The state of Illinois is starting to open back up again. That is the message from Governor JB Pritzker on Friday who announced regions are now starting to see COVID restrictions lifted, however, indoor dining is still not there yet.  Regions 1, 2, and 5 (north, north-central, and southern Illinois) are dropping from tier three mitigations.  

The state’s other regions are believed to be moving out of tier three relatively soon. The Governor saying, that when areas move to tier one, there will be limited indoor dining allowed. 

All this comes as Director of Public Health, Dr Ngozi Ezike, says that the new variant of COVID-19 has arrived in Illinois and while it isn’t more dangerous, it does spread easier.

For regions to drop down to tier one, test positivity rates, hospitalizations, and ICU bed availability will dictate how quickly these regions can move down. Region 3 and Region 6 are still in tier three which has the strictest mitigation rules. For more information visit https://www.dph.illinois.gov/restore.