Governor Pritzker Announces Restore Illinois: A Public Health Approach To Safely Reopen Our State

Restore Illinois is a Five-Phase, Regional Plan for Saving Lives, Livelihoods, and Safely Reopening Illinois
Chicago – Building on data, science, and guidance from public health experts and after consulting with stakeholders across the state, Governor JB Pritzker announced Restore Illinois, a five-phase plan focused on saving lives, livelihood, and safely reopening Illinois.
 
“"We have to figure out how to live with COVID-19 until it can be vanquished – and to do so in a way that best supports our residents’ health and our healthcare systems, and saves the most lives," said Governor JB Pritzker. "Restore Illinois is a public health plan to safely reintroduce the parts of our lives that have been put on hold in our fight against COVID-19. This is also a data-driven plan that operates on a region-by-region basis, a recognition that reality on the ground looks different in different areas of our state."
The five-phase plan is guided by public health metrics designed to provide a framework for reopening businesses, education, and recreational activities in each phase. This initial plan can and will be updated as research and science develop and as the potential for effective treatments or vaccines is realized.
 
The five-phase plan is based on regional healthcare availability and recognizes the distinct impact COVID-19 has had on different regions of our state as well as regional variations in hospital capacity. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has 11 Emergency Medical Services Regions that have traditionally guided its statewide public health work. For the purposes of Restore Illinois, from those 11, four health regions are established, each with the ability to independently move through a phased approach: Northeast Illinois; North-Central Illinois; Central Illinois; and Southern Illinois.
                                   
The five phases of reopening for each health region are as follows:
 
Phase 1 – Rapid Spread: The rate of infection among those tested and the number of patients admitted to the hospital is high or rapidly increasing. Strict stay at home and social distancing guidelines are put in place and only essential businesses remain open. Every region has experienced this phase once already and could return to it if mitigation efforts are unsuccessful.
 
Phase 2 – Flattening: The rate of infection among those tested and the number of patients admitted to the hospital beds and ICU beds increases at an ever slower rate, moving toward a flat and even a downward trajectory. Non-essential retail stores reopen for curb-side pickup and delivery. Illinoisans are directed to wear a face covering when outside the home, and can begin enjoying additional outdoor activities like golf, boating and fishing while practicing social distancing. To varying degrees, every region is experiencing flattening as of early May.
 
Phase 3 – Recovery: The rate of infection among those tested, the number of patients admitted to the hospital, and the number of patients needing ICU beds is stable or declining. Manufacturing, offices, retail, barbershops and salons can reopen to the public with capacity and other limits and safety precautions. All gatherings limited to 10 or fewer people are allowed. Face coverings and social distancing are the norm.
 
Phase 4 – Revitalization: The rate of infection among those tested and the number of patients admitted to the hospital continues to decline. All gatherings of up to 50 people are allowed, restaurants and bars reopen, travel resumes, child care and schools reopen under guidance from the IDPH. Face coverings and social distancing are the norm.
 
Phase 5 – Illinois Restored: With a vaccine or highly effective treatment widely available or the elimination of any new cases over a sustained period, the economy fully reopens with safety precautions continuing. Conventions, festivals and large events are permitted, and all businesses, schools, and places of recreation can open with new safety guidance and procedures in place reflecting the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 
Until COVID-19 is defeated, Restore Illinois recognizes that as health metrics tell us it is safe to move forward, health metrics may also tell us to return to a prior phase. With a vaccine or treatment not yet available, IDPH will be closely monitoring key metrics to immediately identify new growth in cases and hospitalizations to determine whether a return to a prior phase is needed.
 
As millions of Illinoisans continue working together by staying at home and following experts’ recommendations, the result has been a lower infection rate, lower hospitalizations, and lower number of fatalities than without these measures. As the state’s curve begins to flatten, the risk of spread remains, and modeling and data point to a rapid surge in new cases if all mitigation measures are immediately lifted. The governor and his administration continue to urge all Illinois residents to follow the state’s stay at home order and to follow the guidance issued by the state and public health experts.

