UPDATE: As Illinois moves into Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois plan, there is new guidance allowing open houses and the showing of tenant-occupied properties effective May 29, 2020. Find the new guidance and industry best practices under Illinois REALTORS® COVID-19 FAQs.

In his daily COVID-19 press conference Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker referred to the Restore Illinois plan, which breaks the state into geographic regions and lays out a five-phase restoration and reopening plan.

He outlined a plan to post metrics on the Illinois Department of Public Health website, and when a region meets the required metrics, that region will move into the next phase of reopening. The governor mentioned that Phase 1: Rapid Spread began in early March and ended April 30.  Phase 2 began May 1 under the modified order and continues until the end of May.

To be clear, we are operating and must continue to operate under Phase 2: Flattening. This phase will continue until May 29 or until such time as a region, or regions, meets the criteria needed to move to the next phase.

We must continue to follow the stay at home order with the added requirement to wear masks when social distancing is not possible. Real estate brokerage is still subject to the guidance previously issued by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) prohibiting open houses and showings of tenant-occupied rental units, and allowing showings of vacant properties or owner-occupied properties with social distancing and masks required where needed.

Stay tuned for more details as the state’s plan unfolds.

And also continue to visit the Illinois REALTORS® COVID-19 resource page for updated industry news, FAQs and federal, state and local resources.