Illinois governor releases Phase 3 guidelines for businesses to reopen amid coronavirus
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has released guidelines for businesses and workplaces to reopen in the state after the stay-at-home executive order set to expire on May 29, paving the way for an estimated 700,000 Illinoisans to return to work.
The guidelines came with a set of industry-specific toolkits, a news release from Pritzker’s office said Sunday. The guidelines and toolkits can be found online through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s website at www2.illinois.gov/dceo/pages/restoreILP3.aspx.
Pritzker’s Restore Illinois Plan, announced May 5, includes five phases. Phase 3, or “Recovery,” of the plan includes the reopening of businesses in retail, offices, manufacturing, barbershops and salons, summer programs, various outdoor recreation activities and bars and restaurants for outdoor dining.
The toolkits include signs, training checklists and other resources for business owners and workers to implement safety procedures and precautions from the Illinois Department of Public Health. Materials will soon be made available in multiple languages, including Spanish, Polish, Chinese and others commonly spoken in the state, according to the release.
All four regions of the state are on track to reopen, the release said.
“In every aspect of our pandemic response, and especially as we begin to safely reopen meaningful swaths of our economy, our number one priority must be the health and safety of our workers, our customers, and Illinoisans at large,” Pritzker said in the release. “The industry-specific baseline guidance for businesses the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity released today will help employers re-open their doors in Phase 3 in line with that priority.”
The administration said in the release that DCEO and IDPH collected input from more than 200 industry participants across the state to gauge the questions and ideas of business owners of “every size, background and region in the state.”
“You can’t build a strong economy if people aren’t comfortable being a part of it,” Pritzker said.
In addition to the guidelines, DCEO and IDPH also released a common set of standards that all state businesses must follow, including the required use of face coverings, social distancing and informational signs on site, among other preventative measures.
This story was originally published May 24, 2020 at 12:06 PM.
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