As Chicago enters phase four at the end of the week, the city will see some big changes.
The transition will bring back several businesses and attractions to the city, each with their own restrictions and adjustments. Among the changes is the return of indoor dining, the reopening of museums, zoos, performance venues, summer camps and more. Gathering limitations will also be loosened, but residents will still be urged to social distance and wear face coverings.
Here's a look at the changes and guidelines by industry, according to the city:
Food Service and Bars
What's included:
- Restaurants and bars
What may be different:
- Contactless pickup available and contactless payment encouraged
- Indoor dining / alcohol consumption permitted at 25% capacity, outdoor permitted following social distancing requirements
- Visual signage throughout facilities regarding hygiene, social distancing, proper PPE and more
- Employees required to wear face coverings at all times, face coverings for guests required when not seated
- Employees and diners encouraged to maintain 6 feet physical distancing
- Employees frequently disinfect facilities
Retail and Services
What's included:
- Retail
- Personal Services
- Health & Fitness Clubs
What may be different:
- Customers encouraged to maintain physical distancing while in store
- Impermeable barriers may be used to maintain separation between employees and shoppers
- Employees disinfect stores frequently
- Sanitizing products are readily available for use
- Customers encouraged to use contactless payment
- Customers and employees required to wear facial coverings at all times
- 6-foot indicators placed throughout stores to ensure customers maintain physical distancing
Accommodation and Tourism
What's included:
- Hotel & Accommodations
- Short-Term Rentals
What may be different:
- 6-foot indicators placed throughout common areas to promote physical distancing; face coverings required in all common areas
- Daily housekeeping during stay upon request only to limit staff time in guest rooms
- Restaurants and bars open at reduced capacity for in-house dining/drinking
- Visual signage throughout facility regarding hygiene, social distancing, proper PPE and more
- Guests encouraged to leverage mobile check-ins/outs and keys
- High touch areas such as elevators are frequently cleaned by employees
- Limited gatherings in common areas such as lobbies
Parks and Outdoor Attractions
What may be different:
- Runners, joggers, bikers and walkers encouraged to maintain >6-foot distancing while exercising
- Non contact outdoor activities encouraged, youth and amateur sports allowed with participant restrictions
- Playgrounds and splash pads remain closed
- Social groups maintain physical distancing in open spaces
- All individuals required to wear face coverings except during physical activity
- Visual signage posted throughout park regarding social distancing, proper PPE, and more
Arts and Culture
What's included:
- Places of Worship
- Film & TV Production
- Museums
- Performance Venues
- Movie Theaters
What may be different:
- Rooms may have no more than 50 as long as distancing is followed
- Stagger ingress and egress times to avoid checkpoint crowding
- Employees frequently disinfect facilities
- Sanitation stations available throughout facilities
- All individuals required to wear facial coverings
- Seating spread out by 6 feet to promote distancing
- Visual signage posted throughout facilities regarding hygiene, social distancing, proper PPE and more
Education and Child Care
What's included:
- Child Care
- Higher Education
- Summer Programs & Youth Activities
What may be different:
- Visual signage posted throughout facilities regarding hygiene, social distancing, proper PPE and more
- Health screenings required for children before classroom entry
- Parents and employees must wear facial coverings at all times; children required to wear facial coverings when outside the classroom
- Staff frequently disinfect facilities, including toys and other objects
- Group children into stable cohorts with assigned teachers
- Doors and windows remain open to increase ventilation, where appropriate
B2B
What's included:
- Manufacturing
- Construction
- Transportation & Warehousing
What may be different:
- Employees complete health screening before entering
- Sanitation and handwashing stations readily available for employee use
- Work stations separated by 6-foot distancing and impermeable barriers where possible
- 6-foot indicators placed throughout manufacturing floor, where possible
- All employees wear appropriate PPE (i.e., gloves, face masks, eyewear, etc.,) where possible
- Visual signage posted throughout facilities regarding hygiene, social distancing, proper PPE and more
Office and Real Estate
What's included:
- Commercial Buildings
- Residential Buildings
What may be different:
- Workspaces separated by impermeable barriers to enhance safety, where possible
- Individuals required to wear a face covering at all times in common areas, or where 6-foot distancing is not possible
- Workspaces reconfigured to maintain appropriate distancing
- Visual signage posted throughout facilities regarding hygiene, social distancing, and more
- Small, high-traffic common areas are closed to avoid large gatherings
- Sanitation stations readily available for employee and customer use
Transportation
What's included:
- CTA
- Taxi & Ride Hail
What may be different:
- Visual indicators of >6-foot physical distancing may be placed throughout transit stations
- Employees disinfect transit stations four times a day, and clean vehicles before and during service
- Passengers encouraged to wear facial coverings at all times
- Passengers encouraged to maintain >6-foot physical distancing at all times
- Visual signage posted throughout transit stations regarding hygiene, social distancing, proper PPE and more
Healthcare
What may be different:
- 6-foot indicators placed throughout facilities to ensure patients maintain physical distancing
- Employers encouraged to provide sanitizing supplies throughout facilities
- Patients and staff required to wear facial coverings at all times
- Visual signage posted throughout facilities regarding hygiene, social distancing, proper PPE and more
If progress continues to be made, and the city reaches fewer than 100 new cases per day, capacity restrictions will be loosened further during phase four, health officials said.
Chicago is currently in its third phase of reopening, though health experts had previously said the city would likely enter phase four by July 1, sooner if metrics were met. All four of Illinois' health regions currently remain on track to also enter phase four Friday.
“The data continue to show that we’re making progress and we’ll be ready to move into phase four later this week,” Arwady said in a statement. “However, we still have a lot of COVID-19 cases here in Chicago; we’re just now moving from a high-risk to a medium-high-risk city for COVID-19 spread, based on our numbers, and we need to move ahead cautiously. I can’t emphasize enough the need for people and businesses to continue to abide by the public health guidance so we can avoid the spike in cases we’re seeing in other cities and states that re-opened before us.”
