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COVID-19 Financial Relief, Education, Illinois, Tips

Chicago Phase 4 Reopening Guidelines By Industry – FREE Webinar Recordings

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Recorded webinars for Phase 4 reopening guidance are available online now.

Chicago has moved forward, along with the rest of Illinois, into Phase 4 of reopening.

According to ABC News: Illinois has made progress through its plan for having tiered mitigation for the 11 regions in the state with the potential for increasing mitigation measures based on local resurgences. Regions are currently at the Tier 4 level, with some having additional measures.

Phase 4 of reopening allows for gatherings of 50 people or fewer, restaurants and bars can reopen with limited capacity and restrictions, travel resumes, and child care and schools can reopen under guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health. Face coverings are required and social distancing is the norm. The Illinois Department of Commerce has issued a pdf of guidelines.

Chicago has a slightly more cautious roll-out of Phase 4 based on a higher concentration of population, risk factors, and cases. The mayor recently announced the next phase of reopening for all businesses, including Retail, Food Service & Bars, Personal Services, and Health & Fitness Centers. The city’s Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection has once again held free webinars on the topics and made the recordings available on their site and YouTube.

Recorded Reopening Webinars:

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Illinois, Tips

Illinois Hospitality Emergency Grant Program

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UPDATE 4/9/2020: Per Crain’s Chicago —
More than 12,000 applied for the grants, and 700 were drawn at random from a pool of applications. The winning 450 bars and restaurants each will get an average of $14,000, which can be used for payroll and general corporate purposes. The 250 small hotels get an average of $30,000. Officials said they are looking for other sources of funds to offer more grants in the future.

To help hospitality businesses make ends meet in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the State of Illinois launched the Hospitality Emergency Grant Program. Grant funds are available to support working capital like payroll and rent, as well as job training, retraining, and technology to support shifts in operations, like increased pick-up and delivery. Eligible businesses include:
  • Bars and restaurants with a valid license to serve food or liquor and who generated revenues of less than $1 million in 2019.
  • Hotels with a valid license (hotels, motels other lodging establishments) and who generated revenues of less than $8 million in 2019.
Find application here. Applications are due April 1st by 5PM. Winners will be selected through a lottery.

Source: Hospitality Emergency Grant Program | Accion

If this or any other posts on the website were useful to you, and your financial situation permits it, please consider contributing to my tip jar. This allows me to continue to provide free accounting resources to small businesses who do not have the funds available to hire a CPA.