Illinois received the news it’s been waiting to hear today as Gov. J.B. Pritkzer announced new rules that will allow gyms, theaters, museums and indoor dining to resume when the state moves to phase four of its recovery plan this Friday, June 26.

Capacity limits and a variety of safety rules will apply to all those venues. But under the reopenings, the state expects 400,000 Illinoisans will be able to go back to work.

The announcement, which parallels one from Chicago, is due to sharp improvement in its COVID-19 numbers, Pritzker said. For instance, the rolling seven-day average of the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests was down to just 2.5 percent as of June 20. 

One key question not yet answered: Whether schools will reopen for the fall term and, if so, under what guidelines.

More to come.