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Just five weeks to normal? Pritzker to lift more COVID-19 restrictions next week — and says state could fully reopen June 11Mitchell Armentrouton May 6, 2021 at 7:19 pm

Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks with supporters Tuesday after announcing the return of the Chicago Auto Show. Illinois is on pace to advance to the “bridge phase” of Pritzker’s reopening plan. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

Illinois is poised to advance to the “bridge phase” of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan, which would allow for higher capacities at some large venues and events. Barring another spike in cases, the state could fully reopen next month.

Improving coronavirus infections numbers mean Illinois will see more business restrictions lifted next week — and barring another case surge, the state will fully reopen June 11, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday.

The governor confirmed the state will advance to the “bridge phase” of his reopening plan May 14, as COVID-19 cases have fallen to their lowest levels in about six weeks.

And as long as residents follow basic COVID-19 precautions, keep signing up for vaccinations and stave off another spike in infections, it’ll be back to business as usual statewide four weeks after that, Pritzker said during a Loop news conference.

The governor said “the light that we can see at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter and brighter,” but tempered the optimism of a return to normal life 15 months after COVID-19 first turned life upside down.

“This good news comes with a caveat. We have all seen throughout this pandemic that this virus and its variants have proven to be unpredictable,” Pritzker said. “Metrics that look strong today are far from a guarantee of how things will look a week, two weeks, a month from now. We saw that last August and again, last March.

“We have to make sure that we don’t see another surge in the virus,” he said. “And the best way to do that is for everyone to get vaccinated.”

With the latest 99,599 COVID-19 shots that went into Illinois arms Wednesday, more than a third of the state population is now fully vaccinated. More than 60% have gotten at least one dose, and that rate is up to 85% for seniors.

Officials also reported 1,778 more residents were confirmed to carry the virus among the latest 96,296 tests processed by the Illinois Department of Public Health, lowering the average statewide positivity rate to 3%. That figure hasn’t been lower since March 27.

Those numbers, combined with declining COVID-19 hospital admissions, put the state in position to advance to the “bridge phase,” which allows for higher capacities at some large venues and events. Illinois had been set to get to the bridge phase in mid-March until a rise in cases threw the state off track.

New COVID-19 cases by day

Graphic by Jesse Howe and Caroline Hurley | Sun-Times

Source: Illinois Department of Public Health

Graph not displaying properly? Click here.

The intermediate stage devised by Pritzker’s office before a full reopening allows museums, amusement parks and zoos to increase capacity from 25% to 60%. Additionally, festivals and general admission outdoor events will be able to seat 30 people per 1,000 square feet. Meetings, conferences and conventions will see their capacity limit increase to either 1,000 people or 60% — whichever is less — with the same applying to theaters and performing arts venues.

Earlier in the week, the governor declined to say when he might allow Illinois to fully reopen, but now the rest of the state is on pace to see restrictions lifted several weeks ahead of the July 4 target that Mayor Lori Lightfoot set for Chicago.

Still, Pritzker stressed it might not happen if people don’t keep signing up for shots. The state is now averaging just 70,063 shots given per day over the past week, a rate that has fallen almost in half since April 12.

“Folks, this pandemic is not over. But if we’re going to truly end it, we have to make sure that we don’t see another surge in the virus, and the best way to do that is for everyone to get vaccinated,” he said.

And despite the progress, the virus is still causing grief across the state. Officials reported 40 more COVID-19 deaths, including a man in his 30s from McLean County in central Illinois. The state’s death toll is up to 22,136 among more than 1.3 million residents who have tested positive over the past 14 months.

Vaccines are free and readily available on a walk-up basis at government-run mass vaccination sites as well as many Walgreens, Walmart and CVS pharmacies.

For help finding an appointment in Chicago, visit zocdoc.com or call (312) 746-4835.

For suburban Cook County sites, visit vaccine.cookcountyil.gov or call (833) 308-1988.

To find providers elsewhere, visit coronavirus.illinois.gov or call (833) 621-1284.

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