capacity.

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Restrictions for retailers and service providers remain the same during Phase 4, with occupancy capped at 50 percent and masks required.

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The positivity rate in Region 8 fell to 6.5 percent last week and continued dropping over the next two days, triggering the move from Tier 1 to Phase 4. The positivity rate on Jan. 30 — 6.4 percent — was the lowest it had been in nearly four months, according to statistics from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

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Phase 4 is the least restrictive phase of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan Illinois has seen since its coronavirus outbreak began. In December, Pritzker indicated he is unlikely to order the state shifted to Phase 5 of the plan, which would allow conventions, festivals and other large events, until widespread vaccinations allow the state to reach a form of herd immunity.

According to state public health officials, 7,000 Kane County residents were fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, as of Tuesday morning, and more than 14,000 others had gotten a first dose. More than 227,000 people have gotten both doses statewide.

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Illinois ranked 43rd among states in its per capita number of vaccines administered, as of Monday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, trailing all of the largest 10 states in the country.

— Jonah Meadows, Patch Staff, contributed to this report.

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