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To:
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Chemical Industry Council of Illinois (CICI) Members
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From:
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Mark Biel, Chief Executive Officer
[email protected] or 217/522-5805
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Re:
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update – Confirmed Cases in Illinois, Governor Pritzker & Mayor Lightfoot Update, DHS Critical Infrastructure Workforce Guidance, Oak Park Shelter-in-Place, SOCMA Webinar
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At the time of this e-mail, the Illinois Dept. of Public Health is reporting 4 deaths out of 422 now-confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, an increase of 136 from yesterday. You can see where these cases are at through the Illinois Depart. of Public Health’s COVID 19 Illinois Map.
No State of Illinois Shelter-in-Place & Essential Services: As of this afternoon, Governor Pritzker has not issued any sort of shelter-in-place order for the state. The Governor dispelled rumors about closing down any essential services which would clearly mean the valuable products & services our industry provides.
The Governor indicated that he’s not ruled out further steps but all decisions are on a day-by-day basis.
CICI did sent the attached letter to Governor Pritzker this afternoon reiterating the essential role of chemical products to everyday life. Indeed, chemistry impacts more than 96% of all manufactured goods in Illinois, many of which support basic human needs.
Illinois is essentially the nation’s epicenter for the production of disinfectants, cleaning products, sanitizers, sterilization, soaps and personal protective gear used in the medical community and food production as well as by the general population. While there have been some supply-chain challenges keeping up with demand, our production of these vital products is continuing.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot today ordered all Chicagoans with confirmed Covid-19 cases or those just exhibiting symptoms to stay home unless it’s to get food or medical attention. Those found violating this order can be fined by the Chicago police or the Chicago Department of Public Health with citations.
DHS List of Essential Critical Workers Guidance: Attached to this e-mail is an official DHS list of “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” to help state and local officials as they work to protect their communities, while ensuring continuity of functions critical to public health and safety, as well as economic and national security.
The list should be distributed as broadly as possible. This list can be used to inform critical infrastructure community decision-making to determine the sectors, sub-sectors, segments, or critical functions that should continue normal operations, appropriately modified to account for Centers for Disease Control (CDC) workforce and customer protection guidance. This list is advisory in nature and does not hold the force of law.
Please note that there are sections specific to Chemicals, Transportation & Logistics, Critical Manufacturing, Energy, Water & Wastewater, and Hazardous Materials.
Oak Park Shelter-in-Place Order: As you may know already, the Cook County town of Oak Park last night initiated a shelter-in-place order for its residents. This order, however, created a multitude of exemptions which would cover CICI member employees, specifically provisions covering “businesses that supply other essential businesses with the support or supplies necessary to operate”. The intent of the order appears to be to get people’s attention about the magnitude of crisis. This order can be found here: Oak Park Order
Decontamination Services: If you need to decontaminate and disinfect a site with regards to Covid-19, here are the following CICI members offering such services:
ERC Midwest: https://ercmidwest.com/
Heritage Environmental Services: https://www.heritage-enviro.com/coronavirus/
SET Environmental: https://www.setenv.com/news-updates/03-2020/bloodborne-pathogen-response-covid-19
SOCMA Seminars: One of CICI’s sister associations at the federal level, the Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates (SOCMA) will be hosting webinars which can be shared across the specialty and fine chemical value chain. These webinars are open to CICI members. The first webinar will be this Friday, March 20, and will cover key legal themes for employers to keep in mind as they mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and implications of quarantine on operations. This 30-minute webinar will address questions with regard to unionized and exempt workforces, OSHA compliance, healthcare, and more. You can register here at this link - https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/348348779027674892
In addition, SOCMA is providing daily updates on the SOCMA COVID-19 Resource Page
Thanks.
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