Updates

  • Stay at Home order extended until May 30.
  • Illinois Department of Public Health:
  • Illinois Department of Employment Security
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
    • Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IIDs) and Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTFs) https://bit.ly/3aAAWZD
    • Outpatient Settings: FAQs and Considerations https://bit.ly/2waDwGQ
    • Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) Requirements and Implications Related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) https://bit.ly/2yrXxJJ
    • Hospitals, Psychiatric Hospitals, and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs): FAQs, Considerations for Patient Triage, Placement, Limits to Visitation and Availability of 1135 waivers. https://bit.ly/39E8uVb
    • COVID-19 guidance in dialysis facilities https://bit.ly/2UxNHP2
  • Illinois Department of Transportation message on COVID-19: http://www.idot.illinois.gov/covid19
    • Roads and bridges are open and will stay open
    • Construction projects will remain on schedule
  • Cook County Taxes, Fines and Fees Relief Package https://bit.ly/2xLjrY5
    • Home Rule Taxes: The filing date has been extended to May 1, 2020 for the February and March 2020 tax periods. No penalties or interest will be applied during this extension period
    • Liquor Licenses: Unincorporated Cook County Liquor Licenses expiring April 30, 2020 will be extended until July 31, 2020.
    • Transportation and Highways:
      • Any Right of Way (ROW) Violations will be waived, and only warnings will be issued, through April 30, 2020.
      • Permit fees for any entity seeking a County Highways ROW Permit, excluding utility companies, will be waived through April 30, 2020.
    • Contract Compliance—Certifications Extended:
      • All currently certified Minority/Women/Veteran/Service-Disabled Veteran/Person with Disability owned businesses have the option of having their 2020 renewal dates extended automatically by 6 months with recertification fees waived.
      • Those businesses whose renewal date is in April, May, June and July of 2020 will automatically be extended for 6 months.
  • Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
  • Illinois Department of Agriculture Updates https://bit.ly/3dNNGxS
    • Updates on cannabis application information
    • Solid Mosquito Larvicide Training
    • Winter Blend Fuel Waiver
    • Egg Packaging
  • Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum E-newsletter https://bit.ly/2X0Zp6c

Health and Safety Resources

  • CDC Coronavirus information (https://bit.ly/2VF4twa) –The CDC announced six new symptoms, including chills, repeated shaking with chills and muscle pain. The CDC recently noted fever, cough, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing were symptoms of COVID-19.Coronavirus hotline (bit.ly/ilcoronavirushotline) – Call the Illinois Department of Public Health Coronavirus Hotline with questions. Health professionals can also use it to report suspected COVID-19 cases: 1-800-889-3931.
  • IDOC COVID-19 Support Line—The Department of Corrections has established a support line for questions regarding COVID-19. It is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM at 217-558-2200 ext. 7700. Questions can also be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
  • Insurance questions (bit.ly/ilinsurancequestions) – Dial the Illinois Department of Insurance’s hotline for your COVID-19-related insurance questions: (877) 527-9431.
  • Telemedicine (bit.ly/iltelemedicine) – The state has relaxed rules about the use of telephone and video chat for the delivery of medical advice. If you have private insurance or Medicaid, you may qualify.
  • Mental health help— To access the statewide telehealth programs and the mental health hotline, text “TALK” to 5-5-2-0-2-0, or for Spanish, “HABLAR” to the same number: 5-5-2-0-2-0.
  • Senior grocery store hours (bit.ly/ilseniorshopping) – Many grocery stores are offering special hours for seniors and high-risk individuals.
  • Severe weather resources (bit.ly/ilseverewx) – The Illinois Emergency Management Agency and National Weather Service are developing guidelines for severe weather. Check that your community shelter is open on IEMA’s website before you head there to take cover.

Resources for families

Businesses

  • Dentists (Bit.ly/ildentists) – The Illinois Dental Association recommends members cancel all non-emergency appointments through April 30.
  • Restaurants (bit.ly/ilrestaurants) – Ordered not to have dine-in guests through April 30. Delivery, curbside pick-up and drive-through sales are still allowed. Carry out is permitted if social distancing is practiced.
  • Bars (bit.ly/illinoisbars) – Ordered closed through April 30. Some breweries and wineries are seeking opportunities to continue sales of closed liquor packages (bottles of wine, cans of beer, etc.).
  • Events (bit.ly/illinoisevents) – Events that serve more than 10 people or occur in a non-essential setting are banned March 21-April 30. Events serving more than 50 people banned from March 18. Events serving more than 1,000 people were banned from March 12 to April 11. FAQ about the stay-at-home order are available here: bit.ly/ilstayathomefaqs

Education

  • Public schools (bit.ly/ilschools) – Ordered closed through April 30. Grab-and-go meals are available for students who need them statewide, and some schools are even offering delivery. Many restaurants are also offering free meals to children who need them. CPS is offering free boxes of food with three days' worth of meals for every child in a household available for pick up on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
  • Private schools (bit.ly/ilprivateschools) – Ordered closed through April 30.
  • Most colleges and universities (including all state public universities) (bit.ly/ilcolleges) – All in-person classes canceled.

