PEORIA, Ill. — As COVID-19 new cases, hospitalizations, and vaccinations continue to trend in the right direction in the tri-county area and Illinois, a return to some sort of normalcy looms on June 11.
June 11 has been set as the tentative date for a full reopening of Illinois, meaning no capacity limits on businesses.
Area leaders at Thursday’s Peoria City/County Health Department COVID briefing talked about that return to normalcy, saying it will take some time to adjust for businesses and customers.
“My plea to the patrons of restaurants is to offer a little grace to the places you go to,” said Greater Peoria Economic Development Council CEO Chris Setti. “We know we’re seeing a struggle of attracting a workforce — that can sometimes lead to less than ideal service.
“Understand that everybody is getting back into the swing of things at the same time.”
Setti also reminded residents that businesses and consumers both have the right to choose coming out of the pandemic.
“Some businesses are still going to require masks — don’t be mad about that — the businesses has the right to demand you wear a mask,” said Setti. “If you are going into a business that isn’t requiring masks, but you feel you should be wearing masks, either wear a mask or walk away.
“As Americans we have come to have this sense of entitlement that the way we want to act is the way everybody else should allow us to act.”
According to Public Health Administrator Monica Hendrickson, some area residents have come to her with concerns about returning to normalcy as the COVID-19 virus still spreads.
“It’s going to be a self-decision — you’re going to have to look at your own health status and the family around you,” said Hendrickson.
For individuals dealing with anxiety as it relates to the changes in a return to normal, Hendrickson said they can call 211 to reach resources to help.
Tailgate N’ Tallboys returns to the Peoria area this weekend, becoming one of the first large-scale events in the area since the pandemic began.
The country concert series worked with the health department on capacity limits, cleaning procedures, and health screenings, according to Hendrickson.
“For an individual that is fully-vaccinated, the likelihood of you getting COVID-19 and transmitting it to another individual is very low,” said Hendrickson. “Overall, a general, healthy individual that is fully-vaccinated can go and enjoy the outdoor event this weekend and other events.”
Hendrickson said it is safe for fully-vaccinated individuals, but some people may decide to wait a little longer, when more people are vaccinated, to attend large-scale events.
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