Indoor dining will be allowed to resume in Chicago next week, but there will be restrictions.
The loosening of restrictions will come on the same day Illinois is set to enter phase four of the state's reopening plan. Though Chicago won't be entering its own phase four until at least July 1, Lightfoot said "indoor dining and drinking can begin at restaurants, bars, breweries and other eating and drinking establishments" early.
Here's a look at the rules:
- Indoor dining will be restricted to 25% capacity
- Up to 50 people allowed per room or floor
- Tables must stay 6 feet apart with 10 people or fewer per table
- Venues without a Retail Food Establishment License will be limited to a maximum of two hours per party and alcohol sales at bars and restaurants must still end at 11 p.m. each night.
- The sale of alcohol for carryout or delivery must end at 9 p.m. each night
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said that if the city continues to see progress "capacity at restaurants could be expanded to 50%."
In order for that to happen, the city would need to reach an average of fewer than 100 new cases a day, which would move Chicago into the moderate-risk category rather than the higher-risk category it is in now under CDC guidelines.
Currently, restaurants and bars can only offer outdoor dining, which comes with space limitations and leaves capacity dependent on weather.
The state is set to move into phase four of its reopening plan as early as June 26. As of Friday, all four health regions were meeting the metrics to move to that stage as scheduled, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said.
But Chicago is on its own plan - and Lightfoot declined to say if the city will be able to move to phase four on its July 1 date.
"I can't predict a particular date," she said this week. "You have to be guided by the data. Period."
But health officials still worry the city could see a spike, similar to other states in the U.S.
