Oak Park joins state, county in easing COVID-19 restrictions

June 11, 2021 – The Village of Oak Park is joining the rest of Cook County in reopening most aspects of the local economy as the state moves into Phase 5 of the Restore Illinois plan.

In an official order released today, the Oak Park Department of Public Health announced it is removing capacity limits and most restrictions that have been in place for more than a year to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

Phase 5 guidance does include some circumstances and settings where all individuals, including those who are fully vaccinated, must continue to wear a mask in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Oak Park, all individuals over the age of two who can medically tolerate a face covering are required to be masked in nursing homes, long-term care facilities, shelters, congregate settings and in Village municipal buildings, as well as on planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation, including stations and hubs.

Although people who are fully vaccinated are not required to wear a face covering under most circumstances, public health officials are asking businesses and venues to be supportive of customers and employees who choose to wear a face covering.

Local public health officials also say children under 12 should remain masked indoors beyond their own households and in crowded outdoor settings since they are not yet eligible for vaccination and remain at risk for contracting and spreading the highly-contagious COVID-19 virus.

As of June 9 some 27,197 residents had been vaccinated, which is about 52 percent of all residents of any age and 57 percent of those 12 years old and older, according to the Public Health Department.

The new state Phase 5 safety guidance and procedures for businesses and venues to resume normal operations include the following: 

• Face coverings and social distancing are not required in either indoor or outdoor settings where everyone present is fully vaccinated. 
• Persons not fully vaccinated should wear face coverings and maintain six-feet social distancing indoors beyond their own households and in crowded outdoor settings. 
• Businesses and venues may continue requiring face coverings and social distancing as they deem appropriate. 
• Persons not fully vaccinated may choose not to wear a face covering when able to maintain a six-foot social distance at outdoor businesses and venues, unless required to do so by the business or venue. 

Persons who are not fully vaccinated should continue to wear face coverings in crowded settings, both indoors and outdoors, especially when youth are present.

Officials also recommend that persons who are immunocompromised continue to wear a face covering when in settings where others may not be fully vaccinated.

Should a surge in COVID-19 cases lead to more hospital admissions, reduced ICU bed availability or more deaths, Oak Park and the rest of the region could revert to a previous phase, officials say.

For more information about Oak Park’s COVID-19 response, visit www.oak-park.us/covid19.