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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 – 13,549 Confirmed Cases, 380 Deaths; Reminder: Chemical Manufacturers, Distributors, Warehouses Are Essential Businesses; Federal Stimulus Funds for Small Business; New CDC Recommendations on Face Masks
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This afternoon, the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) is reporting a total of 380 deaths, 73 more than yesterday, which is the state’s single largest increase since the beginning of the pandemic. There are currently 13,549 positive cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, which is an increase of 1,287 new cases since yesterday. In total, 68,732 people have now been tested in Illinois for the virus. Of those people tested 19.7% of the results are positive for COVID-19.
You can see where these cases are occurring at the State of Illinois COVID-19 website which also contains more information on this outbreak. Also, IDPH has a case breakdown of the number of positive cases in Chicago and each county relative to the number of fatalities. In addition, Western Illinois University has an put together this Map of COVID-19 Cases in Illinois & Surrounding States which gives you picture of where COVID-19 cases are occurring in relation to areas surrounding Illinois.
In addition, Worldometer has a site with pertinent statistics on a state by state breakdown and comparison. Also, the City of Chicago has a good categorization of the cases within the city.
Reminder: Chemical Manufacturers, Distributors, Warehouses Are Essential Businesses. It was recently brought to CICI’s attention that some manufacturers (not chemical) in Illinois have been questioned by a few local governments about whether they should be open. Please note that chemical manufacturers, distributors and warehouses are “Essential Businesses” as recognized under Governor Pritzker’s initial “Stay-At-Home” Executive Order 2020-10, which has since been extended until April 30, 2020.
The order does allow “Essential Critical Workers” to remain on the job. The order includes jobs specific to Chemicals, Transportation & Logistics, Critical Manufacturing, Energy, Water & Wastewater, and Hazardous Materials. The sections in the order which would cover the CICI members are listed under sections 7, 9, and 12 - parts (n) and (t).
A number of CICI members are issuing their employees an “Essential Business” letter similar to the attached draft letter. Please see the attached draft letter as an example which can be given to your Essential Personnel. Please change as you see fit and review with your legal counsel. The letter is intended to assist your Essential Personnel if they’re stopped or questioned about their travel to the respective positions.
In addition, attached is a draft Placard for placement in your employees’ vehicles.
Federal Stimulus Funds for Small Business: As you may know, last week a $2 trillion stimulus package giving aid to small businesses impacted by this outbreak became law. The stimulus package contains several loan programs for businesses of all sizes through the Small Business Administration, but the most important program for small businesses is the Paycheck Protection Program. While technically a loan, it will convert into a grant if business owners with 500 or fewer employees follow all the requirements. The purpose of the loan program is to help businesses maintain their headcount during this outbreak. $350 billion is allocated for this program, or roughly the amount to cover payroll for all small businesses for six weeks.
New CDC Recommendations on Face Masks. Last week, the CDC revised its recommendations to encourage the public use of face masks. These new recommendations for PPE come as widespread shortages of PPE in health care persist, with numerous media reports of healthcare providers revising long-standing procedures to reuse face masks and respirators with multiple patients and over longer periods. Attached to this update is guidance for employees about the do’s and don’ts on using facemasks.
Workplace Mask Liability Issues
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