Cook County/Metro East Mitigations, Join Our Campaign

The Illinois Restaurant Association continues to engage with local, state, and federal officials to help our employers and employees address concerns about COVID-19.

Please see the below resources and information for your business - updated as of 2:35 p.m. on Monday, October 26.

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Cook County, Metro East Move into Mitigation With No Indoor Service at Restaurants or Bars, Six Total Regions in Mitigation

Today, Governor Pritzker announced that Region 4 (Metro East) and Region 10 (suburban Cook County excluding Chicago) will be placed into mitigation, effective Wednesday, October 28. Region 10 has had eight consecutive days of increases in test positivity and seven days of increased hospital admissions, making it the first region in the state to meet the metrics for additional mitigations in this way and surpass warning levels in two categories simultaneously. Indoor service at restaurants and bars in these areas is being suspended.Click here to read the full announcement.

Starting Wednesday, 6 of the state's 11 regions will be in mitigation, as Regions 4 and 10 will join Regions 1, 5, 7, and 8 in mitigation.

If the positivity rate in Region 4 averages less than or equal to 6.5% for three consecutive days, then the region will return to Phase 4 mitigations under the Restore Illinois Plan. If the positivity rate averages between 6.5% and 8%, the new mitigations will remain in place and unchanged. If the positivity rate averages greater than or equal to 8% after 14 days, more stringent mitigations can be applied to further reduce spread of the virus. 

If the positivity rate in Region 10 averages less than or equal to 6.5% over a three-day period, there is a decrease in hospital admissions for COVID-19 like illness over a three-day period, and the three-day rolling averages of ICU bed availability and medical/surgical bed availability is greater than or equal to 20% over a seven-day period, the region will return to Phase 4 mitigations under the Restore Illinois Plan. Conversely, if the average positivity rate continues to increase over seven out of 10 days and the hospital admissions for COVID-19 like illness continues to increase over seven out of 10 days, more stringent mitigations can be applied. If the metrics remain stable, the region will continue to be monitored.

Currently four of the state's 11 regions have positivity rates above the public health department's 8% threshold for resurgence mitigations. Regions 5, 7, and 8 are currently operating under additional mitigations as the regions continue to report a 7-day rolling positivity rate above 8%. Region 1 is currently operating under Tier 2 mitigation measures after experiencing reporting a positivity rate greater than 8% for 14 days despite Tier 1 mitigation measures being in place.

If the positivity rate averages less than or equal to 6.5% for three consecutive days in Region 1, 5, 7, and 8, then those areas will return to Phase 4 under the Restore Illinois plan, with resumed indoor service.

Click here to review the mitigation measures from DCEO. Click here to review regional metrics across Illinois from IDPH.

Unless the positivity rate drops, nearly every region across Illinois will be placed into mitigation soon. In order for Illinois' restaurants to survive, they need to be able to continue operating with limited indoor service.

If you haven't done so already, please take one minute to send a message to Governor Pritzker and leaders in the General Assembly to urge them to modify the Restore Illinois mitigation plan to allow for continued indoor service at restaurants.

City of Chicago 10:00 p.m. Business Curfew In Effect

A series of measures meant to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the city of Chicago are now in effect, including:

• Restaurants may continue operating for take-out, delivery or curbside pickup after 10:00 p.m., but indoor or outdoor consumption of food or alcohol must cease at 10:00 p.m. and doors must close to customers.

• Additionally, all bars, taverns, or breweries that do not have a Retail Food Establishment License will no longer be able to serve customers indoors at any time.

• All establishments that serve alcohol for on-site consumption must end alcohol service (last call) at 9:00 p.m. before closing at 10:00 p.m. under the business curfew.

• All liquor sales of packaged goods for off-premises consumption, via delivery or carry-out, must end at 9:00 p.m.

• All other existing restrictions remain in place, including indoor capacity limits at restaurants of 40% or 50 people within a room or space.

Click here to review the latest regulations.

The city of Chicago's positivity rate has been steadily rising over the past several days. If the city's positivity rate reaches 8.0% for three consecutive days, the state of Illinois' mitigation plan will automatically take effect - including the closure of indoor service at restaurants and bars. The state's authority supersedes the city of Chicago's related to reopening.

IRAEF Restaurant Employee Relief Fund Application are Now Open

The Restaurant Employee Relief Fund will provide one-time grants of $500 to support restaurant employees facing an unforeseen hardship due to COVID-19. Applications are now available in both English and Spanish. 

At this time, due to our current resources and in an effort to help our most vulnerable, Restaurant Employee Relief Grants are evaluated in the following order of priority for restaurant workers who are:

• Diagnosed with coronavirus (COVID-19), or a caregiver for an immediate family member who has been diagnosed with COVID-19, or quarantined with a doctor’s note

• Out of work for three weeks or more without unemployment benefits

Please note that all qualified grant requests will be reviewed in the order they are received. Grants are awarded to eligible individuals based on available funds and limited to one per individual.

All additional inquiries can be directed to employeerelief@illinoisrestaurants.org.

Cook County Launches COVID-19 Recovery Resident Cash Assistance Program

The Cook County COVID-19 Recovery Resident Cash Assistance Program offers a one-time cash payment of $600 to income eligible suburban Cook County residents who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

To be eligible for cash assistance through the Program, you must reside in suburban Cook County, IL (residents in the City of Chicago are not eligible for this fund), meet income requirements based on household income prior to March 1, 2020, and have a negative financial impact during the COVID-19 pandemic due to job or wage losses, unpaid leave to care for vulnerable or infected relatives, unpaid sick leave, or loss of wages due to school closures.

Click here to learn more. 

Additionally, the IRA continues to serve as a proud partner in the Cook County COVID-19 Recovery Small Business Assistance Program, which is providing free business advising and webinars for all Cook County businesses.