The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is working with health care and community partners to increase the ability to quickly distribute a large amount of COVID-19 vaccine, as it becomes available. CDPH will follow federal guidelines for distributing the vaccine, currently the phases are as follows:
- Phase 1a: Health care personnel and long-term care facility residents
- Phase 1b (CURRENT): Frontline essential workers, persons aged ≥75 years, and then persons aged 65–74 years
- Phase 1c: Persons aged 16–64 years with high-risk medical conditions and essential workers not recommended for vaccination in Phase 1b
- Phase 2: All persons aged ≥16 years not previously recommended for vaccination
Supplies will increase over time, and it is anticipated all adults should be able to get vaccinated later in 2021. As the vaccine supplies increases, COVID-19 vaccine will be available through additional vaccination providers, including doctors’ offices, retail pharmacies, hospitals, and federally qualified health centers.
Effective Friday, January 15, 2021, the Emergency Travel Order has been modified. Under the new system, states are categorized as Yellow or Orange. Requirements for visitors and Chicago residents who travel to or from each state are listed here.
This includes both Chicago residents returning from travel to a designated state, and travelers arriving in Chicago from a designated state. The list is updated weekly.
Emergency Coronavirus Relief Act of 2020
Congress passed legislation in December 2020 that provides critical funding and relief as well as extending several provisions of the CARES Act, which is outlined below.
Review details of the legislative package and read the bill in full.
Illinois and the City of Chicago are in Phase 4: Gradually Resume with no mitigation measures in place.
- Indoor dining can resume at lesser of 50 people or 50% capacity
- Food must be available at all times in order to offer indoor service.
- Table size is limited to 6
- Bar seating is allowed with a distance of 6 feet between patrons
- Meetings and events limited to 50 guests or 2550% capacity, whichever is fewer (both indoors and outdoors)
- This capacity limit covers banquet halls, weddings, birthday parties, business dinners/social events, and private outdoor gatherings like a potluck
- Other businesses, such as fitness clubs, personal services, retail stores, movie theaters, indoor recreation facilities and performance venues can still operate under existing guidelines, typically at 50% capacity or 50 people, whichever is fewer.
To learn more about the new State-imposed mitigation measures, click here for an overview and here for an FAQ from the State of Illinois.
View the official health order from the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Restore Illinois is a five-phased plan to reopen our state, guided by health metrics and with distinct business, education, and recreation activities characterizing each phase.
This is an initial framework that will likely be updated as research and science develop and as the potential for treatments or vaccines is realized.
After weeks of data and trend analysis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) released updated guidelines at the Individual, Family, and Multi-Family Residence levels to ensure they are doing all that we can to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
Anyone with coronavirus symptoms can now get tested in Illinois.
The state will post a full list of test sites to it's COVID-19 response page.
Here are additional resources from our city and state partners:
- Governor Pritzker started the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund to support nonprofits and other groups that work with "those hit hardest by COVID-19," providing emergency food and basic supplies, interim housing, health care services, assisting with utility costs and supporting children and families.
- Governor Pritzker is directing healthy citizens to a state website to match their skills with organizations that work with the homeless or seniors, or deliver meals.
