Illinois COVID-19: Gov. JB Pritzker tightens restrictions for Regions, 5, 7, 8; IL reports 10,573 new cases, 14 deaths

DuPage, Kane, Kankakee and Will counties see Tier 2 restrictions

ByMichelle Gallardo, John Garcia, Eric Horng, and ABC 7 Chicago Digital Team WLS logo
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Pritzker announces new mitigations as IL reports 10,573 new cases
Pritzker announces new mitigations as IL reports 10,573 new casesIn another gut punch for already-devastated businesses, Governor JB Pritzker announced additional COVID-19 mitigations for parts of Illinois due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Governor JB Pritzker announced additional COVID-19 mitigations for parts of Illinois as the state reports 10,573 new coronavirus cases and 14 additional deaths,.

The total number cases in Illinois now stands at 498,560 with a total of 10,210 deaths.

WATCH: Gov. Pritzker announces new COVID-19 mitigations

Watch Gov. JB Pritzker's COVID-19 briefing on November 9, 2020.

At his daily COVID-19 briefing Monday, Governor Pritzker announced Tier 2 mitigations for Region 7 (Will and Kankakee counties), Region 8 (DuPage and Kane counties) and Region 5 in southern Illinois.

Tier 2 mitigations include a limit of 6 people per table at restaurants and bars, a limit of ten people at meetings and social gatherings, both inside and outside. For organized group and recreational activities, there is a limit of 25 guests or 25% of the overall room capacity, both indoors and outdoors.

Schools are not impacted by the mitigation. For the full list of Tier 2 mitigations, see the end of this story.

"We are all on the same team. We want to hang out with our friends, go to our favorite restaurants and big weddings, all the things we've been sacrificing since March. But only a few paths to get us there," said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Dept. of Public Health.

In west suburban Geneva, FoxFire owner KC Gulbro briefly obtained a court order allowing him to continue operating indoors when the first set of mitigations when into effect. That order has since been overturned.

"There's no help," Gulbro said. "There's no life preserver out there for us again. There's no PPP loan to help our staff. Again we're in limbo."

And case numbers continue to rise throughout the state, business advocates worry about even more stringent rules which may soon come.

"It's impacting our retail as well. We're all interconnected," said Kaylin Risvold, with the Naperville Chamber of Commerce. "The businesses, the restaurants, the retail, the taxes, the jobs. We're all interconnected and it's hard when things start to break down."

WATCH: Elmhurst restaurants prepare for stricter restrictions

With COVID-19 rates skyrocketing in DuPage County, Gov. JB Pritzker is moving the region back to Phase 2 mitigations.

At Tapville Social in downtown Naperville, a beautiful evening on the patio was tempered by news of more restrictions.

"You know, we've taken all the safety precautions with our staff and our customers, and now it's just another sort of knife in the back for us to continue to operate our business," said Joseph Tota, co-owner of Tapville Social. "Seeing the numbers I understand, but especially from, with our employees we hate to have to make hard decisions."

The patio outside Roberto's restaurant in Elmhurst is a good spot for lunch during this unseasonably warm November, but that is likely to change soon. And some diners may be looking longingly at the empty indoor tables - even though the governor has made indoor dining off-limits for now.

"It's the people's choice to actually come out and enjoy themselves and dine. It shouldn't be his choice," said Pasquale Moreci, of Roberto's restaurant in Elmhurst.

Despite spending thousands in safety equipment, Tony Gambino has closed the doors at Doc's Victory Pub for the second time this year. He said with indoor spaces closed, there's no way to keep this business going for now.

"To single out an industry, you're gonna put a lot of people out of work and unfortunately, on the second one, I think a lot of restaurants are not going to be able to reopen," Gambino said.

Gambino's company owns 15 restaurants. Two have already closed permanently, and he says if the current restrictions remain, more could be in danger.

Elmhurst's mayor sent a letter to Governor JB Pritzker on the subject last week, writing: "The livelihood of these businesses, their owners and their employees rely on your ability to modify this order. Elmhurst businesses have spent hundreds of thousands dollars to create a safe environment for their customers. Eliminating indoor dining during our cold weather season will be FATAL to many restaurants."

Gov. Pritzker, however, sounded unlikely to budge during his COVID-19 briefing Monday.

"Too many local officials across the state are ignoring their local public health departments and doing nearly nothing to assist their residents to follow even the most basic COVID-19 guidelines," Pritzker said.

Coronavirus testing: Where to get tested for COVID-19 in Illinois, Chicago area

Over a 24-hour period, officials said the state processed 64,760 specimens for a total 8,469,064.

