Entire State Moving To Tier 3: 'This Is Not A Stay-At-Home Order'

ILLINOIS — On Tuesday, health officials announced that Tier 3 mitigations will go into effect across the entire state on Friday. The additional mitigations include the closure of casinos, theaters, indoor museums, performing arts centers, amusement centers and indoor recreation centers.

“Tier 3 boils down to this: if you don’t need to do it, don’t," Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday. "You should not attend meetings, dinners or gatherings outside your own household," he added, but noted, "nobody will go door-to-door to check on you."

Tier 3 mitigations build on the Resurgence Mitigation Plan released in July to suppress the spread of the virus and prevent hospitals from becoming overrun. This latest round of mitigations aims to limit gatherings and encourages residents to stay home as much as possible and follow proper safety measures when out in public.

"Any time there is a gathering, there is an opportunity for transmission," Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said.

According to the governor's office, the mitigations balance the goal of saving lives while preserving the option for in-person learning for children and protecting as much of the economy as possible from the continued impacts of the virus.

The Tier 3 resurgence mitigations will take effect statewide at 12:01 a.m. on Friday.

"To stop this spread and preserve some semblance of the holidays, all of us need to do more than just wear our masks now — though masks are mandatory throughout the state," Pritzker said.

"The simple fact is that COVID-19 is spreading so quickly and so widely, and our hospitals are beginning to experience real strain, and at the current infection rate, they will be overwhelmed. So whenever possible, we need you to stay home."

He added, "I’m hopeful that by limiting our in-person interactions, we will succeed at avoiding a stay-at-home order like what we had in the spring — when the choice between saving lives and saving livelihoods was even more stark. Tier 3 may allow us to do both. Like in other states like Michigan and California and Washington, it’s our best effort to avoid a stay-at-home order and save lives.”

According to the governor, COVID-19 is spreading at an exponential rate in every region of the state, the statewide positivity rate is at a record high, and hospitalizations are already surpassing the spring peak.

Pritzker said projections show the state could be on track to see 17,000 to 45,000 additional COVID-19 deaths by March 1 — more lives lost than in the pandemic so far.

"We can't let that happen," he said. "We will continue to see a rise in both hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 for weeks ahead because of the infections that have already happened. But we can change our longer-term outcome. We can save, potentially, thousands of lives in the coming months if we make changes right now to stop this in its tracks."

Pritzker stressed the need for everyone to do their part to stem the spread of the virus, just as we did in the spring, when he noted that "we flattened the curve in about six weeks."

"This (pandemic) will go down as a travesty in American history, because many Americans cannot sustain one more blow. Our single best weapon in the weeks ahead is all of you."

“There is no denying that the state is headed in the wrong direction with increased cases, hospitalizations, and deaths,” Ezike said. “There also is no denying that reducing the opportunities for the virus to spread can reverse our direction. This includes staying home as much as possible, wearing a mask and keeping social distance when we do have to go out, and not gathering with people outside our households. Until a vaccine is widely available and people understand the importance of being vaccinated, we must continue to take preventive actions to stop the transmission of the virus. Right now, our preventive actions are the best way to prevent new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.”

While this latest round of mitigations does not include a stay-at-home order, if the mitigations are not adhered to and cases continue to rise in the weeks ahead, another order may be required, a news release states.

"We all want this to be over," Pritzker said. "We all want to fast-forward to a world where masks are something only doctors wear, where grandparents can hug their grandchildren ... I know with my whole heart that we will get through this. A vaccine is coming. We just have to keep going a little bit longer."

What are the new rules?

For all regions, additional mitigation measures taking effect Friday, include guidance for the following settings and industries:

• Retail: Operate at no more than 25 percent capacity. Encourage delivery or curbside pick-up options whenever possible.
• Personal care services: Operate at lesser of 25 clients or 25 percent capacity. Suspend services where a face covering can't be worn (facials, beard trims).
• Health and fitness centers: No indoor group classes. Operate at no more than 25 percent capacity. Locker room areas should be closed.
• Hotels: Limited to registered guests only. Fitness centers closed or operating on a reservation model. Event and meeting spaces closed.
• Manufacturing: Stagger and space shifts. Only manufacturing staff and key personnel allowed in facilities. Non-production employees must work remotely.
• Bars and restaurants: No indoor service. All bar and restaurant patrons should be seated at tables outside.
• Meetings and social events: Limit in-home gatherings to household members. No party buses. Meeting rooms, banquet centers, private party rooms, private clubs and country clubs may not host gatherings.
• Offices: All employees who can work remotely should work remotely.
• Organized group recreational activities: Pause all indoor group sports and recreational activities (youth and adults). Outdoor sports and recreation is allowed.
• Indoor recreation, theater, cultural institutions: Gaming and casinos close. Theaters, performing arts centers, indoor museums and amusement centers closed. Outdoor group activities limited to 10 people or less, guests must wear face coverings at all times.

Grocery stores across the state will remain open with 25 percent capacity, according to the mitigations. Child care facilities may continue to operate subject to guidelines from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

School districts and officials should continue to follow the extensive guidance released by the Illinois State Board of Education in August to make decisions related to in-person and remote learning at the local level.

To prevent the further spread of COVID-19, Illinois residents are urged to stay home as much as possible and celebrate upcoming holidays with members of their household. Illinoisans over the age of two years are required to wear a face covering when out in public and social distancing is not easily achievable.

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Anyone exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 or who may have been in contact with someone exhibiting symptoms should seek out testing and quarantine at home, according to public health officials. Anyone who has tested positive for the virus should isolate at home as directed by their physician or local health department.

In order for a region to move back to Tier 2 mitigations, a region must experience a seven-day test positivity average of less than 12 percent for three consecutive days, greater than 20 percent available ICU capacity and hospital bed availability for three consecutive days, and a declining seven-day COVID hospitalizations average in seven out of the last 10 days, according to the Pritzker administration.