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Illinois places stricter regulations on some counties north of the QC to reduce spread of COVID-19

Starting Saturday, October 3, stricter mitigations to help curb COVID-19 will be put in place in Region 1.

Starting Saturday, October 3, stricter mitigations to help curb COVID-19 will be put in place in Region 1.  This area encompasses counties in northwestern Illinois: Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago counties.

According to a statement from the governor's office, the region has seen a 7-day rolling average positivity rate of 8% or higher for three days in a row. Those numbers put the region under the state's Restore Illinois Resurgence Plan. 

The following changes will commence Saturday:

Bars

  • No indoor service 
  • All outside bar service closes at 11:00 p.m. 
  • All bar patrons should be seated at tables outside 
  • No ordering, seating, or congregating at bar (bar stools should be removed)  
  • Tables should be 6 feet apart  
  • No standing or congregating indoors or outdoors while waiting for a table or exiting 
  • No dancing or standing indoors 
  • Reservations required for each party 
  • No seating of multiple parties at one table 

Restaurants

  • No indoor dining or bar service 
  • All outdoor dining closes at 11:00 p.m. 
  • Outside dining tables should be 6 feet apart 
  • No standing or congregating indoors or outdoors while waiting for a table or exiting 
  • Reservations required for each party  
  • No seating of multiple parties at one table 

Meetings, Social Events, Gatherings

  • Limit to lesser of 25 guests or 25 percent of overall room capacity 
  • No party buses 
  • Gaming and Casinos close at 11:00 p.m., are limited to 25 percent capacity, and follow mitigations for bars and restaurants, if applicable 

 Schools are not included in these changes. 

These changes will remain in place until Region 1 can drop its positivity rate under 6.5% or under. If the positivity rates grow, more strict mitigations may be applied. 

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