City Issues Statement On On IDPH Region 2 Mitigations

Press release from the City of Peoria:

Restrictions from the State to be Effective Wednesday, November 4

November 2, 2020 (Peoria, IL) By Executive Order of the Governor of Illinois, the City of Peoria, as part of Region 2 of the Governor’s Restore Illinois plan, will go into Tier 1 mitigations beginning Wednesday, November 4.

These mitigations include, limiting the hours of operation to bars and restaurants, halting indoor service to bars and restaurants, and limiting gatherings to 25 people or 25%, whichever number is smaller. The State is asking for voluntary compliance from business owners. Our region continues to see record numbers of positive cases. Taking the proper suggested precautions can not only protect your patrons, but your actions can also assist in lowering our numbers so mitigations will be removed. According to the State, failure to comply could result in further spread of COVID-19, resulting in longer time in Tier 1 restriction.

The City continues to urge businesses to follow the guidance of mandatory face coverings, physical distancing, and other mitigations as noted from IPDH.
“We recognize that some people in our community feel that these new mitigations are unreasonable, but we encourage all our residents to do their part,” said City Manager Patrick Urich. “If we take the guidance now to help protect each other and businesses, then hopefully we will see case counts decline, which could indicate that we would be done with these restrictions for now.”

Mayor Jim Ardis stated, “No Mayor in the state has the authority to override the Governor’s Executive Order (EO) unless the Court decides otherwise. We shouldn’t give businesses a false sense of security that the State won’t come in and enforce the Governor’s EO and potentially revoke their liquor and gaming licenses.” Ardis continued, “We must encourage our community to do their part to not overburden our hospital capacity. With that said, the City of Peoria Police don’t have the resources to actively enforce the Governor’s EO as a priority over crime.” Ardis said he’s not aware of anyone being forced to enter a bar/restaurant where they aren’t comfortable and understands the serious dilemma local businesses find themselves in to ensure their businesses survive this crisis.

The City will continue to cooperate with the Peoria City/County Health Department to address these issues on a complaint-driven basis. Compliance with the mitigation measures is the fastest way to return to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan.

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This press release was produced by the City of Peoria. The views expressed here are the author’s own.