The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from Nov. 2 to Nov. 8 is 12.4%.

RELATED: Myths about COVID-19 busted: Masks, indoor transmission, cold weather, and more

University of Chicago Medicine Executive Medical Director of Infection Prevent and Control Dr. Emily Landon busts some common, pervasive myths about COVID-19.

As of Sunday night, 4,409 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19, with 857 in the ICU and 376 patients on ventilators.

Hospitals brace for surge in admissions

Where there is a surge of COVID-19 cases, a surge of hospitalizations will follow, so Chicago area hospitals are preparing for it now.

Coronavirus testing: Where to get tested for COVID-19 in Illinois, Chicago area

The state announced mobile testing teams would be made available across northern Illinois in the next week.

Free testing will be available regardless of symptoms, insurance or immigration status.

Testing demand grows, and testing supplies run out

Thousands of people are getting COVID-19 tests each day, and as demand grow, testing sites around Illinois are running out of materials to perform the tests quicker and quicker.

Here's where the sites will be:

COOK COUNTY:

  • 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Bennett Day, 955 W. Grand Ave., Chicago
  • 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at Metropolitan Family Services - Belmont-Cragin, 3249 N Central, Chicago
  • 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Ping Tom Park, 300 W. 19th Street, Chicago
  • 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Nov. 15 at Affordable Recovery Home Campus, 13636 S. Western, Blue Island
  • 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Nov. 15 at 2701 W. Lake St, Melrose Park
  • DUPAGE COUNTY

  • 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at Churchville Middle School, 155 Victory Parkway, Elmhurst
  • 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday at Wheaton College - Edman Chapel, 401 E. Franklin St., Wheaton
  • 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at Glendale Heights Aquatic Center, 240 Civic Center Plaza, Glendale Heights
  • GRUNDY COUNTY

  • 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 15 at Minooka Community High School - Central, 301 S. Wabena Ave., Minooka
  • KANKAKEE COUNTY

  • 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at Kankakee County Health Department, 2390 W. Station St., Kankakee
  • LAKE COUNTY

  • 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday at Highwood Public Library, 102 Highwood Ave., Highwood
  • 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday at the College of Lake County, 19351 W. Washington St., Grayslake
  • MCHENRY COUNTY

  • 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Nov. 15 at Peterson Park, 4300 Peterson Park Road, McHenry
  • The deaths reported Monday included:

    -Champaign County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 60s

    - Carroll County: 1 male 60s

    - Coles County: 1 female 50s, 1 male 70s

    - Cook County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 70s, 3 males 80s, 1 male 90s

    - DuPage County: 1 female 80s

    - LaSalle County: 1 male 70s

    - Macoupin County: 1 female 90s

    - Tazewell County: 1 female 70s

    - Will County: 1 female over 100

    Tier 2 restrictions:

    Bars:

    -All bars close at 11pm and may reopen no earlier than 6am the following day

    -No indoor service

    - All bar patrons should be seated at tables outside

    -No ordering, seating, or congregating at bar (bar stools should be removed)

    -Tables should be 6 feet apart

    -No standing or congregating indoors or outdoors while waiting for a table or exiting

    -No dancing or standing indoors

    -Reservations required for each party

    -No seating of multiple parties at one table

    -No tables exceeding 6 people

    Restaurants

    -All restaurants close at 11pm and may reopen no earlier than 6am the following day

    -No indoor dining or bar service

    -Tables should be 6 feet apart

    -No standing or congregating indoors or outdoors while waiting for a table or exiting

    -Reservations required for each party

    -No seating of multiple parties at one table

    -No tables exceeding 6 people

    Meetings, social events and gatherings

    -Limit to 10 guests in both indoor and outdoor settings *

    -Applicable to professional, cultural and social group gatherings.

    -Not applicable to students participating in-person classroom learning, sports or polling places.

    -This does not reduce the overall facility capacity dictated by general business guidance such as office, retail, etc.

    - No party buses

    -Gaming and Casinos close at 11:00pm, are limited to 25 percent capacity, and follow mitigations for bars and restaurants, if applicable

    Organized group recreational activities

    -Limit to lesser of 25 guests or 25% of overall room capacity both indoors & outdoors *

    -Groups limited to 10 or fewer people *

    -All Sports Guidance effective August 15, 2020, remains in effect

    -Outdoor Activities (not included in the above exposure settings) continue per current DCEO guidance

    Copyright © 2024 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.