Saturday May 23, 2020
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Volume 1, Issue 12
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DuPage County Board Weekly COVID 19 Update
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Phase 3: Recovery
The Governor’s overarching guidelines for Phase 3 include the following:
What this phase looks like:
The rate of infection among those surveillance tested is stable or declining. COVID-19-related hospitalizations and ICU capacity remains stable or is decreasing. Face coverings in public continue to be required. Gatherings of 10 people or fewer for any reason can resume. Select industries can begin returning to workplaces with social distancing and sanitization practices in place. Retail establishments reopen with limited capacity, and select categories of personal care establishments can also begin to reopen with social distancing guidelines and personal protective equipment. Robust testing is available along with contact tracing to limit spread and closely monitor the trend of new cases.
What’s Open?
Gatherings:
All gatherings of 10 people or fewer are allowed with this limit subject to change based on latest data & guidance
Travel:
Travel should follow IDPH and CDC approved guidance
Health care:
All health care providers are open with DPH approved safety guidance
Education and child care:
Remote learning in P-12 schools and higher education; Limited child care and summer programs open with IDPH approved safety guidance
Outdoor recreation:
State parks open; Activities permitted in groups of 10 or fewer with social distancing
Businesses:
- Manufacturing: Non-essential manufacturing that can safely operate with social distancing can reopen with IDPH approved safety guidance
- “Non-essential” businesses: Employees of “non-essential” businesses are allowed to return to work with IDPH approved safety guidance depending upon risk level, tele-work strongly encouraged wherever possible; Employers are encouraged to provide accommodations for COVID-19-vulnerable employees
- Bars and restaurants: Open for delivery, pickup, drive through and outdoor dining
- Personal care services and health clubs: Barbershops and salons open with IDPH approved safety guidance; Health and fitness clubs can provide outdoor classes and one-on-one personal training with IDPH approved safety guidance
- Retail: Open with capacity limits and IDPH approved safety guidance, including face coverings
Please know that the Health Department is working with our State partners to share additional guidance for residents, families, businesses, community leaders and all with specific information that will be needed to assure the safe reopening in DuPage County.
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Don't Wait. Your Health Matters.
During the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home order, emergency room and doctor’s visits have seen a significant decrease. The concern is that individuals are avoiding preventative healthcare out of fear—which could otherwise save their lives. Therefore, it is important to remind our communities that it is both safe and important to seek medical care when they are unwell. To support this communication, the DuPage County Health Department, in collaboration with DuPage hospitals and healthcare providers, have launched a Your Health Matters PSA. The video has been shared on our social media accounts and by local community partners. Please help us disseminate this message by sharing on your social media platforms and other communication channels.
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Call, Don’t Cancel
Childhood Vaccinations and Well Visits are Important
Parents are understandably nervous about taking their children and teens to their doctors’ offices right now, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, as a result, childhood vaccination rates are dropping dangerously according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Many healthcare providers’ offices are taking special precautions such as ensuring well children are kept separate from sick children.
- Many providers are limiting the number of people who can accompany a child to their appointment and are taking temperatures of all family members before allowing them into the building.
- Before rescheduling any upcoming childhood vaccination or well visit appointments, call your child’s healthcare provider to find out if the appointment can remain as scheduled and what precautions they are taking to keep everyone safe from COVID-19.
- Not all provider offices are equipped to separate sick and well children. If that is the case for your child’s provider, ask whether there are plans in place to catch children up on vaccines at a later date, before the school year begins.
- Set a reminder on your calendar to check back in with your child’s healthcare provider in one month to see whether their plans to vaccinate have changed. If stay-at-home orders are still in place, you can always move the reminder on your calendar to the next month.
- The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program offers free vaccines to families who cannot afford to pay for their children’s vaccines (up to 19 years of age). There may be other costs associated with the vaccination visit such as an administrative fee or co-pay; however, VFC vaccines cannot be denied to an eligible child if the family cannot afford the fee. Use the Illinois VFC Provider Search found at: http://vfc.illinois.gov/search/
Vaccinations are still critical during this pandemic.
- It may seem as if outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases are unlikely with current stay-at-home guidance in many states. However, as these restrictions are lifted, people will once again visit stores, gather at parties, and return to schools and daycares.
- 2019 taught us that outbreaks of diseases such as measles, chickenpox and mumps are only held at bay by vaccines.
Help us ensure this pandemic is not followed by an increase in cases of vaccine-preventable diseases or a preventable outbreak.
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RESOURCES FOR THOSE IN NEED
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If you currently receive SNAP benefits, you are automatically eligible for P-EBT benefits and do not need to apply. Your P-EBT benefits will be automatically loaded into your Illinois LINK EBT account along with your regular SNAP benefits.
If you do not currently receive SNAP benefits and need to apply for the P-EBT program or to learn more,
click here
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If you or a loved one is struggling with substance use please call the
Illinois Helpline for Opioids and Other Substances 1-833-2FINDHELP.
Additional community resources in DuPage County and the collar counties include:
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DuPage County
Health Department is
Now accepting cloth face covering/mask donations
There is no universal direction on how to make cloth face masks. However, you can find instructions on the resources below:
For the safety of all:
- Please do not make masks if you are sick or think you might be getting sick.
- Please keep all face mask materials away from household pets.
- Be sure the area in which you are working is clean. Sanitize all surfaces with a disinfectant before making masks.
- Perform hand hygiene before touching mask materials.
- Donated masks are thoroughly laundered and sanitized before being distributed.
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What's New
DuPage County Health Department has recently added new information to their website:
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Illinois COVID-19
Hotline and Email Address
If you have questions about Coronavirus - Call the Illinois Coronavirus Disease
(COVID-19) Hotline:
Both are available anytime, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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Saturday May 23, 2020
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Volume 1, Issue 12
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