It’s not exactly shutting down casinos again, but Illinois is tightening its belt again in response to rising COVID-19 cases. Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced on Tuesday that extra mitigation efforts – some that affect casinos – have gone into effect in the area just outside St. Louis.
As part of the state’s efforts to track virus outbreaks and statistics, Illinois was divided into 11 regions. Region 4, called Metro East, reported three straight days of a test positivity rate of at least 8 percent. This unfortunate milestone triggered additional restrictions to try to stop the spread of the deadly virus.
One of these restrictions is that casinos, as well as bars and restaurants, must close by 11:00pm. Party buses must also halt services and gatherings must be smaller than 25 people or under 25 percent of a venue’s capacity, whichever is lower.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, I have made it clear that neither arbitrary dates on a calendar nor political pressure will dictate Illinois’ efforts to protect our people,” said Governor Pritzker in a press release. “If the data shows we need to go backwards in our reopening, I won’t hesitate to tighten restrictions to protect our collective health.”
IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike added: “Region 4 is the first of the 11 regions to reach resurgence criteria, but we hope it will be the last.”
The new 11:00pm closing time for casinos is not arbitrary. St. Louis has implemented the same closing time for its own bars, restaurants, and gaming venues, so Metro East naturally had to match it, lest it see an influx of people coming across the border. Metro East is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical area, despite being in Illinois and not Missouri.
Mitigation measures can be relaxed, shifting back to Phase 4 under the Restore Illinois Plan, if the testing positivity rate is equal to or less than 6.5 percent for a 14-day period.
Illinois casinos were permitted to reopen at the beginning of July. As is the case with most casinos around the country, loads of health and safety protocols have been required, including face coverings for all employees and guests, reduced seating at gaming tables, and property capacities of no more than 50%.
The question now, of course, is whether or not making a couple casinos in the east St. Louis suburbs close by 11:00pm will do anything. People will still be going to casinos, just not overnight. And it’s not like the 3:00am hour is the busiest time at a casino. But it’s something and that’s more than can be said about some places in this country during the pandemic. At least it’s something.
