CHICAGO — The City of Chicago will start ramping up enforcement of Phase 4 guidelines to make sure businesses are following the coronavirus reopening rules over the holiday weekend.
The focus will be on businesses, particularly bars and restaurants. They will get fined for not following public health guidelines.
This weekend, officials with the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) will be making their rounds, visiting bars and restaurants throughout the city.
They’ll be looking for violations related to social distancing, capacity limits and face coverings.
If they find them, they’ll hand out citations with fines of up to $10,000.
BACP investigators also have the power to immediately close businesses that are in serious violation of the Phase 4 guidelines.
The city is reminding all bars and restaurants that customers must be seated, indoor capacity is limited to 25% or 50 people — whichever is fewer — and they must stop serving alcohol at 11 p.m.
BACP has received hundreds of complaints in the past month. Since the Phase 3 reopening on June 3, the department has conducted 377 investigations.
They’ve issued 59 warning, along with 9 citations to local businesses.
The city is also encouraging the public to help them.
If you have concerns about a local business, you’re asked to call 311 to submit your complaint, and the city will respond.
