Governor’s Office Daily COVID-19 Q & A
April 3, 2020
Helplines and Webpages
General Resources: visit coronavirus.illinois.gov
PPE Equipment:
• Donations: PPE.donations@Illinois.gov
• To Manufacture PPE in Illinois: ima@ima-net.org
Business Assistance:
• Essential Business inquiries contact: 1-800-252-2923 or CEO.support@illinois.gov
• IL Small Business Assistance email: CEO.support@illinois.gov (DCEO) or click here.
• Federal Small Business loans visit: https://disasterloan.sba.gov.
• Business insurance coverage: https://mc.insurance.illinois.gov/messagecenter.nsf.
Individual Services and Assistance:
• Employee workplace rights complaint contact the Attorney General’s Office: (844) 740-5076 or submit a complaint online.
• Unemployment insurance inquiries call Claimant Services: (800) 244-5631.
• Resources for people with disabilities visit: www.DDD.Illinois.gov.
• Consumer guidance on debts due and regulated financial sectors: click here.
• Airbnb Housing opportunities for first responders and medical professionals: click here.
• For insurance coverage guidance from the Department of Insurance: click here.
• Medication Affordability Assistance: visit: https://abe.illinois.gov/abe/access/
• Illinois taxpayer information visit DOR’s resource page here.
Other Resources:
• List of Executive Orders related to COVID-19: click here.
• Federal Stimulus Package Unemployment Benefits Q&A: click here.
• IDFPR list of licensees and consumers impacted by COVID-19: click here.
• School related inquires visit: https://www.isbe.net/covid19
• COVID19 cases by county visit: dph.illinois.gov
• To volunteer: visit serve.illinois.gov or email dph.serveillinois@illinois.gov
• COVID-19 Symptom guidelines visit DPH website: click here.
• Emergency Day Care Provider Search: visit https://emergencycare.inccrra.org
• To report price gouging, submit a complaint: online.
Supplies and PPE
Q: How can a health care provider who is able to use non-N95 masks get access to any of the donations coming in or the masks erroneously sent to the state by the federal government?
A: A healthcare provider must submit their request to their local health department who will collaborate with IEMA to obtain the PPE.
Q: Will PPE be made available for workers of essential businesses, not just health care staff?
A: Other entities who need PPE may request through their local Emergency Management Department.
Safety Measures
Q: What is being done to protect our veterinarians and their staff since they are considered as an essential business?
A: The Illinois Department of Agriculture recognizes that animal shelters, animal controls and veterinarians are facing unique challenges during the COVID-19 event. Decisions are being made to protect staff and the public while also providing essential services for animals and the community at large. To that end, many clinics have stopped all elective surgeries at this time, including spay and neuter procedures. As a result, the Illinois Department of Agriculture will allow shelters and animal controls to utilize 225 ILCS 605/3.3(a)(2) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A licensed veterinarian must certify that the animals were unable to be altered prior to adoption due to COVID-19 requiring sterilization surgeries to be delayed. Furthermore, the licensee must ensure that they and the adopter agree in writing that the animals will be altered within 14 days of elective surgeries being resumed at the clinic. The licensee will be responsible for verifying this requirement is met. The Department has a full page of resources for pet owners, veterinarians, animal shelters, caretakers of pets of humans exposed to COVID-19, and the livestock industry. A link to this information can be found at: https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/agr/Animals/AnimalHealth/Pages/COVID-19.aspx
Insurance
Q: How will independent primary care physicians continue to practice when they do not have revenues to pay for the insurance? What assistance is available?
A:For questions on business Insurance please visit: https://mc.insurance.illinois.gov/messagecenter.nsf.
Business Compliance
Q: What is the maximum amount of people that can attend church gatherings? Can more people gather if they maintain the 6 feet requirement?
A: Per Executive Order 10 and as extended by Executive Order 18, gatherings are limited to no more than 10 people and require social distancing. The Executive Order does not otherwise prohibit religious activities and specifically allows religious organizations to provide food, shelter, and social services, and other necessities of life, to its congregants and needy individuals. All religious entities are encouraged to utilize web-sources to broadcast their services to the public while ensuring everyone stays safe inside their homes.
Tax
Q: How can a taxpayer determine their estimated tax payments?
A: The prescribed method for determining one’s estimated tax payments for a given tax year is to base it on the taxpayer’s expected liability for that tax year. For instructions and worksheet for 2020, click here.
There is a hold harmless provision related to penalty assessment that provides if a taxpayer’s estimated payments total 100% of the taxpayer’s previous tax year’s liability then no penalty will be assessed for late estimated payments.
Recognizing that because of this hold harmless provision, some taxpayers rely on their previous year’s liability when making their current year estimated payments and that, due to the filing
extension, some taxpayers will not know their 2019 liability when their first two 2020 estimated payments are due, the Administration will allow taxpayers to rely on their 2018 liability when making their 2020 estimated payments without incurring a penalty.
Transportation
Q: Highway maintainers are not actively working on the roadways and in some facilities, there are 12-13 of them working in one building. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) employee stated that they are doing “prep” work to keep busy. Is there any possibility that these workers can be put on call, or rotate them on a swing shift?
A: Highway maintenance workers are working in limited congregate setting. IDOT is reinforcing regulations and guidelines for district offices and workers.