Could Cook County Restaurants Face Tougher COVID-19 Restrictions Again?

Surging COVID-19 cases could prompt another ban on indoor dining in Chicago suburbs, health experts say.

During a news conference Sunday (April 4), Dr. Rachel Rubin of the Cook County Department of Public Health said the rise in COVID-19 cases could prompt officials to “clamp down within a matter of days.”

If officials opt for another ban on indoor dining at local restaurants, that would mark the third time a ban has been in place in the suburbs since March 2020, when the pandemic started, Eater Chicago noted on Monday (April 5).

Pat Fowler, of the Firehouse Grill around Evanston, told WGN 9 that it was “great” to see customers enjoying the restaurant’s patio recently. The looming possibility of further restrictions is “always disappointing…but for us, the health and safety of our employees and our customers is the most important thing to me. So, if that’s what we need to do to put an end to this pandemic, we’re more than happy to do it.”

Others in the restaurant industry shared similar sentiments with local news outlets. 

Chef Sarah Stegner of the Prairie Grass Café in Northbrook, told CBS Chicago that restrictions on restaurants are “not popular. But if we would just do it, and reopen, everybody would be better off.”

The Cook County Department of Public Health has tracked more than 227,000 confirmed cases as of Wednesday (April 7), the latest data available. Cook County is at a weekly case rate of 157 per 100,000 residents, and a 5.7% positivity rate in the last week.

Cook County officials had not made a decision as of around midday Wednesday. Rubin said officials are evaluating COVID-19 data daily.

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