State of Illinois and City of
Chicago Issue New Guidance to Minimize COVID-19 Spread
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[September 16, 2020]
Following CDC guidance and recommendations by local public health
experts, the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago are issuing
new guidance to residents to prevent further spread of coronavirus
(COVID-19). These new precautionary measures were developed with
large events and gatherings in mind, and will promote social
distancing practices – a key recommendation to prevent community
spread of the disease with the least disruption possible to people’s
daily lives.
“The guidance I am issuing today is for the entire state of
Illinois. We have seen what works and what doesn’t work from other
countries around the world – especially in the earliest days of
community spread of this virus. Don’t be fooled into thinking your
community is immune,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I am not going to
hesitate to take the most aggressive measures possible to protect
the people of our state. We need to reduce social contact in order
to try and control the spread of the virus and prevent our medical
infrastructure from dealing with too many cases at one time. We all
have responsibilities to the most vulnerable among us and that means
making sacrifices in the immediate term.”
“As we’ve said before, and as we will continue to say, the health
and wellness of residents not only throughout the city, but also the
entire state, is our top priority as we continue to learn more about
COVID-19 and adjust our response plans accordingly,” said Mayor
Lightfoot. “This new guidance is not meant to elevate fear, but
rather allow the City to prevent further spread throughout the
community and safeguard the health and wellness of the general
public, and we will continue to review and amend these protocols and
procedures as the situation evolves.”
Specifically, the State of Illinois and City of Chicago are issuing
the following guidance:
COMMUNITY EVENTS
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The State and City
are mandating all large-scale events exceeding 1,000 individuals
be cancelled for the next 30 days. The City of Chicago will be
enforcing this ban.
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Additionally, the
State and the City are encouraging that community events of 250
people or more should be cancelled or postponed until May 1.
This includes personal and social events. Residents should use
good judgment about canceling events in their own communities.
-
For events less
than 250 people, residents should closely consider who is likely
to attend the event and, if it includes vulnerable populations,
strongly consider canceling.
-
All major sporting
events with large spectator crowds should be cancelled until May
1. This should include school and college events as well as
major league sporting events. The Governor has spoken with the
owners of all the major sports teams in Illinois and they are in
full support of these measures to protect the health of their
fans and will cancel all games until May 1.
SCHOOLS
-
At this time, the
City and the State do not recommend that school be cancelled.
While schools will remain open, local jurisdictions should
develop their own local guidance.
-
The State of
Illinois is working closely with school districts around the
state on their own guidance and policies, and currently
recommends schools do not hold large assemblies, including
sports with spectators exceeding 250 people. . While every
school district is different, the State encourages school
administrators and faculty to make responsible decisions, guided
by recommendations from the CDC and the state, that are in the
best interest of the health and safety of their students.
-
Chicago Public
Schools (CPS) is issuing guidance for cancellation of events of
50 people or more and has cancelled sports. CPS will also
restrict access to school buildings to essential personnel, and
limit district-sanctioned trips beyond city limits.
-
Chicago Public
Schools (CPS) system has collaborated with CDPH to issue its own
unique guidance, which includes cancellation of events of 50
people or more and suspending sports until further notice. CPS
will also restrict access to school buildings to essential
personnel, and limit district-sanctioned trips beyond city
limits.
GOVERNMENT
[to top of second column] |
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The Office of the
Governor is working closely with all state agencies to ensure
essential services will continue to be provided, while taking
steps to protect the health and safety of state workers.
-
The James R.
Thompson Center will be closed to people who don’t have business
with the state in the building for the foreseeable future,
beginning Monday. The essential government functions that the
people in this building perform will continue during this time.
-
City Hall will
remain open, and there is no plan to cancel meetings of the City
Council for the next week. However, the City is strongly
recommending, in accordance with guidance from CDPH and the CDC,
that residents view next week’s meeting via livestream instead
of in-person to ensure City business moves forward safely and
efficiently.
BUSINESSES AND WORKPLACES
-
The State
encourages businesses across the state to take advantage of
teleworking capabilities.
-
Every business that
can have employees work remotely should consider doing so
immediately.
-
For those who
cannot, we encourage employers to take proper precautions to
keep individuals safe in the workplace. This includes reminding
staff to stay home when sick or with a fever; considering a plan
for teleworking where feasible; remaining flexible on leave
policies; and promoting robust mitigation approaches, such as
hand washing, cleaning, and offering hand sanitizer. The City is
also developing an addendum to its sick leave policies, as well
as guidance on teleworking for employees.
ELECTIONS
-
The election will
proceed as scheduled on Tuesday, March 17. This is a fundamental
function of government, and the state is committed to making
sure the election proceeds with as little disruption as
possible.
-
Local jurisdictions
are encouraged to expand hours for early voting over the weekend
to reduce the number of people who would need to vote on
Election Day.
-
Voters who have not
already submitted a vote by mail application can pick up a vote
by mail ballot through Monday at their local election offices.
VULNERABLE
POPULATIONS
-
The State and the
City continue to focus outreach efforts for those most
vulnerable to severe illness from the coronavirus, our elderly
and immuno-compromised residents.
-
Individuals who
fall into these categories should take extra caution when
attending gatherings of any size and avoid exposure to large
groups of people whenever possible.
-
The state has
implemented new staffing procedures and strict guidelines
restricting visitors at state-operated long-term care facilities
and is also working closely with private nursing home and
assisted living associations on the adoption of similar
guidelines.
“Although there is no evidence of spread in community across
Illinois, we anticipate there will be,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi
Ezike. “Now is the time to implement aggressive strategies to limit
introduction or spread of the virus in communities. This will mean
small, and sometimes large sacrifices, but these strategies are
vital for the health of our state and we ask for everyone’s help in
protecting our most vulnerable populations.”
“I want to echo Mayor Lightfoot and reiterate the health and
wellness of Chicagoans remains our top priority as we continue our
robust response to the Coronavirus 2019 outbreak,” said Allison
Arwady, M.D., Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public
Health. “Our team has been working around the clock and
communicating with health experts at every level to develop the
proper response to address this constantly evolving situation. Most
importantly we urge those in vulnerable populations to use
additional caution and stay home whenever possible.”
The Illinois Department of Public Health has a statewide COVID-19
hotline and website to answer any questions from the public or to
report a suspected case: call 1-800-889-3931 or visit
IDPH.illinois.gov.
[Office of the Governor JB Pritzker] |