The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association has been communicating directly with manufacturers across Illinois as the situation changes and will continue posting resources online at the IMA’s dedicated page
www.ima-net.org/covid-19/
.
Governor JB Pritzker held his daily press conference today and extended his call for former healthcare professionals to reenter the healthcare field while also announcing a new alert system for healthcare workers across the state.
The Governor and Director of Public Health announced the following:
- There are 488 new cases of coronavirus in Illinois
- There are a total of 34 deaths related to cornavirus, including eight today
- A total of 3,026 cases have been confirmed in 40 of the 102 counties
New or critical items of note that were discussed today by the Governor and local leaders:
- The Governor called for all licensed health care professionals to sign up for a new emergency alert system so that they can be reached for emergency assistance as needed. This applies to all healthcare professionals who can sign up at illinoishelps.net
- The Governor also noted that 510 applications have been filed by those who had previously left the healthcare profession but are rejoining to help in the current state of emergency. He encouraged more individuals to follow suit.
- The US House of Representative followed the Senate and passed the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Response and Affordable Care Act (CARE) which now awaits the President's signature. Our partners at the National Association of Manufacturers were intimately involved in crafting the package to ensure that manufacturing voices were heard and provided this summary.
- On the issue of daycare services for the children of essential workers, the Governor noted that the state has received more than 600 applications for small group emergency childcare licenses. To help with this, additional funds are being given to these childcare providers: $750 for licensed home, $2000 for centers running 1-2 classrooms, and $3,000 for 3 or more classrooms.
- Those essential workers looking to find childcare can call the state hotline at 888-228-1146, or visit coronavirus.illinois.gov
Yesterday, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle
waived a number of fees and deferred tax payments
until May 1 with no penalties or interest applied. These include taxes on motor vehicles, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and gasoline/diesel fuel. The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association has been invited to an online meeting next week with President Preckwinkle to discuss a Cook County economic relief plan. If you have specific suggestions for helping manufacturers in Cook County, please let the IMA know.
Employer Resources & Programs
The IMA is continuing to offer conference calls next week to update manufacturers and businesses about changing laws, rules, and regulations.
On Tuesday, March 31, the IMA is partnering with the law firm
Conn Maciel Carey for a webinar on the following topics:
- Strategies for employers to prevent workplace exposures while complying with Federal and State level labor employment laws
- OSHA's guidance about preventing workers from exposure to COVID-19 and related regulatory risks
- FAQs for employers with guidance from the CDC
Conn Maciel Carey is a boutique law firm focused on Labor & Employment, Workplace Safety, and Litigation. Panelists for the webinar include four members of the Conn Maciel Carey team, including: founding partner and OSHA Chair Eric Conn, founding partner and Labor Chair Kara Marciel, partner Amanda R. Strainis-Walker, and Associate Lindsay A. DiSalvo.
T
o register for this webinar,
please click here
.
Additionally, the IMA has released a new
Question & Answer section
on our website. This document contains some of the most frequently asked questions and we continue adding more information as it becomes available.
