BLOOMINGTON (WEEK) — With COVID-19 cases on the rise driven by the surge of the delta variant, many events and businesses are following the latest CDC guidelines, scaling back on their requirements.
Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Joshua Gunn said businesses in Central Illinois have done a great job of serving the community during the pandemic while staying safe, but fears that further restrictions could be on the horizon.
“If things continue to head into the direction they are headed in, we might see ourselves back in a restricted zone with masks and distancing being more enforced and none of us want to go back there,” Gunn said.
He said its best to continue following the recommendations by local health departments to avoid going backwards.
“Businesses have already been through so much, and I really hope we can figure out a way to get in front of this and increase our vaccination rates and slow the transmission of the delta variant,” Gunn said.
Peoria Riverfront Museum CEO John Morris said over 15,000 visitors came to the museum in July. Friday, the facility opened a free vaccine clinic on the sun plaza.
He said while the spike in cases does raise concerns about safety, he will follow the state and CDC guidelines when it comes to mitigations for the museum and believes the museum is safe.
“We just feel its really important to have a consistent language with the state of Illinois,” Morris said. “That way our constituents and our visitors and our community we love so much know where we are and that’s exactly where the guidelines and the state of Illinois are.”
Morris said they have grown accustomed to changing their COVID-19 policies, so if they need to adjust them again to keep the public safe, they are willing to do it.
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