Restaurants Could See More COVID-19 Restrictions: Report

CHICAGO — As counties within Illinois begin falling under the umbrella of "substantial transmission" set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and prevention, restaurantgoers could be required to wear facial coverings while dining inside again.

While there is no government mandate, public health departments across Illinois have been slowly gearing up to the idea since Monday, as multiple counties — including Cook, Will, DuPage and McHenry — are seeing "substantial" COVID-19 transmission. The CDC released recommendations Tuesday that people in areas with rising case numbers, regardless of vaccination status, wear a mask when outside their homes. The CDC also recommended teachers and students in K-12 schools wear masks during the school day.

In a New York Times interview, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she'd consider bringing back the mask mandate for the City of Chicago if the COVID-19 cases consistently hit 200 per day.

Illinois Restaurant Association CEO & President Sam Toia told Eater he wasn't surprised to hear that, but said he doesn't anticipate the mandate to begin any earlier than next week.

At a news conference Tuesday, Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Awardy said she expected that the city would go beyond the 200-mark "within the next few days."

"We have constant communication with the city and the state," Toia told Eater. "I'm confident we'll be able to keep things under control."

According to Toia, Chicago bar owners have been taking note from other major cities on how to handle unvaccinated customers. He said owners have come up with incentives to increase vaccinated patrons at their venues, an initiative helped by Illinois' "Shot and a Beer" legislation passed last month.

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Restaurants across the state are still allowed to make their own rules regarding vaccination status, but many are waiting on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to officially take action before digging out the "mask required" signs again. Toia told Eater he worries the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, a fund started to help restaurant owners at the start of the pandemic, has run dry. If mask mandates deter customers from eating out, Toia said applicants will need the federal aid.

As of Friday, about 56.3 percent of Illinoisans above the age of 12 were fully vaccinated.