Rather than moving straight from Phase 4 reopening guidelines into Phase 5, a full reopening, Illinois will instead enter a transition phase that bridges the gap between the two.
Once the required metrics are met, all of Illinois will together move into what Gov. J.B. Pritzker called a "Bridge Phase."
The new phase allows for higher capacity limits at places like museums, zoos and spectator events as well as increased business operations, the state announced, but masks will continue to be mandated.
According to the governor, the so-called Bridge Phase "will serve as a transition period with higher capacity limits and increased business operations, without prematurely embracing a reckless reopening before the majority of Illinoisans have been vaccinated."
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
“We want and need to move forward, but we must be measured and cautious in the approach,” Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in a statement. “Rather than flipping a switch and saying we’re now in Phase 5, we’re looking at it more like a dial – dialing back some of the capacity restrictions that helped reduce transmission, and ultimately the number of new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. We don’t want to move too quickly and risk a significant reversal of our progress.”
Here's a look at what would change once Illinois moves from Phase 4 to the Bridge Phase:
Dining
News
Phase 4:
Seated areas: Patrons ≥ 6 feet apart; parties ≤ 10
Standing areas: 25% capacity
Bridge Phase:
Seated areas: Patrons ≥ 6 feet apart; parties ≤ 10
Standing areas: 30% capacity indoors; 50% capacity outdoors
Health and fitness
Phase 4:
50% capacity
Group fitness classes of 50 or fewer indoors or 100 or fewer outdoors *
Bridge Phase:
60% capacity
Group fitness classes of 50 or fewer indoors or 100 or fewer outdoors
Offices
Phase 4:
50% capacity
Bridge Phase:
60% capacity
Personal care
Phase 4:
50% capacity
Bridge Phase:
60% capacity
Retail and service counter
Phase 4:
50% capacity
Bridge Phase:
60% capacity
Amusement parks
Phase 4:
25% capacity *
Bridge Phase:
60% capacity *
Festivals and general admission outdoor spectator events
Phase 4:
15 people per 1,000 sq. ft. *
Bridge Phase:
30 people per 1,000 sq. ft. *
Flea and farmers markets
Phase 4:
25% capacity or 15 people per 1,000 sq. ft.
Bridge Phase:
Indoor: 15 people per 1,000 sq. ft.
Outdoor: 30 people per 1,000 sq. ft.
Film production
Phase 4:
50% capacity
Bridge Phase:
60% capacity
Meetings, conferences and conventions
Phase 4:
Venue with capacity < 200 persons: Lesser of 50 people or 50% capacity *
Venue with capacity ≥ 200 persons: Lesser of 250 people or 25% capacity *
Bridge Phase:
Lesser of 1,000 people or 60% capacity ^
Museums
Phase 4:
25% capacity
Bridge Phase:
60% capacity
Recreation
Phase 4:
Indoor: Lesser of 50 people or 50% capacity
Outdoor: Maximum groups of 50; multiple groups permissible
Bridge Phase:
Indoor: Lesser of 100 people or 50% capacity
Outdoor: Maximum groups of 100; multiple groups permissible
Social events
Phase 4:
Indoor: Lesser of 50 people or 50% capacity *
Outdoor: Lesser of 100 people or 50% capacity *
Bridge Phase:
Indoor: 250 people
Outdoor: 500 people
Spectator events (ticketed and seated)
Phase 4:
Indoor venue with capacity < 200 people: Lesser of 50 people or 50% capacity *
Outdoor venue or indoor venue with capacity ≥ 200 people: 25% capacity *
Bridge Phase:
60% capacity
Theaters and performing arts
Phase 4:
Indoor venue with capacity < 200 persons: Lesser of 50 or 50% capacity
Outdoor venue or indoor venue with capacity ≥ 200 persons: 25% capacity *
Bridge Phase:
60% capacity
Zoos
Phase 4:
25% capacity
Lesser of 50 or 50% at indoor exhibits
Bridge Phase:
60% capacity
In order for Illinois to advance to the Bridge Phase, the entire state must reach a 70% first-dose vaccination rate for residents 65 and older, in addition to maintain the current required metrics of at least 20% ICU beds availability and holding steady on hospitalizations for COVID-19 or COVID-like illnesses, mortality rates and case rates over a 28-day monitoring period.
To move to Phase 5, the state must reach a 50% vaccination rate for residents age 16 and over and meet the same metrics and rates required to enter the transition phase, over an additional 28-day period, state officials said.
“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. “It’s time to begin to cautiously move toward normalcy, and it’s imperative that we do so in a way that maintains all the progress we’ve made to date."
The state could be forced to revert back to an earlier phase if, over the course of 10 days, the state experiences an increasing trend in COVID-19 and COVID-like illness hospital admissions, a decrease in ICU bed availability, an increase in the mortality rate, and an increasing case rate, the state said.
Beyond announcing the transition phase guidelines, the state also made changes to current Phase 4 guidelines.
Under a new rule, anyone with proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 PCR test within one to three days of an event or outing will not count toward capacity limits.
"As regulations are rolled back gradually in the weeks ahead, Illinoisans should continue practicing the public health guidelines that have kept us safe during the pandemic, including wearing face coverings and maintaining social distance," the state said in a release.
In addition to the changes to the reopening framework, Pritzker also announced that eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine will expand to all Illinois residents over the age of 16, except for those in the city of Chicago, beginning on April 12.
All Illinois residents over the age of 16 will be eligible to get vaccinated beginning on April 12, Pritzker said, adding that state officials in the coming days would make available more information on certain populations that will become eligible before that final expansion.
