State of Illinois & City of Chicago Issue Phase 4 Guidelines Ahead of Friday's Move

On Monday, June 22, 2020, the State of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the City of Chicago issued industry-specific guidelines for safely operating businesses within Phase 4: Restore Illinois. All four regions of the state are currently on track to move into Phase 4 on Friday, June 26.  The guidelines expand upon guidelines previously issued for Phase 3, and as previously detailed here and here.

Phase 4 allows for the safe reopening or expansion of several key business sectors. Most prominently: (1) office settings may now be populated at 50% capacity (Guidelines can be found here) although offices within the City of Chicago remain at 25% capacity; (2) indoor dining can reopen with groups of 10 or less, with tables spaced 6-feet apart in seated areas and with standing areas at no more than 25% of capacity (Guidelines can be found here) and (3) venues and meeting spaces (including as used for weddings and funerals, fitness centers, movie theaters, and museums and zoos) can resume with the lesser of up to 50 people or 50% of overall room capacity (Guidelines can be found here).

An overview of the Phase 4 changes may be found here. Pursuant to the Restore Illinois plan, Phase 4 will last until there is a vaccine, effective and widely available treatment, or the elimination of new cases over a sustained period of time through herd immunity or other factors.

The guidance provides specific safety guidelines for:

• Offices
• Meetings and social events
• Manufacturing
• Retail
• Service counters
• Health and fitness centers
• Personal care services
• Indoor and outdoor recreation
• Indoor and outdoor dining
• Day camps
• Museums
• Zoos
• Theaters and performing arts
• Youth and recreational sports guidelines
• Film production

The complete Statewide guidance may be found here.  

 

The City of Chicago guidance may be found here.

Signage resources for businesses may be found here.