This week in Gurnee, Timothy O’Toole, Stevens and Kaiser’s Pizza and Pub joined The Shanty in neighboring Wadsworth to announce the move to Facebook.
The coalition promises what it calls a responsible indoor experience, with 25% reduced capacity, socially remote, which affects the level 3 mitigation rules required by the state.
In its online statement, the group said in part, “Our teams have been sacrificed a lot since March with two complete internal shutdowns.”
They go on to say that the four restaurants “… have great respect for the security approach that each of our businesses have taken from the beginning.”
Nearby Riverside Cafe owner Paola Smith said she also received customers indoors, up to 25% capacity, as of Friday, encouraged by the decision of the rest of the local businesses.
This coalition said it has contacted health officials to share their plans.
In a statement, the Illinois Department of Public Health did not specifically address the companies’ decision, but said, “Lake County does not meet the metrics to return to previous levels.”
The Lake County Health Department said it was “aware” that some restaurants were scheduled to reopen Friday.
“Our policy has been and will continue to be that when we are informed that restaurants are violating mitigation restrictions, we will contact them and, if they decide to continue serving indoors, they will be issued a subpoena for having violated the Lake County Public Harassment Ordinance by creating or allowing conditions that are potentially harmful to the health of Lake County residents, “the department said in a statement.
All of this is happening like other Illinois counties prepare to exit level 3 mitigations.
For now, Chicago is not part of that group, but the city’s mayoress also expresses her support for easing restrictions on the city’s restaurants.
“I feel very strong that we are very close to a point where we should talk about opening bars and restaurants,” said Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Read the full Lake County statement here:
“The Lake County Department of Health is aware that some county restaurants intend to open covered food on January 15, 2021. According to the Governor’s Executive Order, covered food is still prohibited in Lake County. Our policy has been and will continue to be that when we are informed that restaurants are violating mitigation restrictions, we will contact them and, if they choose to continue serving indoors, they will be issued a subpoena for having violated the Lake County Public Safety Ordinance by creating or allowing conditions that are potentially detrimental to the health of Lake County residents.Fines may be assessed for such violations.Other enforcement action may also be taken if there is evidence that COVID-19 has been transmitted or is likely to occur in a restaurant if no immediate action is taken. “
The Illinois Restaurant Association also issued a statement saying:
“We appreciate the dialogue with Governor Pritzker and his team. While it helps every step toward reopening, today’s announcement does not meet the critical needs and expectations of the restaurant industry. As mentioned, restaurants in all regions of our state will remain closed for food inland until they reach level 1, which increases rising debt, devastating job losses and business closures. Level 1 regions that can offer limited covered meals can only do so with a capacity of less than twenty-five percent, or a total of 25 guests per room.No restaurant can exceed this volume, let alone hire members As one of the most regulated safety and health industries, and with improved measures introduced during COVID-19, Illinois restaurants know how to protect the well-being of their guests and team members. They are ca. peace of mind to serve guests more confidently than the state will currently allow and need more to survive this crisis. On behalf of the nearly 100,000 workers in the catering industry who lost their jobs between February and November, we urge the state to review this strategy and rely more on the industry that has so long served as the largest employer in the restaurant industry. Illinois private sector. The IRA will continue to push for more pragmatic reopening regulations, as well as greater support and relief for Illinois restaurants and hospitality companies. “
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