ILLINOIS (WAND) - Central Illinois regions have moved to lower COVID-19 mitigation levels after the state announced a hospital staffing program and changed its mitigation metrics. 

Region 6, which includes the east half of central Illinois, has met the metrics to move to the Tier 1 mitigation level. Region 3, or the west half of central Illinois, will have even fewer restrictions as it moves to Phase 4 of the original Restore Illinois plan. Both regions were previously under Tier 3, which is the strongest mitigation level possible. 

The changes significantly reduce restrictions to businesses and will allow bars and restaurants to reopen in central Illinois. Tier 1 allows limited indoor service at the lesser of 25 percent capacity or 25 people in the room. Indoor tables can't exceed four people under Tier 1 and indoor service is suspended for business that don't serve food. Learn more about Tier 1 here. 

In central Illinois, Tier 1 mitigations will affect Iroquois, Ford, Dewitt, Piatt, Champaign, Vermillion, Macon, Moultrie, Douglas, Edgar, Shelby, Coles, Cumberland, Clark, Fayette, Effingham, Jasper, Crawford, Clay, Richland, and Lawrence counties, which make up Region 6. 

With the move to Phase 4, which is the best situation a region can be in before everything reopens in the final phase, Region 3 will see indoor dining allowed with groups of 10 people or less. In Phase 4, tables must be six feet apart in seated areas and standing areas can't have more than a 25 percent capacity. Click here to learn more about Phase 4 mitigations. 

The move to Phase 4 will affect the Region 3 counties of Sangamon, Logan, Christian, Montgomery, Macoupin, Jersey, Greene, Calhoun, Pike, Adams, Hancock, Schuyler, Cass, Morgan, Scott, Brown, Mason and Menard.

Region 5 is joining Region 3 in moving to Phase 4, while Region 1 will be the other region advancing to Tier 1 mitigations. Regions 8, 9, 10 and 11 of Illinois are dropping from the most strict Tier 3 restrictions to Tier 2. 

These changes are possible after the state announced a surge staffing program, which will allow Illinois hospitals in need of more staff to have access to a greater talent pool than any single hospital can achieve. Illinois is leveraging its larger contracting power to engage multiple staffing vendors and create access to this bigger pool.

Hospitals with rooms available to increase capacity but lack the staff can partner with the state to gain more help. 

The Illinois Department of Public Health and hospital leaders said they're confident the state can move away from using medical and surgical bed limits to move across mitigation tiers, allowing more Illinois regions to see restrictions be lifted.