With vaccination rates accelerating, Illinois has provided its restaurants with a way to bend the indoor-dining caps set by the state to slow the spread of COVID-19: Vaccinated guests and customers who recently tested negative for coronavirus no longer count toward the limit.
Under a little-noticed provision of the safety protocols put into effect by Gov. Jay Pritzker last week, customers who can prove they’ve been full vaccinated or tested negative during the prior three days aren’t covered by the capacity restrictions. In most areas of the state, the cap is currently set at 50% of indoor seating.
However, Pritzker emphasized that those individuals will still be required to wear masks.
"COVID-19 has not gone away, but the light we can see at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter and brighter as more people get vaccinated," Pritzker said in a statement. “With projections from the Biden administration indicating that weekly vaccine deliveries to Illinois will surpass one million doses in April, it is fully in our power to turn the page on this dark and devastating chapter even as we race a tough clock: the new variants.”
Pritzker said the updated safety protocols, including the exemption for those who’ve been cleared as COVID risks, will accelerate the state’s advance to Phase 5 of its reopening plan, or what he characterized as “a post-pandemic normalcy.”
In airing the new protocols, Pritzker also announced that all Illinois residents over age 16 will be eligible for vaccination as of April 12.
Pritzker’s easing of restrictions was welcomed by the Illinois Restaurant Association. CEO Sam Toia characterized the move as “an important step towards recovery."
Although Illinois restaurant workers were designated early in the pandemic as essential workers, that designation did not bump them far up the line for anti-COVID vaccines. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said foodservice employees in her city are not likely to be eligible for vaccines until about March 29, or just two weeks before the general population of the state can get the shots.
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