To:

Chemical Industry Council of Illinois (CICI) Members

From:

Mark Biel, Chief Executive Officer
[email protected] or 217/522-5805 

Re:

Governor Pritzker’s New “Stay at Home” Executive Order


Governor Pritzker has already announced that he will extend the current “Stay at Home” order until May 30 but with some modifications. The current Executive Order, which has already been extended once, was due to expire April 30. However, the particular language of the new order extension will not be available until he signs and files this order, although CICI has seen an early, if only preliminary, edition of Governor Pritzker’s extended "Stay at Home" Order. The new language for the order is underlined and in bold

According to the governor’s would-be Executive Order, these modifications include the following but come with a stern warning from the Governor: If he starts seeing crowds and people not obeying the rules, tighter restrictions will go back into place.

  • Manufacturers and Other Essential Businesses: Essential businesses and manufacturers, currently covered under the current “Stay at Home” order, will also now be required to provide face-coverings to all employees not able to maintain social distancing requirements. This new order will also include occupancy limits for these essential businesses and precautions such as staggering shifts, reducing line speeds, and operating only essential lines for manufacturers.
  • Face Coverings/Masks: With the start of this new “Stay at Home” order beginning May 1, individuals will be required to wear a face-covering when six-foot social distancing proves difficult, such as in grocery stores, essential businesses, etc.
  • State Parks, Golf, Outdoor Recreation: Under the guidance of the Department of Natural Resources, state parks will begin a phased-in re-opening. IDNR should have a list of reopened state parks up on their website after May 1. Golf will also be permitted, but only under strict safety guidelines and adherence to 6 ft social distancing guidelines. Boating and fishing in groups of no more than two people will also be permitted, but unclear at this time if that only applies to these re-opened state parks.  The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity have established these guidelines for golf
  • Non-Essential Retail Stores: Non-essential retail stores may re-open but only to fulfill online and phone orders through pick-up outside the store and delivery.
  • Other Businesses Allowed to Re-Open: Greenhouses, garden centers, nurseries, and animal grooming services may re-open but with employees and customers wearing a face covering and following social distancing requirements.

IMPORTANT NOTE: A new legal entanglement came on Monday to enacting this new Executive Order when a Clay County Circuit Judge ruled in favor of a lawsuit brought by State Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) against the extension of Pritzker’s order and issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the new proposed order. 

The suit claims that the Governor is exceeding his authority and is violating the civil rights of the state's residents.  Governor Pritzker has already avowed to immediately appeal this decision through the Illinois Attorney General’s office.  

 

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