Restaurant and bar owners in Will and Kankakee Counties may serve customers indoors as of Friday evening after the region endured more than two weeks of strict mitigations to lower its rolling Coronavirus positivity rate.
Lynette Greco Mertens, owner of Sorriso Ristorante in Frankfort, said business has been “like a roller coaster in recent weeks.
“Thank God for our patrons and our carryout and our catering and the people who joined us outside,” Greco Mertens said.
Residents of Illinois’ Region 7 helped to get the three day rolling positivity rate below 6.5%.
“As we move forward, our local businesses cannot afford another setback,” said Illinois Sen. Michael Hastings. “We must remain vigilant for the sake of economic recovery and public health.”
Annette Riza, who owns JBD White Horse Inn in New Lenox, said she is excited because her business gets to stay open later.
“We have a lounge area inside and that’s a big part of our business,” Riza said.
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Hastings said he encourages struggling businesses to apply for the state’s Business Interruption Grant Program, which is set aside to help those businesses impacted by closures due to the pandemic and civil unrest.
