The Briefing Room
State Chapters => Illinois => Topic started by: libertybele on January 17, 2021, 01:42:29 am
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4 Ill. restaurants defy state indoor dining ban and reopen
- Four Lake County restaurants are planning to welcome back customers Friday for indoor dining against state orders, part of a growing trend in the Chicago area.
In Gurnee this week, Timothy O'Toole's, Stevens', and Kaiser's Pizza and Pub joined The Shanty in neighboring Wadsworth to announce the move on Facebook.
The coalition is pledging what it calls a responsible, 25% reduced capacity, socially-distant indoor experience, which runs afoul of state-mandated Tier 3 mitigation rules.
In its online statement, the group said in part, "Our teams have sacrificed a lot since March with two full indoor shutdowns."
They go on to say all four restaurants "... have great respect for the safety-first approach each of our businesses have taken from the very beginning."
Nearby Riverside Cafe's Owner Paola Smith said she's also welcoming back customers inside, up to 25% capacity, starting Friday, encouraged by the other local businesses' decision.
That coalition said it has reached out to health officials to share its plans.
In a statement, the Illinois Department of Public Health did not specifically address the businesses' decision but said, "Lake County does not meet the metrics to return to previous tiers."
The Lake County Health Department said it was "aware" some restaurants planned to reopen Friday.
"Our policy has been and will continue to be that when we are made aware of restaurants violating the mitigation restrictions, we will contact them and if they choose to continue serving indoors, they will be issued a citation for violating the Lake County Public Nuisance Ordinance by creating or allowing conditions that are potentially detrimental to the health of the inhabitants of Lake County," the department said in a statement.
All of this comes as some other Illinois counties prepare to move out of Tier 3 mitigations.
For now, Chicago is not among that group, but the city's mayor is voicing her support for relaxing restrictions on city restaurants, too.
"I feel very strongly that we are very close to a point where we should be talking about opening up bars and restaurants," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said...........
https://abc7chicago.com/covid-illinois-covid-19-restrictions-coronavirus/9687202/