GOVERNOR’S BRIEFING
Governor JB Pritzker stated that all regions are moving to Phase 3 tomorrow. Below are the guidelines for retailers in Phase 3:
- Retail Guidelines and Retail Toolkit (Grocery stores; hardware stores; clothing stores; pharmacies; department stores; shopping malls, etc)
- Service Counters Guidelines and Toolkit (Stores providing assorted services for dropped off goods, such as: dry cleaners; electronics repair shops; shoe repair shops; car washes)
- Personal Care Services Guidelines and Toolkit (Hair salons, barber shops, nail salons, spas, waxing centers, tattoo parlors)
- Restaurants and Bars Guidelines and Toolkit (Full-service restaurants, limited-service restaurants, snacks bars, taverns, and other food and beverage businesses)
The EARLIEST the regions can move into Phase 4 is June 26th.
EMPLOYEES RETURNING TO WORK
Governor Pritzker was asked about relief for workers who were concerned about going back to work or do not feel safe going to work next week. He had the following responses:
- Employees should familiarize themselves with the Phase 3 business guidelines.
- Employees should report employers who are not following the guidelines to either the Attorney General or the Illinois Department of Labor.
- Private businesses need to use their discretion especially when it comes to the most vulnerable people who have preexisting conditions.
The Governor was also asked whether the state would suspend unemployment benefits for healthy employees that refuse to return to work. He stated that state would not.
REGIONAL PROGRESS REPORT
Under the Governor’s Restore Illinois plan, in order to move from Phase 2 to Phase 3, each of the four medical regions must have a surge capacity of at least 14% for hospital beds, ICU beds and ventilators. The positivity rating for the region must be under 20% for a 14-day period. Any number in red means that region has not met the capacity requirement for that category. These numbers are calculated on 14-day rolling periods with a 3-day delay. Readers can find all the stats below, and more, here.
| REGION | HOSPITAL BEDS | ICU BEDS | VENTILATORS | POSITIVITY RATE |
| Northeast | 26.9% | 29.9% | 66.1% | 14.3% |
| North central | 38.7% | 41.7% | 60.6% | 6.9% |
| Central | 48.3% | 50% | 75.2% | 2.7% |
| South | 45.3% | 40.5% | 78.9% | 5.1% |
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
Today, the following COVID-19 states were announced. In the last 24-hours, there were 1,527 new cases in Illinois, including 104 additional deaths. IDPH is reporting a total of 115,833 cases, to date, including 5,186 deaths, in 100 of Illinois’s 102 counties.
Over the last 24-hours, the state has conducted 17,179 tests for a total of 803,973 to-date.
As of midnight last night, 3,649 individuals were hospitalized for COVID-19. Of those, 1,009 (26.94%) are in the ICU occupying 27.64% of the 3,729 staffed ICU beds. Of those in the ICU, 576 (57.42%) are on ventilators or 10.23% of the 5,785 staff ventilators.
Additional information can be found here. COVID-19 stats by zip code can be found here .
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.