Gov. JB Pritzker on Sunday released new guidelines for businesses — everything from restaurants to factories to fitness centers — as they prepare to reopen when the governor’s stay-at-home order expires May 29.
Each of the four regions of Illinois are on track to meet the metrics Pritzker established for moving to Phase Three of his Restore Illinois plan by Friday.
Read more: All of WBEZ’s coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak in Chicago and the region
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said last week that Chicago may not necessarily follow the state’s timeline for easing restrictions, but said the city would be releasing additional guidance for restaurants soon.
The state guidelines released Sunday, as well as “toolkits” that include signage, training checklists and other resources, are on a state government website.
The guidelines are long and get granular, but here are highlights for some businesses:
Bars and restaurants:
Dining and drinking should, for the time being, be outdoor only.
Groups should be no more than six people.
Waiting areas and other places where people can congregate should be closed.
Self-service areas such as buffets, salad bars and drink dispensers should be closed.
Use disposable silverware or rolled silverware or silverware placed in sleeves.
Use disposable or touchless menus, or use menus that can be sanitized after each use.
Live music is allowed, but performers and customers should practice social distancing.
More details here.
Offices:
Maintain occupancy at 50% of capacity.
People should continue to work from home if they can.
Limit elevator capacity so there’s six-foot social distancing.
Have six-foot spacing between workstations or install an “impermeable barrier” between workstations.
Avoid seating workers facing each other.
Have a clean desk policy (no personal items) so they’re easier to sanitize.
Turn off or cover water fountains, except for touchless water bottle refill stations.
Sanitize vending machines after every use.
More details here.
Factories:
Workstations should be six feet apart, or install barriers between workstations.
Minimize the use of shared work materials like tools and equipment.
Eliminate worker rotations, “if practical.”
Stagger the start and end times of shifts to minimize workers crowding during changeovers
Keep people on a single station each day.
More details here.
Retail:
Maintain store occupancy at 50% of capacity, or five customers per 1,000 square feet.
Display signs to require face masks and social distancing.
Install barriers between cashiers and customers.
Have visual markers six feet apart for customer lines.
Try to maintain “touchless transactions.”
More details here.
Health and fitness centers (includes gyms, yoga, dance, cycling, pilates, etc):
Centers should keep their occupancy to 50% at any given time, or five people per 1,000 square feet.
Classes should have 10-foot social distancing, and groups no larger than 10 people.
Contact activities aren’t allowed.
Centers should space workout stations 10 feet apart, or six feet apart with barriers.
Saunas, hot tubs, steam rooms and child care areas should be closed.
Social distancing should be observed in locker rooms and showers.
Turn off or cover water fountains, except for touchless water bottle refill stations.
More details here.
Personal care services (includes hair salons, barbershops, nail salons, spas and tattoo parlors):
Reservations only. No walk-ins.
Maintain store occupancy at 50% of capacity, or five customers per 1,000 square feet.
Configure workspace to maintain six feet of social distancing.
Before letting a customer come in, ask if he or she has any COVID-19 symptoms. Take their temperature, “if practical.”
Workers and customers should wear face coverings.
Keep massages and other body treatments to 30 minutes or less.
Remove shared items like magazines.
No beverage services.
Surfaces in customer waiting areas, including seats, should be disinfected after each use.
More details here.
