Back to Work: Governor Pritzker Announces the Restore Illinois Reopening Plan

On Tuesday, May 5, Governor J.B. Pritzker announced a reopening plan for the state of Illinois. The Restore Illinois plan is divided into five phases, with the first two phases reflecting the restrictions imposed by the stay-at-home orders and the three subsequent phases pertaining to gradual reopening. Gov. Pritzker noted that the state is currently in Phase Two, which corresponds to the stay-at-home order modification that was issued on April 30. Because the stay-at-home order is set to expire on May 29, the earliest a transition to Phase Three could take place is May 30 unless the order is modified further. Before moving on to each subsequent phase, regions must meet certain health care metrics focused on case numbers, testing capacity, and contact tracing capacity.

The following chart provides a summary of each of the five phases:

Importantly, the Restore Illinois plan divides the state into the four regions shown below, each of which will proceed through the Phases independently based on the ability of each region to meet the health care gating requirements. 

(illinois.gov)

Businesses in Illinois should identify which Phase will allow them to reopen, and prepare to implement the required safety precautions in anticipation of reopening.  We are actively tracking the Restore Illinois Plan on a real time basis, as well as all of the similar orders rolling out across the country, so please contact the COVID-19 Shutdown Team if you have any questions about your business in Illinois or elsewhere.