* CLICK HERE to view or download the full Restore Illinois plan. It is also available at Coronavirus.Illinois.gov *  

The next few weeks will determine how much Congress will invest in homelessness and housing during the coronavirus pandemic. New legislation, called CARES 2, is now being written to expand the investments made by the CARES Act. This bill will respond to the public health crisis caused by the pandemic, as well as the unprecedented spike in joblessness and economic instability across the nation. You can help shape it. Millions of tenants are now on the brink of homelessness because they can no longer pay their rent. Hundreds of thousands are already living on the streets and in shelters, highly susceptible to catching this virus. Thousands more have been placed in hotels by state and local governments as a temporary refuge, but will soon face the streets again without long term housing. The CARES 2 Act must expand assistance for those who are currently homeless, invest in emergency assistance for people who can no longer pay the rent, and provide long-term rental assistance for severely disabled or elderly people at special risk to homelessness.  We must press Congress to include these priorities in CARES 2; substantial work is already underway to shape this legislation on Capitol Hill. Please act now to demand $11.5 billion in homelessness assistance, a $100 billion fund for emergency rental assistance, and at least $10 billion in long term vouchers for the elderly and disabled. And if Congress takes up an infrastructure plan as part of this legislation, those investments must also include substantial increases to the National Housing Trust Fund for development of affordable housing.  No one can predict how bad this global recession will be. We need your help in this advocacy effort, forcing Congress to act now before millions are added to the rolls of the homeless. Please personalize your message and share your perspective, whether you're a homeless services provider, a person experiencing homelessness, or a concerned advocate. Regardless of your experience, Congress needs to know your story. Thank you for your advocacy and commitment to ending homelessness.     ACT NOW Sincerely,  Steve Berg VP for Programs and Policy National Alliance to End Homelessness

HUD EXCHANGE: 

• COVID-19 Prevention and Response for Homeless Providers - Daily Resource Digest
• View the HOME COVID-19 & CARES Act FAQs.

 

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Dear Community Partners:   In recent days, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) has received many important questions about participation in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), such as who should apply, and whether certain organizations meet the PPP’s economic requirements.    First, any IDHS provider whose ability to provide services has been impacted, either in whole or in part, by the COVID-19 pandemic, is strongly encouraged (i) to apply for PPP funding and (ii) if successful in applying, to keep the federal PPP funds provided. If you need additional clarification on this, please reach out to your program division.   IDHS makes this recommendation to maximize funding for State providers and to ensure that limited State funding is stretched as far as possible, particularly in light of increasing economic uncertainty and diminishing State revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic.    As noted previously, providers cannot seek and receive payments from both the State and the federal PPP program for the same cost (i.e. a provider cannot be paid twice for the same obligation). To do so, could result in criminal, civil, regulatory, and/or audit issues for the provider.   Providers whose ability to perform has not been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e. providers who are able to fully perform and to be paid for that performance) are not encouraged by IDHS to apply, but must make their own, independent determination as to whether they should.    While providers will need to make their own, independent determinations, providers who are unable to perform, either in whole or in part, due to the COVID-19 pandemic should meet the PPP program “current economic uncertainty” requirements, making their “loan request necessary to support the ongoing operations of the applicant.”  This letter can be used in support.    As providers know all-too-well, IDHS and its providers are living through significant economic uncertainty. While IDHS is trying to support providers with retention payments, federal support is necessary to ensure the long-term operations for many providers and to maximize IDHS’s and the State’s limited funding.    We do not know how long the COVID-19 pandemic will last, but we do know that without ongoing federal support, IDHS retention payments for services not performed will not be sustainable. With reduced State revenues, there is uncertainty as to IDHS’s funding capacity, cash flow, and when IDHS’s service delivery system will be able to return to something close to normal.    So, while IDHS is committed to maintaining retention payments, at a minimum, for FY2020, while the pandemic continues, “current economic uncertainty” supports federal funding for providers whose performance has been impacted, both to support providers and to maximize limited State funds.   IDHS is grateful to every provider making good faith efforts to secure and to retain federal funding. Both directly and indirectly, this helps the provider, IDHS, the State, and the social and human services system everyone is counting on to get Illinois through this unprecedented challenge.    Thank you, Grace B. Hou  Secretary, IDHS

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COVID-19 RESOURCES FOR SOAR PROVIDERS
The SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) is a national program funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) designed to increase access to the disability income benefit programs administered by SSA for eligible adults who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and have a serious mental illness, medical impairment, and/or a co-occurring substance use disorder. For more information, visit SOAR’s website at https://soarworks.prainc.com/