On Tuesday, Nov. 17, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, along with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), announced that the entire state would be put under Tier 3 mitigations effective at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 20.
In a press release announcing the move, it noted “as state reports record-breaking daily case totals and hospitalizations, new mitigations aimed at saving lives, protecting economy, and preventing another stay at home order.”
Tier 3 mitigations will “build on the Resurgence Mitigation Plan released in July to suppress the spread of the virus and prevent hospitals from becoming overrun. This latest round of mitigations aims to limit gatherings and encourages residents to stay home as much as possible and follow proper safety measures when out in public. The mitigations carefully balance the paramount goal of saving lives while preserving the option for in-person learning for children and protecting as much of the economy as possible from the continued impacts of the virus.”
The most noticeable changes in this newest round of mitigations include reduced capacity for retail businesses, as well as the closure of gaming/casinos.
Grocery stores will still remain open; child care facilities and schools can continue to operate following state guidelines.
Pritzker summarized, “Tier 3 boils down to this: if you don’t need to do it, don’t.”
For more on the Tier 3 mitigations, please see this week’s print edition.