- Effective May 14, 2021, Illinois will enter the bridge phase of reopening; seated areas will be unchanged throughout the bridge phase, with the 6-feet limit remaining in effect and masks being required. On the other hand, standing areas, such as bars, will see increases in capacity. Outdoor areas will be allowed to have half capacity, while indoor areas will see an increase to 30% capacity. The limit had been set at 25% during Phase 4.
- All of Illinois moved into Phase 4 on February 4, the least-strict level before the economy is allowed to reopen completely. In Phase 4, indoor service at bars can resume, with an occupancy limit of 25% or 25 people, and only six people can be at a table at a time. Bars and restaurants must stop serving alcohol at 11 p.m. and must be closed by midnight.
- After placing all of the state in Tier 3 in November 2020, the Governor announced that regions meeting certain benchmarks may transition to looser Tier 2 or Tier 1 restrictions. For regions still in Tier 3, restaurants and bars must close between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. and cannot offer indoor service. Outdoor dining is permitted, but reservations are required, tables must be spaced six feet apart, and there is a six-person party limit.
- On November 20 the state expanded restrictions; restaurants and bars must close between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. and cannot offer indoor service. Outdoor dining is permitted, but reservations are required, tables must be spaced 6 feet apart, and party size is limited to six people. Individual establishments determine a suitable capacity limit that adheres to safety requirements. These restrictions were extended until February 6.
- As of November 8, the Governor mandated that region 3 must again halt indoor dining services and that crowds of more than 25 people are no longer allowed. This region includes much of western-central Illinois.
- When taking reservations and seating walk-in customers, restaurants are encouraged to obtain an email or phone number for contact tracing if needed.
- Patrons are required to wear a face-covering when not actively eating or drinking.
- Standing areas have a maximum occupancy of 25%, and high-contact areas such as buffets and self-service drink stations are permissible with additional precautions.
- Illinois divides the state into four regions, with reopening phases for each keyed to COVID-19 test positivity rate, ICU bed availability, and other metrics.
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