GOVERNOR’S BRIEFING
Governor Pritzker fielded many, many questions regarding the Illinois Department of Public Health’s (IDPH) emergency rules that were filed without notice and debate on Friday afternoon that make business owners eligible for a Class A Misdemeanor if the business opens in contravention of the Governor’s Executive Order.
The Governor responded repeatedly that the rules provided only provided an extra tool for local officials and that a Class A Misdemeanor amounted to no more than a “citation”. IRMA members are aware that a Class A Misdemeanor COULD POTENTIALLY lead to a fine up to $2,500 and/or 364 days in jail.
You may find a chart of Illinois criminal penalties here.
RETAIL CARES
IRMA launched a campaign called Illinois Retail Cares. It is an effort to tell the story of the many efforts retailers have undertaken during the pandemic to meet the needs of the hungry, healthcare workers, first responders, etc. These are efforts above-and-beyond the herculean efforts retailers have undertaken to meet the demands of consumers. Each week new stories will be told. If you have a story to share, we would love to share it! Please email your story to us today.
ILLINOIS COVID-19 IMPACT UPDATE
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, MD, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health announced 2,088 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 74 additional deaths. Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 92,457 cases, including 4,129 deaths, in 100 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 23,047 specimens for a total of 561,649. The statewide 7-day rolling positivity rate is 15%.
FACE COVERINGS SUPPLIERS
In order to assist retailers in the procurement of facial coverings for employees, IRMA has created a place on it’s website. Retailers can review and contact the supplier of their choice on IRMA’s website.