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  •  Below you will find a comprehensive overview of resources developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the State, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to ensure your business and your employees have the necessary information to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

  • Mendota Area Chamber of Commerce:

    The Mendota Area Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to supporting our workforce. With the recent reports of COVID-19 cases within LaSalle County and the United State, it is imperative that the business community comes together to provide resources and enforce strategies to protect our workers during this time.

    The Mendota Area Chamber of Commerce encourages all local businesses to consider the following:
     
    1. For your business: Prepare for negative economic impacts.
    • Capital: Create, confirm, or expand your line of credit. 
    • Staffing: Develop staffing plans for varying levels of customers and revenue (what does an 80% scenario plan look like?).
    • Insurance: Check with your insurance provider to understand your coverage and options.
     
    2. For your customers: Make your place of business as hygienic as possible and communicate what you are doing to customers, so they feel comfortable visiting. 
     
    3. For your employees: Check, modify, and communicate HR policies regarding remote working, sick-leave, and compensation during health crisis. Try to ensure your policies are as flexible and non-punitive as possible. Sick employees should be encouraged to stay home.
     
    4. For your workflow: Cross-train employees for key functions so that daily schedules can continue relatively uninterrupted by potential employee absences. Where relevant, consider staggering start and end times to reduce large numbers of people coming together at the same time; and create and test remote employee collaboration systems (consider apps such as Slack and Zoom).
     
    5. For your cashflow: Communicate with your landlord (or tenants) and lenders about expectations and request flexibility (better to have that conversation now).
     
    6. For yourself: Eat well, sleep, and exercise. Taking care of yourself in this time of stress will improve your resistance to infection and resilience in managing difficult business situations. And of course, wash your hands all the dang time and don’t touch your face, or anyone else, for that matter. 
     
    7. For your Chamber: For us to best serve you, we need to know and share what our members are doing to manage risks. To that end, please tell us what what’s working and what you need from us!
     
     

    Stay Healthy & Safe,

    Kathleen Fox
    President/CEO
    Mendota Area Chamber of Commerce

     

  • City of Mendota:

  • There are no changes to the current restrictions and allowances regarding restaurants and bars.

    • There are no changes to the current restrictions placed on barbers, hair salons or other salons.
    • Face coverings shall be required to be worn by all individuals when in public places and when not able to maintain adequate social distancing, except for children under age 2 and when with members of the same household. Face coverings will be required in public indoor spaces.
    • All essential businesses may remain open consistent with the original executive order. Grocery and other stores designated as essential shall reduce their occupancy capacity to 50%, institute one-way aisles and signage for customers, eliminate the usage of reusable bags, and will be asked to limit the number of individuals from the same household shopping at the same time.
    • Some state parks will be opened. Activities such as hiking, fishing, boating, walking and running are allowed, given adequate social distancing. Fishing and boating will only be allowed in groups no larger than two per boat. The decision to open or close community parks remains under local authority. Additional guidance from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, including which state parks will reopen on May 1, is available via this link.
    • Golf courses shall be allowed to operate within strict parameters.
    • Pet grooming services shall be allowed to operate.
    • Greenhouses, garden centers, nurseries and landscape supply companies shall be allowed to operate.
    • All retail stores, including those previously closed as non-essential, will be authorized to fulfill online orders through curbside pickup or delivery.
    • Additional information will be provided later to address healthcare services and elective procedures to be authorized by guidelines from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

     

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  • The Illinois Department of Public Health:

    The Illinois Department of Public Health is continually updating its resources to include the latest numbers and information relevant to COVID-19 in the State of Illinois.

    • The State of Illinois has 100,418 positive cases of COVID-19. (Updated 05/20)
    • LaSalle County has 130 positive cases of COVID-19. (Updated 05/20)

     

    For more IDPH information and resources, visit our IDPH page. 

     

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a guide for employers to plan and respond to COVID-19. You can find the guide here.

    For more CDC information and resources, visit CDC page.

     

  • The U.S. Department of Labor:

    The U.S. Department of Labor has resources to help workers and employers prepare for the COVID-19 virus

     

  • The Small Business Association:

    Health and government officials are working together to ensure all citizens stay safe. Small businesses are encouraged to do their part to keep their employees, customers, and themselves healthy.

     

  • Payroll Tax Credit:

    The U.S. Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the U.S. Department of Labor (Labor) announced that small and midsize employers can begin taking advantage of two new refundable payroll tax credits, designed to immediately and fully reimburse them, dollar-for-dollar, for the cost of providing Coronavirus-related leave to their employees. You can find out more in the press release.

     

  • Legislation:

  • Contact Information:

    Senator Sue Rezin (R) 38th District

    Senator Brian W. Stewart (R) 45th District

    Representative Lance Yednock (D) 76th District

    Representative Tom Demmer (R) - Previous General Assembly (98th) 90th District

     

  • Additional Resources:

    OSF HealthCare Saint Paul Medical Center

     

    City of Mendota "Code Red" Alert System

    Holy Cross Catholic School

    Mendota Elementary School District 289

    Mendota Township High School District 280

    Mendota Restaurants

    ComEd Updates: Customer Letter 04/06

                                  COVID19 Energy Scam

     

  • SLACK – $0-12.50

    Services Provided: Video Conferencing, Instant Messaging, Information Storage/Sharing and Security/Encryption

    LOOM – $0-5/Per User

    Services Provided: Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing/Webinar and Instant Messaging
    In response to COVID-19 through July 1: free for educators, recording limit removed on the free plan, free trial extended to 30 days, Loom Pro price adjusted to $5/month

    ZOOM – $0-19.99

    Services Provided: Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing/Webinar and Security/Encryption
    In response to COVID-19: free for educators to move toward virtual learning

    ZOOM PHONE – $14.99

    Services Provided: Audio/Phone and Security/Encryption

    RING CENTRAL – $24.99-49.99/Per User

    Services Provided: Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing/Webinar, Audio/Phone and Instant Messaging
    In response to COVID-19: Three months free RingCentral Office for K12 educators, health providers and non-profits

  • OFFICE 365/TEAMS – $0-12.50/PER USER

    Services Provided: Video Conferencing, Instant Messaging, Information Storage/Sharing, Project Management and Security/Encryption
    In response to COVID-19: Beginning March 10, Microsoft is rolling out updates to the free version of Teams that will lift restrictions on user limits.

    GOOGLE SUITE/HANGOUTS – $6-25/PER USER

    Services Provided: Video Conferencing, Audio/Phone, Instant Messaging, Information Storage/Sharing, Project Management and Security/Encryption
    In response to COVID-19 through July 1:  free access to our advanced Hangouts Meet video-conferencing capabilities to all G Suite and G Suite for Education customers globally including larger meetings, for up to 250 participants per call, live streaming for up to 100,000 viewers within a domain, and the ability to record meetings and save them to Google Drive

  • Work from Home Resources: