Chicago bars won't be allowed to serve alcohol indoors starting Friday, Lightfoot announces

CHICAGO - Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she will tighten restrictions for bars, restaurants and gyms as a "precautionary move" after a surge of COVID-19 cases locally and around the country.

Starting Friday, bars and breweries not serving food can’t offer indoor service. Groups at restaurants and bars will be capped at six people, indoor fitness classes will be limited to 10 people and personal services requiring the removal of a mask, like facials, won’t be allowed.

The regulations come weeks after Chicago entered Phase 4 of its reopening plan.

“We have made so much progress here in Chicago in containing the spread of the virus, protecting our health system and saving lives, and in general, the virus remains under control locally. But we are again seeing a steady increase in new cases,” Lightfoot said in the statement. “While we aren’t near the peak of the pandemic from earlier this year, none of us wants to go back there, and we feel these restrictions will help limit further community spread.” 

Health officials said Chicago has again topped 200 daily cases on average, with the number at 233 Sunday. City officials said the rise has been driven partly by people, ages 18 to 29, with more activity at bars and restaurants.

In Illinois, there have been 162,748 confirmed positive cases and 7,301 deaths since the pandemic began.

Check out the full statement from the mayor's office below:

APP USERS CLICK HERE TO READ THE DOC

The Associated Press contributed to this report.