Employer not providing PPE? Shop not enforcing social distancing? Here’s who to call.
Illinois officials have issued many orders, placed many restrictions and offered many guidelines for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic in the past two months, and residents have largely abided by them.
State, county and local police are reporting no big problems with enforcement.
“I think the public is doing a pretty good job at this,” said Sgt. Chris Watson, south deputy chief in the Illinois State Police’s public information office. “They’re really paying attention to (Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order), and they’re really taking it seriously.”
The order, which became effective March 21, required “nonessential” businesses to close temporarily, allowed “essential” ones to continue operating and asked residents to stay at home as much as possible. Other rules and regulations have listed precautions that employers must take to protect the safety of customers, workers and the public.
But violations do occur, and that leaves some people wondering what to do when they see one.
There are three major types of complaints: Those related to the policies of essential businesses, those related to the actions of nonessential businesses and those related to the behavior of individual citizens.
The Illinois Attorney General’s Office and Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity have set up processes to deal with the first two categories of complaints. The rest are left up to county and city police departments.
The Illinois State Police sees itself as more of a “community caretaker” that educates the public about the governor’s order, according to a statement.
“Local law enforcement and county health departments will typically be on the front lines of this mission which is geared toward ensuring public safety,” it read. “While the goal is voluntary compliance, citizens should be aware that non-compliance with the Executive Order can result in criminal and civil sanctions.”
Complaints about essential businesses
WORKPLACE RIGHTS BUREAU
844-740-5076
workplacerights@atg.state.il.us.
People are encouraged to contact the Workplace Rights Bureau of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office with complaints or questions about whether an operating business is violating Pritzker’s order by not maintaining a safe and sanitary environment.
“We’ve received more than 1,600 complaints from workers related to COVID-19,” said Annie Thompson, spokeswoman for the Attorney General’s Office. “Generally, these complaints pertain to employers not following the social-distancing guidelines laid out in the governor’s executive orders.”
That includes keeping people 6 feet apart, providing face coverings for employees and taking other measures to slow the spread of coronavirus, which causes the respiratory disease COVID-19.
Information on outcomes of the 1,600 complaints wasn’t immediately available, Thompson said.
To file a complaint, people should contact the Workplace Rights Bureau at 844-740-5076 or workplacerights@atg.state.il.us.
“We do work on an ongoing basis to protect the rights of workers, whether it’s insuring that they are working in safe conditions or insuring that they are receiving fair wages for the hours that they’re working,” Thompson said. “But certainly now we have a team of attorneys who are working to address complaints regarding COVID-19.”
Once a complaint is filed, team members will follow up with both businesses and complainants to gather more information before determining what action should be taken, Thompson said.
Complaints about nonessential businesses
ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
(217) 782-7500
www2.illinois.gov/dceo
Businesses considered nonessential under Pritzker’s order include hair and nail salons, tobacco and vaping shops, fitness centers and dance studios, stores for clothing, shoes, mattresses and home decor, theaters, bowling alleys and arcades.
Restaurants can only offer drive-thru, carryout, curbside pickup and delivery services.
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity instructs people to contact local law enforcement if they feel a nonessential business is operating illegally. Or they can file a complaint at https://www2.illinois.gov/dceo.
As of Friday, the department had received 2,186 complaints, according to an emailed statement from Lauren Huffman, deputy director of media relations and communications.
“Each complaint is reviewed and a preliminary inquiry is opened by DCEO to see if the complaint can be resolved without enforcement action,” the statement read. “In many cases, the complaint is resolved by working with the business to understand if it can be open as an essential business or what activities are permitted as a non-essential business under the relevant order.”
Officials who deal with complaints weren’t available for comment, Huffman said.
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity doesn’t have enforcement powers under the governor’s order, according to the statement. If it can’t resolve issues with a business, the matter is referred to local law enforcement.
“DCEO recognizes this is a difficult time for businesses throughout our state, and our primary goal is to provide guidance and information about resources available to help grant Illinois businesses relief during the crisis,” the statement read.
Complaints about everything else
LOCAL POLICE OR SHERIFF
ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
312-783-2800
The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department has received four or five complaints about violations of the governor’s stay-at-home order in the past two months, said Capt. Bruce Fleshren. Most resulted from people driving by restaurants and seeing cars in parking lots.
“We’ll go there, and usually it’s people who are waiting for food pickups,” Fleshren said. Or the vehicles belong to employees.
Only once has the sheriff’s department taken action against a business due to a violation, Fleshren said. The owner of a tavern in unincorporated Dupo lost his liquor license in late March after allowing customers to sit and drink inside the building.
Belleville Police Department has kept a little busier with complaints.
“We get three to four a day,” Lt. Mark Kroenig said last week. “It also goes in spurts. If it’s cold and rainy outside, not many people get out anyway.”
Most complaints relate to cars in parking lots of nonessential businesses, people not wearing masks or staying 6 feet apart or children playing in playgrounds. Under current restrictions, people can walk in parks but not use playground equipment.
In each case, Kroenig said, police follow Illinois State Police protocol by driving to the scene and making sure people are in compliance or telling them how to become compliant.
“To my knowledge, the Belleville Police Department hasn’t arrested anyone for a violation,” he said.
People who have questions about employee benefits during the coronavirus pandemic should contact the Illinois Department of Labor at 312-783-2800 in the Chicago office or 217-782-6206 in Springfield or send an email to dol.questions@illinois.gov.
This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
