For those who work from home, coffeeshops are shelters, places that an offer an escape from cramped living spaces, bad Internet connections, and where a lack of a caffeine offers no excuse for checking off tasks. Most coffeeshops have kept their doors closed since March 2020 — lingering inside a space isn’t wise during a pandemic, subjecting customers and staff to risk.
But as vaccines become more accessible, more coffeeshops are reopening at reduced capacity. Masks still have to be worn, unless customers are actively consuming food and drink. While it’s not time to return to the routine of spending all day at a cafe, grabbing a snack and getting a little work down seems like a more attainable desire.
With that in mind, these are a few cafes that are back open and with social distance rules in place.
As of March 2, Chicago restaurants are permitted to serve customers indoors with a 50 percent maximum capacity per room, or 50 people — whichever is fewer. Regardless, the state requires reservations for both indoor and outdoor dining. However, this should not be taken as an endorsement for dining in, as there are still safety concerns. For updated information on coronavirus cases in your area, please visit the city of Chicago’s COVID-19 dashboard. Studies indicate that there is a lower exposure risk when outdoors, but the level of risk involved with patio dining is contingent on restaurants following strict social distancing and other safety guidelines.
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