Moving Again: Downstate Illinois moves into Phase 4 of COVID-19 mitigations

(WSIL) -- The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has moved Regions 3 and 5 into Phase 4 of the .

This change comes just days after Region 5 moved to Tier 1 of Phase 3 of the plan which allowed limited indoor dining and bar service.

IDPH made the change after the state of Illinois worked to boost staffing at hospitals across the state.

According to a release from IDPH:

To address capacity issues reported by Illinois hospitals, IDPH, in partnership with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), has launched a surge staffing program. The program leverages the state’s larger contracting power to engage multiple staffing vendors and create access to a talent pool at greater scale than any individual hospital could achieve. Hospitals with rooms available to increase capacity but lacking the personnel to staff their beds may partner with the state to procure the staff they need. Hospitals that create orders will enter into a contract with the state to access this new staffing pool.

“Hospital leaders have made clear the importance of staffing in their continued response to this pandemic and conveyed that staffing contracts will be extraordinarily valuable in their ability to meet the needs of their communities,�� said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “We are pleased to see most of our regions move out of Tier 3 mitigations with this change, and it is critical that we maintain this progress. With new variants of COVID-19 spreading, it is more important than ever to follow the public health guidance that keeps people safe �� wear and mask and watch your distance.��

With this surge staffing program, IDPH and hospital leaders feel confident that metrics can safely move away from utilizing medical/surgical bed limits to move across mitigation tiers, allowing more regions to advance.

What does Phase 4 entail?

Gatherings: All gatherings of 50 people or fewer are allowed with this limit subject to change based on latest data & guidance

Travel: Travel should follow IDPH and CDC approved guidance

Health care: All health care providers are open

Education and child care: P-12 schools, higher education, all summer programs, and child care open with IDPH approved safety guidance

Outdoor recreation: All outdoor recreation allowed

Businesses:

Manufacturing: All manufacturing open with IDPH approved safety guidance
“Non-essential�� businesses: All employees return to work with IDPH approved safety guidance; Employers are encouraged to provide accommodations for COVID-19-vulnerable employees
Bars and restaurants: Open with capacity limits and IDPH approved safety guidance
Personal care services and health clubs: All barbershops, salons, spas and health and fitness clubs open with capacity limits and IDPH approved safety guidance
Entertainment: Cinema and theaters open with capacity limits and IDPH approved safety guidance
Retail: Open with capacity limits and IDPH approved safety guidance

You can see a full breakdown .

Restaurants can now allow ten people to eat at each table under Phase 4.

Businesses can learn more about how Phase 4 will impact them .