Illinois governor JB Pritzker Monday announced additional COVID-19 mitigations for Regions 7 and 8, including Kane, DuPage, and Will Counties, three of Aurora’s four counties.
Because of consistently increasing COVID positivity rates, the regions will move into Tier 2 of the State’s COVID Mitigation Plan as of Wednesday, Nov. 11. Tier 2 includes mitigations outlined in Tier 1 and additional measures (noted with an asterisk*) in the following categories:
Restaurants
• No indoor dining or bar service;
• All outdoor dining closes at 11 p.m.;
• Outside dining tables should be six 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;
• Temporary outdoor structures that hold multiple parties must have at least 50% of the sides open to allow airflow;
• No tables exceeding six people *.
Bars
• No indoor service;
• All outside bar service closes at 11 p.m.;
• All bar patrons should be seated at tables outside;
• No ordering, seating, or congregating at the bar (bar stools should be removed);
• Outside tables should be six 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 six people *.
Meetings, Social Events, Gatherings
• Limit to 10 guests in both indoor and outdoor settings *;
• No party buses;
• Gaming and casinos close at 11 p.m., are limited to 25% capacity, and follow mitigations for bars and restaurants, if applicable.
Mitigation efforts will remain in place (or increase) until the COVID positivity rate decreases below 6.5% for three consecutive days. Currently, the positivity rates for the regions are:
• Region 8 (Kane and DuPage): 14.2% as of November 7;
• Region 7 (Will): 17.5% as of November 7.
A full list of mitigation measures pertaining to some businesses and industries may be found on the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity website at www.dceocovid19resources.com/restore-illinois.
—City of Aurora government