Pritzker Says COVID Regulations Could Loosen Even More Next Week

ILLINOIS — Coronavirus restrictions in Illinois could be loosened next week as the latest surge in COVID-19 hospitalization drops.

Currently, Illinois is in a modified Phase 4 of the state's reopening plan, which allows bars and restaurants to operate at slightly higher capacity and vaccinated people to gather in small groups.

"I think the common view is that Illinois has weathered this storm well," Gov. J.B. Pritzker said during a press conference Monday. "That we've seen what's happened in Michigan and that hasn't happened in Illinois, thank God."

Prtizker said he thinks Illinois will move into the "bridge phase" as early as next week. A bridge phase would consist of slightly fewer restrictions than Illinois has now and will precede the full reopening planned for Phase 5. Businesses like theaters, offices, gyms and other retailers could open at 60 percent capacity under the new rules.

The state hit a milestone in March when over 70 percent of seniors were recorded as partially vaccinated, but a spring surge in hospitalizations delayed loosening restrictions.

"It looks to me, if you look at all the hospital admissions data, like we're in decent shape and moving exactly as I would hope we would for the bridge phase," Pritzker said.

One of the main concerns for states reopening is the spread of coronavirus variants, especially the infamous one first seen in the United Kingdom. On Sunday, Illinois reported 438 cases of the U.K. variant out of a total of 2,507 cases. Officials also reported smaller numbers of variant cases first seen in Brazil, California and South Africa.

The seven-day average of hospital admissions in Illinois peaked at over 2,150 in late April before slowly falling to 2,050. In Mid-march, the average was 1,125 — before the recent surge.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the number of people getting vaccinated continues to decline. As of last week, about 78,440 vaccines were administered each day in the state, the lowest average in almost three months.

Across the country, over nine million the vaccine doses have been administered, with new initiatives like mobile vaccine clinics to launch from Walgreens in the next few weeks. About 32 percent of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated.

Despite slightly lower vaccination rates, Pritzker remained optimistic that residents would see vaccinations as a pathway to looser restrictions.

"I've been amazed all along," he said, "at people's willingness to follow the mitigations, to do the right thing. This is about doing what's best for your own family, for yourself and for your community and I think most people in Illinois have stepped up to the plate."