What Illinois’s Stay-at-Home Order Means for Restaurants and Liquor Stores

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, flanked by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, issued a stay-at-home (also known as shelter-at-home) order for the state of Illinois on Friday afternoon, as officials continue to battle the spread of the novel coronavirus. The order goes into effect 5 p.m. Saturday, when the government will force nothing but essential businesses to remain open — health care providers, pharmacies, and grocery stores are examples. Restaurants, whose dining rooms closed this week due to Pritzker’s previous order, can still offer carryout, curbside service, drive-thru, and delivery.

“You can still pick up dinner from your local restaurant,” Pritzker said.

Liquor stores count as essential businesses. The executive order calls out stores that sell “alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.” The state earlier this week loosened legal language allowing bars to sell unopened bottles and cans of alcohol. Pritzker would also dub food delivery as an essential service during the news conference.

The stay-at-home order lasts Saturday night through the end of April 7, the governor said. Instead of using “shelter in place,” officials opted for the softer sounding phrase “stay at home” — “and I hope you think of it that way,” Lightfoot said — though essentially they function in the same way. Lightfoot said she doesn’t want residents to feel they’re in a lockdown or martial law: People can still participate in activities like walking their dogs, or going for hike, as long as social distancing remains. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Illinois has now risen to 585.

“Now is not the time for half measures, but preventative and proactive plans, ones rooted in science and data,” Lightfoot said. Lightfoot and Pritzker, once again, reminded the public not to horde supplies, with the mayor saying grocery stores would be well stocked. Garbage pickup, a worry of some restaurants owners, will still take place during the stay-at-home order, Lightfoot added.

Illinois joined the state of California, which began shelter in place on Friday. While the Gov. Pritzker has instructed law enforcement to keep an eye out for those who violate the order, Pritzker was frank: “To be honest, we don’t have the resources, capacity of the desire to police every individual’s behavior.”

Earlier this week, the mayor of suburban Oak Park issued his own order which went into place Friday morning. Oak Park Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb owns a few restaurants in Chicago. He told Eater Chicago that he’s looking toward Washington, D.C. for federal aid to help the hospitality industry that has seen profits plummet during the outbreak.

Lightfoot, on Friday, once again blasted the federal government for a lack of leadership. But in that vacuum, she praised local officials and said most residents have taken the pandemic seriously. Still, the stay-at-home order was needed to help flatten the curve.

“While many have listened, some have not,” Lightfoot said.