Illinois Governor Orders All Restaurants and Bars Closed for Two Weeks
Delivery, carry out, and curbside service will still be available
by Ashok Selvam@Shokdiesel Mar 15, 2020, 3:55pm CDT
After seeing St. Patrick’s Day revelers on Saturday ignore social distancing protocols, Governor J.B. Pritzker has ordered all restaurant and bar owners to close for two weeks. Delivery, carry out, and curbside service will still be allowed, but customers won’t be allowed in dining rooms or bars from the end of business on Monday through March 30.
Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot both expressed disappointment with Chicagoans and others who contributed to the party scene on Saturday. The city cancelled many St. Patrick’s Day-related events, including its annual green dyeing of the Chicago River. While bars weren’t as packed as other years, there were still lines around downtown blocks. Saturday’s events convinced Pritzker that people weren’t taking the virus seriously and they needed to take serious action. Pritzker knows some will take this as an overreaction, and he’s OK with it, he said the step was needed to save lives: “This isn’t a joke, no one is immune to this,†Pritzker said.
Earlier in the day, Lightfoot demanded bars and restaurant owners restrict the number of people inside their establishments to half their capacities, capping that number to 100 to reduce the virus’s spread. Now, the city and state have taken a more drastic step. Lightfoot warned operators to not take the closure lightly and that the city would be enforcing the two-week closure.
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https://chicago.eater.com/2020/3/15/21180768/illinois-restaurants-closed-bars-governor-pritzker-coronavirus
