City of Highland Park Lifts Restrictions on Indoor Workout Facilities and Dance Studios
Indoor operations may resume under State of Illinois Tier 3 mitigations
December 4, 2020 – The City of Highland Park (City) will lift its supplemental order temporarily requiring the closure of all indoor workout facilities, including dance and yoga studios, effective at 12:01 AM on Saturday, December 5, 2020. Fitness businesses, including dance and yoga studios, may then resume operations in accordance with the statewide Tier 3 mitigation measures implemented by the Illinois Department of Public Health. In Tier 3, indoor fitness facilities may operate at 25% of capacity with social distancing measures in place. One-on-one personal training is permitted, but group classes are prohibited. Face coverings are required for all individuals, including trainers and trainees. Click here to view the supplemental order.
The City’s restriction on workout facilities was implemented effective November 17, 2020, in advance of statewide Tier 3 mitigations. According to Lake County[1], the seven-day rolling average incidence rate for Highland Park’s 60035 zip code peaked at 54.8 per 100,000 on November 15, 2020, but has since dropped to 32.2 per 100,000 as of December 2, 2020.
“Thank you to Highland Park residents and business owners for their diligence in following public health guidance to keep themselves and others healthy. While we remain under Tier 3 statewide mitigations, lifting this local restriction is possible due to our collective sacrifices,” said Mayor Nancy Rotering. “As the pandemic is not over, we must continue to do our part to reduce community spread of COVID-19: avoid gatherings with people from other households, wear a mask indoors where required and outdoors when social distancing is not possible, keep a safe distance from others and wash hands frequently.”
To help alleviate the devastating economic impact of the pandemic on small businesses, the City has implemented several programs providing financial and other relief to business owners. The City waived certain business registration and license fees for 2021, created a grant program providing reimbursements to restaurants and retailers for qualifying COVID-19-related operational expenses, and launched several promotional campaigns to encourage Highland Parkers to patronize local businesses during the holiday season. As part of the “At Your Service” promotion, individuals spending $150 or more at fitness, wellness, and personal care businesses can win a gift card to a Highland Park restaurant. The City urges business owners to take advantage of these and other assistance opportunities by contacting the Office of Business Development at 847.926.1027.
More information about the City’s response to COVID-19 is available at cityhpil.com/covid-19. Because the City of Highland Park does not have its own health department, individuals are encouraged to contact the Lake County Health Department at 800.889.3931 with questions concerning COVID-19, city and county-level metrics, and testing.
[1] Lake County, IL Coronavirus Data Hub - Schools Dashboard (arcgis.com)