Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently announced that the entire state will move into Phase Four of the “Restore Illinois” COVID-19 reopening plan on Friday, June 26. Among other things, certain businesses will be allowed to resume operating, albeit at a reduced capacity and with social distancing guidelines in place.

Phase Four includes plans to reopen businesses such as restaurants and bars, salons and barbershops, health clubs, museums, zoos, movie theaters, arcades, skating rinks and bowling alleys. Schools, child care, live entertainment, summer camps, meetings, conventions and nonessential offices will also be allowed to resume.

There will be capacity limitations at all reopened establishments, and everyone is still expected to wear face coverings and adhere to proper social distancing guidelines. Industry-specific guides are available at the below links.

Visit the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity's website for general Phase Four guidelines for reopening. For other information, please visit the Village's dedicated COVID-19 page for Tinley Park businesses.

Tinley Park businesses have until Tuesday, June 30 to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a loan offered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll.

The SBA will forgive loans if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest or utilities. Businesses can apply through any existing SBA lender or through any federally insured depository institution, federally insured credit union and Farm Credit System institution that is participating. Other regulated lenders will be available to make these loans once they are approved and enrolled in the program. You should consult with your local lender as to whether it is participating in the program.

The U.S. Senate recently passed a new version of the PPP legislation. Under the new version, current PPP borrowers can choose to extend the eight-week period to 24 weeks, or they can keep the original eight-week period. New PPP borrowers will have a 24-week covered period, but the covered period can’t extend beyond Dec. 31, 2020.

The new version also drops the payroll expenditure requirement to 60% from 75% but is now a cliff, meaning that borrowers must spend at least 60% on payroll or none of the loan will be forgiven.

Visit the SBA website or see the PPP Forgiveness Application for more information.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering Economic Injury Disaster Loan advances of as much as $10,000 for qualified businesses that are experiencing a temporary loss of revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This loan advance will not have to be repaid. Recipients do not have to be approved for a loan in order to receive the advance, but the amount of the loan advance will be deducted from total loan eligibility.

The loan is also available for independent contractors, freelancers and gig workers, who are eligible to receive a $1,000 grant that also doesn't have to be repaid.

Visit the SBA website for more information or to apply.

The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) will launch the first round of Business Interruption Grants (BIG) by providing $60 million to businesses experiencing losses or business interruption as a result of COVID-19-related closures. The BIG Program is available for as many as 3,500 businesses that experienced a limited ability to operate due to COVID-19-related closures.

Applications will be available beginning Monday, June 22, and DCEO will begin distributing funds to qualifying businesses in early July. The total program funding will amount to at least $540 million in grants for small businesses, $270 of which has been set aside for childcare providers and is funded by the CARES Act.

In the first wave of grants, priority will be given to small businesses that have been heavily restricted or completely shut down during the pandemic and are located in DIAs. Businesses eligible for the program must have experienced extreme hardship, demonstrated by eligible costs or losses in excess of the grant amount, since March and may continue to face depressed revenues or closure. Businesses must also have been in operation for at least three months prior to March 2020. An emphasis will also be placed on those businesses that are located in areas that have experienced recent property damage due to civil unrest, exacerbating the economic impacts of COVID-19.

Specifically, the program includes support for:

Be sure to regularly check the DCEO website for updates on all available programs.