Three Illinois Regions have been cleared to move into Tier 1 effective immediately, according to the Illinois Department of Health. Region 6 was able to move to Tier 1 because the following criteria was met: 1. The test positivity rate was below 8% for three consecutive days (measured with the 7-day rolling average). 2. Available intensive care units (ICU) and medical/surgical bed capacity greater than or equal to 20 percent for three consecutive days (measured with the 3-day rolling average). 3. No sustained increase in the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals (measured with the 7-day rolling average over 7 of 10 days). For small businesses in Ford County, this means indoor dining can resume with restrictions. Other Tier 1 guidelines include the following: • Bars and Restaurants: o All bars and restaurants close at 11pm and may reopen no earlier than 6am the following day o Indoor service limited to the lesser of 25 guests or 25% capacity per room • Establishments offering indoor service must serve food. o Indoor service reservations limited to 2-hour maximum duration and maximum 4 persons per party (dining only with members of the same household recommended). o All bar and restaurant patrons should be seated at tables. o No ordering, seating, or congregating at bar (bar stools should be removed). o Tables should be 6 feet apart. o No standing or congregating indoors or outdoors while waiting for a table or exiting. o No dancing or standing indoors. o Reservations required for each party. o No seating of multiple parties at one table. o Includes private clubs and country clubs. • Meetings, social events, and gatherings: o Limit to lesser of 25 guests or 25% of overall room capacity both indoors and outdoors. o Applicable to professional, cultural and social group gatherings. o Not applicable to students participating in-person classroom learning, or sports. o This does not reduce the overall facility capacity dictated by general Phase 4 business guidance such as office, personal care, retail, etc. o No party buses Ford County Public Health Department 235 North Taft Street Paxton, IL 60957 January 18, 2021 For Immediate Release Contact: Megan Reutter, Community Health Educator (217)379-9281 mreutter@fordcountyphd.org • Organized group recreational activities o Sports should follow the mitigation measures set forth in the All Sport Guidelines, which outlines appropriate levels of practice and competition based on individual sport risk. o Face coverings must be worn at all times in fitness centers, including while engaged in individual exercise regardless of person or machine spacing. o Recreation, fitness centers and outdoor activities (not included in the above exposure settings) follow Phase 4 guidance Although indoor dining is allowed in Tier 1, Lana Sample, Ford County Public Health administrator, emphasizes “masking and social distancing within the establishment is critical to make sure our numbers continue to move in the right direction.” IDPH will continue to track the positivity rates and hospital capacity metrics in regions over 14-day monitoring periods to determine if mitigations can be relaxed, if additional mitigations are required, or if current mitigations should remain in place.