Government services

  • Driver’s services facilities (bit.ly/ildmv) – Closed through April 30. Any licenses, IDs, registrations that expire during this period are automatically extended by 30 days. The federal government also extended the deadline to begin requiring a REAL ID or passport to board a plane, originally set for October 1, 2020.
  • Vehicle emissions testing stations (bit.ly/ilemissionstest) – Closed through April 30. Due dates for inspections are extended in relation with vehicle registration extensions.
  • Family and Community Resource Centers (bit.ly/ildhsfcrc) – All but 14 of the IDHS FCRCs are closed, where people can apply for SNAP and other need-based assistance. Waits may be longer than usual for guests who visit in person. Online applications (bit.ly/ilfcrcapp) will still be processed, and IDHS’s call center is still open: 1-800-843-6154.
  • Department of Rehabilitation Services local offices (bit.ly/ilrehabservices) – Closed starting March 19. Online applications are still being accepted: DRS.illinois.gov/apply.
  • Cook County circuit trials (bit.ly/cookcountytrials) – Most trials postponed through April 17. Other jurisdictions, including Lake and DuPage Counties are taking similar steps.

Help for struggling nonprofit organizations and businesses

  • Paycheck Protection Program (PPP): The program is replenished. It is a loan to provide incentive for small businesses to keep workers on the payroll. SBA will forgive loans if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest or utilities. Apply here: https://bit.ly/PPPLoans.
  • Nicor Gas offering help to nonprofit organizations:
    • Submit a contribution request through their website: https://www.nicorgas.com/company/about-us/philanthropy/charitable-giving.html.
      • A brief background of the organization (two pages or less) and its Board membership list.
      • The organization's mission statement.
      • A legible and most recent copy of the organization's 501(c)(3) tax-exempt letter.
      • A clear statement of the project for which funds are needed.
      • The amount the organization requests for the project.
      • Sources of other support for the project and current financial statement of the organization.
  • Illinois Small Business Emergency Loans (https://bit.ly/bizloanfund) – The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation established the Illinois Small Business Emergency Loan Fund to offer low-interest loans of up to $50,000 to struggling small businesses. Chicago is offering a similar program (bit.ly/chibizresiliencyfund) for businesses located in the city.
  • Small business loans (bit.ly/ussmallbizloan) – The U.S. Small Business Administration is extending assistance loans to struggling businesses.
  • Small business disaster assistance loans (bit.ly/bizdisasterassistance) – The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering disaster assistance loans for up to $2 million.
  • Low-interest loans (bit.ly/lowinterestloan) – Backed by the Illinois treasury, banks and credit unions throughout Illinois are offering low-interest loans to businesses that have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Sales tax deferment (bit.ly/salestaxdeferment)– Small- and mid-sized restaurants and bars will be able to defer sales tax payments for February, March, and April.
  • Cannabis business license applications (bit.ly/cannabislicenseapps) – IDFPR is accepting applications through certified mail, rather than in person.
  • Automatic license extensions (bit.ly/IDFPRlicenses) – IDFPR is automatically renewing all licenses that would normally expire between March 1 and July 31 until September 30. Continuing education that would normally be required to be completed in person can also be done online. The governor has issued executive orders that provide similar opportunities to cannabis businesses, private security and fingerprint vendors.
  • Online massage therapy and cosmetology school courses (bit.ly/ilmassagecosmetology) – IDFPR is allowing these schools to offer more than 10% of their courses online until July 31.
  • Expedited Critical Access Pharmacy Payments (bit.ly/ilpharmacypayments) – Comptroller Susana Mendoza expedited payments to pharmacies in underserved rural communities.
  • Online notary services (bit.ly/ilnotary) – Notaries are allowed to work online using two-way videos while the governor’s disaster declaration is in effect.

How you can help

  • Volunteering (https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/serve/Pages/default.aspx)– Volunteers are needed during the pandemic. Serve Illinois is working to connect volunteers to organizations that need help.
  • Blood donation (https://www.redcross.org/) – The crisis has caused many blood drives to be cancelled, so there is a great need for blood throughout the state. Consider donating to your local blood bank.
  • Food bank donations (https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank )– With many people out of work, food banks are seeing a drastic increase in need for food assistance. Consider donating to your local food bank to help struggling families during this difficult time.
  • Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund (https://www.ilcovidresponsefund.org/) – The state is collecting donations to help Illinois not-for-profits that are serving essential human services needs during the pandemic.
  • Former health care professionals (bit.ly/ilformerhealthprofessionals) – Illinois is requesting the help of former health care professionals during this crisis. Licensing requirements have been modified to make returning to the field easier.
  • Health care professional notification (https://www.illinoishelps.net/) – The state developed a new website to more easily alert and activate medical professionals in the event of disasters and public health emergencies. All medical professionals are encouraged to register.
  • Donations of protective equipment (bit.ly/ilppe) – Illinois is accepting donations of unopened equipment, like masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes to ensure adequate supply during shortages.