CHICAGO – Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) today reaffirmed that Chicago will transition to phase three of the “Protecting Chicago” framework and will begin cautiously reopening on Wednesday, June 3. City of Chicago services that had been closed to the public including parks, facilities and libraries will begin reopening on Monday, June 8. In light of recent events in Chicago, the City will increase support services to business and community organizations to provide assistance in stabilization and reopening.

“Chicago’s ready to take the next step in safely reopening, and not a moment too soon,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “We need our businesses up and running, and our employees back at work. Not just for their sake or for the life of our local economies, but for the sense of community they bring, and the familiar, friendly faces that make up our daily lives. This transition stands as a key moment in our city's long road forward toward recovery and growth, as well as healing and hope.”

To help support businesses that have been impacted by the recent events in Chicago, the City is working directly with local chambers of commerce and business service organizations in impacted communities. This direct line of communication between the City and over 100 business organizations will allow City departments to target clean up and board-up services quickly and efficiently and will give the City’s public safety departments the tools they need to identify hot spots and take appropriate action. Businesses should call 3-1-1 or contact their local chamber with requests for support.

“Our businesses have faced incredible challenges over the past few days on top of the preceding ten weeks,” said Rosa Escareno, BACP Commissioner. “Despite those trials, I am confident that our business community will recover and I am optimistic about the future. Together, we are ready to reopen with proper safeguards in place.”

Businesses or organizations with specific questions as they relate to their reopening in Chicago should reach out to 3-1-1. BACP will continue hosting a series of webinars to prepare Chicago's businesses for reopening under phase three of the “Protecting Chicago” framework. For more information and to register for a webinar, click here.

To allow businesses and organizations to prepare for the reopening, Mayor Lightfoot, in partnership with CDPH, industry leaders, labor leaders, and public officials from around Chicago, on May 26 released industry-specific guidelines for businesses, employees, and customers to follow as they begin to safely reopen on June 3. Specific guidelines are currently available for childcare, commercial buildings, residential buildings, hotels and accommodations, food service, retail, personal services, health and fitness clubs, manufacturing, construction, warehousing, healthcare, CTA, taxi and ride hail, and parks and outdoor attractions.  Specific guidelines for sporting events, religious services, outdoor performances, summer programs and youth activities, the Lakefront, and museums will be available later in phase three when those entities are predicted to begin reopening.

“We have now met all the health data metrics to advance to phase three, and while that’s definitely exciting, we absolutely must remain vigilant,” said CDPH Commissioner Allison Arwady, M.D. “Some of the modeling we’re looking at shows that if people get careless and stop taking the proper precautions we could see a resurgence as soon as July, and I know none of us wants that.”   

Cautiously reopening in phase three will still require strict physical distancing but will begin to allow for some industries to start reopening. Regardless of industry reopening plans, all residents should continue to abide by important guidance in phase three, including: physically distancing and wearing a face covering; limiting non-business, social gatherings to <10 persons; staying at home if you feel ill or have come into contact with someone with COVID-19; and getting tested if you have symptoms. The city has met all of the data metrics established to move from phase two to three:

• Declining number of new COVID-19 cases, based on incidence and/or percent positivity. These declines are seen across racial groups.
• Stable or declining rates of cases resulting in hospitalization, ICU admission, and/or death.
• Declining emergency department visits for influenza-like illness and/or COVID-like illness.
• Hospital capacity stable citywide.
• Performing at least 4,500 tests per day.
• A percent positivity rate (the percentage of people tested who are positive) of less than 15% in community settings and less than 30% in congregate settings.
• Expanded system in development for congregate and community investigations and contact tracing.

Last week, the City launched a recovery survey to better ascertain what is most important to residents as the Economic Recovery Taskforce determines plans for moving Chicago beyond COVID-19: http://www.chicago.gov/coronavirus/recoverysurvey.

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