Governor, IDPH to Announce Restrictions for Region 6

Plans to order bars and restaurants in Region 6 to close indoor service effective Monday morning were delivered by officials at the Illinois Department of Public Health to state lawmakers and the Pritzker administration, according to sources briefed on a Friday morning Coronavirus update call.

Region 6 includes the Counties of Champaign, Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Dewitt, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Iroquois, Jasper, Lawrence, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt, Richland, Shelby, and Vermilion Counties. Which includes the cities of Effingham, Vandalia, Olney, Champaign, Decatur, and Danville. 

It is expected that Region 6 will go under COVID 19 mitigation plan beginning Monday, November 2 that will include the following:

Bars 

**No indoor service 

**All outside bar service closes at 11:00 p.m. 

**All bar patrons should be seated at tables outside 

**No ordering, seating, or congregating at bar (bar stools should be removed)  

**Tables should be 6 feet apart  

**No standing or congregating indoors or outdoors while waiting for a table or exiting 

**No dancing or standing indoors 

**Reservations required for each party 

**No seating of multiple parties at one table 

Restaurants 

**No indoor dining or bar service 

**All outdoor dining closes at 11:00 p.m. 

**Outside dining tables should be 6 feet apart 

**No standing or congregating indoors or outdoors while waiting for a table or exiting 

**Reservations required for each party  

**No seating of multiple parties at one table

Meetings, Social Events, Gatherings  Limited to lesser of 25 guests or 25 percent of overall room capacity.

No party buses. 

Gaming and Casinos close at 11:00 p.m., are limited to 25 percent capacity, and follow mitigations for bars and restaurants, if applicable. 

These mitigations do not apply to schools or polling places.

Effingham City Administrator Steve Miller informed us that places that had tent permits previously could again set up tents as the permits were good through the end of the year. He also stated that Illinois State Police, not local authorities, would be handling enforcement of violation of the mitigation standards.  Any citations would be turned over to the States Attorney's Office.

Norma Lansing, President of the Effingham County Chamber of Commerce expressed concern stating she "believes that the Governor is wrong and going after the wrong people." she expressed "Some local businesses were able to deal with this in warm weather but will not be able to manage at this time."  Lansing is fearful that this could cause the end for local businesses that we have enjoyed until now.

 The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 6,943 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 36 additional deaths.