CHICAGO — Gov. J.B. Pritzker has set Apr. 12 as the date all Illinoisans 16 and older will be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Additionally, there will be a “bridge phase” between Phase Four and Phase Five of Restore Illinois.
To advance into the bridge phase, 70% of residents 65 and over must receive at least one shot. Additionally, the state must maintain a 20% or higher intensive care bed availability rate, and also must hold steady on the virus and virus-like illness hospital admissions, mortality rate, and case rate over a 28-day monitoring period.
Pritzker said 58% of the 65+ population as of Thursday had received at least one dose of the vaccine.
In this transitional period, dining facilities may have 30% capacity indoors and 50% outdoors.
Gyms, offices, personal care facilities, and retail outlets will be able to have 60% capacity.
Once 50% of residents 16 and older have been vaccinated and stable or declining COVID-19 metrics are recorded during a 28-day monitoring period, Phase Five will be implemented, removing capacity limits altogether.
The rate of 16+ residents as of Thursday’s news conference who had received at least one dose of the vaccine was 28%.
Pritzker said mask mandates will be lifted once the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s okay to do so.
“Masks have been one of our best ways to reduce risk in this pandemic, and we won’t be foolish in throwing away our best weapon heading into the last lap of this,” said Pritzker.
“We absolutely will not have any mask burning parties,” said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Illinois Department of Public Health Director.
“I’m so proud of the people of Illinois. They know how precious this life-saving resource is.
“As the CDC has indicated, if you have individuals who have all been vaccinated in a home setting, you can loosen those regulations.”
Ezike said all three COVID vaccinations approved in the country have been effective in preventing hospitalization and death.
