COVID-19 Update: All Regions Move to Phase 3 Tomorrow, Long Term Care Facilities Testing
Governor Pritzker has confirmed that each region in the State is on track to enter Phase 3 tomorrow, May 29. The three metrics being looked at to measure a region's ability to move into the next phase include a positivity rate below 20%, stable hospitalization rates as well as a stable number of available ICU beds and ventilator capacity. All metrics in all four regions are being met and can be viewed on the Illinois Department of Public Health's website here . Although the Governor announced that COVID hospitalizations have now dropped to a six week low, he still cautioned that the virus is not gone and individuals should proceed with caution into phase 3 while continuing to social distance and continue wearing face coverings. New industry specific guidance has been released by his office for each of the industries that are now eligible to open. The administration has also released a business toolkit that can be found here .

As all regions prepare to enter phase 3 Governor Pritzker announced last week that expanding the opening of child care facilities needs to be included in this phase. With many parents and guardians returning to work, child care is more important than ever. Since the beginning of the stay at home order a limited number of emergency child care facilities were opened. These facilities have not seen any outbreaks of COVID-19 among children and have been able to follow guidance issued by the Illinois Department of Public Health while continuing to provide childcare services to essential employees.

Under phase 3 the Governor is now hoping to open the other 5,500 daycare centers who were not awarded emergency licenses. Guidance will continue to be issued to these facilities and certain requirements will need to be met including limiting 10 children per classroom. After 4 weeks of following these and other guidelines, facilities can expand capacity. The Governor has also mentioned the need to expand business relief funds to allow daycares to access these funds. The Governor's full release can be viewed here .

The city of Chicago has also released industry-specific guidelines to help the city best prepare for a phase 3 reopening in early June. The guidelines are aligned with the State-issued guidelines but adapted to a Chicago specific context. 

The industry guideline details consist of ensuring healthy interactions between workers and consumers, proper work space safety and conditions, and how to flexibly operate while maintaining safety for customers and workers. The industries that will be allowed to reopen initially in phase 3 are:
  • Childcare centers and family childcare
  • Restaurants and coffee shops (outdoor dining only)
  • Non-Lakefront parks (no contact sports)
  • Outdoor Attractions (e.g., non-lakefront golf courses, boating - not playpen)
  • Buildings & Real Estate (office-based jobs)
  • Accommodations (hotels) & Tourism
  • Retail
  • Personal Services (e.g., hair/nail salons, barbershops, tattoo parlors)
  • Health & Fitness Clubs (outdoor and personal training)
  • B2B (Manufacturing, Construction, Warehousing)
  • Healthcare
  • Transportation (CTA, Taxi, Ride Hail)

Further details and industry reopening guidance can be found here .

Tomorrow, expect an update on our recently completed session and an upcoming town hall with Senator Heather Steans and Representative Greg Harris.
Long Term Care Facilities Testing

Today the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) filed an emergency rule to mandate that all long term care facilities come up with a testing plan for their residents. During today's briefing Governor Pritzker shared that while nursing teams from IDPH have been dispersed throughout the State to assist in testing, training, review of hygiene and ppe usage there has been push back from private long term care facility owners who prefer to not participate in these visits and oversight from the Department. This emergency rule is one step in the right direction to ensure our most vulnerable populations are being tested and cared for.

Dr. Ezike, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Heath shared news that the State has now received and distributed 336 cases of Remdesivir. The distribution was analyzed by looking at the number of COVID patients at each facility, number of occupied COVID beds and ventilators was used to distribute the medication. If a hospital did not receive a distribution of the medication they are encouraged to call the COVID hotline listed below to request to be added the distribution list.

COVID-19 Count as of today:
1,527 new COVID cases, 104 deaths
25,993 tests run in the last 24 hours
3,649 hospitalizations related to COVID-19. Of those,
1,009 in ICU
576 individuals on ventilators


If you have questions related to COVID-19 you can contact the Illinois Department of Public Health :
Hotline : 800-889-3931
Email : dph.sick@illinois.gov

City of Chicago's Department of Public Health :
Hotline : 312-746-4835
Email : coronavirus@chicago.gov
Illinois Department of Employment Security: Update
Last week IDES reported a privacy breach on the new federal pandemic unemployment assistance (PUA) site. Since then the department in partnership with Deloitte has conducted an investigation and has contacted all individuals who may have had their information viewed. Read the full release here .
City of Chicago: Contact Tracing and Debt Assistance Programs
On Tuesday, Mayor Lightfoot announced the expansion of Chicago's contact tracer program . This will not only be an effective step in combating the spread of COVID-19, but will create over 600 jobs with a fast track to long-term positions.

Mayor Lightfoot has also launched a grant initiative to help address the city's historic debt crisis by creating a "new start" program. This program is aimed to address sticker ticket debt for those who can least afford it; reduction of excessive late fees on the City Sticker program; elimination of license suspensions for non-driving violations; launch a series of new payment plans that expand the options for paying off debt; and new pathways to compliance to help residents who are eligible avoid any number of the devastating consequences of onerous city debt – including water shut offs, tow and impound, and more. Learn about these new programs by visiting the City's website here .
Dispensary 33 Cannabis Compassion Program: Applications Open til May 31
Dispensary 33 has donated over $195,000 in free cannabis to medical patients through their cannabis compassion program. Applications to participate in the program are open until Sunday, May 31. To qualify:
  • Individuals must be a continuous registered patient of Dispensary33 for at least 120 days prior to the application submission date.
  • Demonstrate need. There is not a strict cut-off, but anyone receiving need-based government assistance (SNAP or Medicaid, for instance) qualifies, as does anyone who can demonstrate living below the poverty line.
Further details can be found on their website here .
Security Traders Association of Chicago: Student Grant Opportunities
The Security Traders Association of Chicago has established a charitable fund to provide scholarship opportunities for a student that meets the eligibility requirements. While STAC members, their spouses and/or their dependent children are eligible, relationship to a STAC member is not required to apply. The number of scholarships and the amount of each scholarship will be determined annually. Scholarships are non-renewable.
 
Eligibility requirements include:
  • The candidate must be enrolled in a two- or four-year college, accredited by its regional accrediting association, as a full-time student, or enrolled in a minimum of two classes (six hours) if the candidate is employee full time.
  • The candidate must pursue a college or professional degree. High school seniors are eligible and encouraged to apply. 
  • The candidate must have achieved a minimum cumulative 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale (or the equivalent)
 
The application and details can be found on the STAC website here
Dim Sum Sunday:
 Place an Order to Support Chinatown Restaurants
The Asian American Caucus is hosting Dim Sum this Sunday, May 31st to support Chinatown Restaurants and a local food pantry. Orders can be placed here and details on the event can be found on facebook here .
Sincerely,

Kelly Cassidy
State Representative, 14th District

Office of State Representative Kelly Cassidy

5533 N Broadway

Chicago IL 60640
773-784-2002(phone)
773-784-2060(fax)