SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The entire State of Illinois will move into Tier 3 mitigations on Friday, November 20. Gov. J.B. Pritzker made the announcement during his daily COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday, November 17.
Gov. Pritzker said - to put it simply - Tier 3 mitigations mean "if you don't need to do it, don't." He said these mitigation efforts are being put in place in an effort to avoid another stay at home order, like the state experience in the spring.
He advised not getting together with people outside of your household.
The entire state has been operating under resurgence mitigations since Wednesday, November 4. There are three tiers, or levels, of mitigations that Illinois has been utilizing.
Here is what the three tiers do and mean:
Tier 1:
- Inputs restrictions on bars, restaurants, social gatherings, and recreational activities
- Remote work is emphasized
Tier 2:
- Places more restrictions on bars, restaurants, social gatherings, and recreational activities
- Remote work is encouraged
- Restrictions on bars and restaurants remain
- The strictest limits are placed on social gatherings
- Some recreational activities are suspended
- Retail and salons/personal care facilities are under lower capacity
- Remote work is instituted for all non-essential workers
Editor's Note: A previous outline of Tier restrictions on the state's website indicated Tier 3 would affect hospital operations and suspend personal care facilities. An updated version of the guidelines only limits capacity on personal care and does not mention hospital operations.
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The Illinois Department of Public Health is reporting 12,601 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, November 17.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is expected to give his daily COVID-19 briefing at 2:30 p.m. This briefing comes as Iowa is just hours into new mitigations to slow the spread of the virus.
As of midnight Tuesday, Iowans are now required to wear masks whenever they're unable to social distance indoors in public. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds defended the mask mandate in an address Tuesday morning.
