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Are you vaccine eligible? and more important updates.

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Resume McHenry County Update!
Through our collaboration with McHenry County, we will continue to share important information on stimulus programs, PPP loans, COVID-19 updates and more through its Resume McHenry County Updates.
Please take a moment to scroll down to see new advancements this week as we move to open McHenry County. If MCEDC can be of any help, please call. Forward this email to your friends and family to help get the word out!

 

Our Pathway to reopening Illinois

Effective yesterday, every Illinois resident age 16 and older became eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
This week’s issue celebrates the reopening of two of McHenry County‘s many famous institutions. We’d like to see many more. No, those aren’t the right words – we’d like to see them all reopen to their pre-pandemic glory.
How do we get there? We get vaccinated. And we continue to take the precautions that have helped get us much easier restrictions until the CDC tells us that they are no longer necessary.
Read on to learn more, and how you can do your part to help.

 

COVID-19 vaccine available to all Illinois residents 16 and over

Every person who receives the vaccine helps us take a step toward herd immunity and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you’ve already received the vaccine, thank you. If you haven’t, there are multiple avenues by which you can sign up. There’s a lot of demand – after all, everyone 16 and older can sign up – so please be patient.
The McHenry County Department of Health uses the state’s COVID-19 vaccine registration page at https://covidvaccination.dph.illinois.gov. You should visit the site frequently as new appointment options are posted regularly, but fill up quickly.
People without Internet or who need translation services can schedule an appointment through the MCDH Call Center at 815-334-4045, or by calling the Illinois Department of Public Health hotline at 833-621-1284.
You also can receive the vaccine through retail pharmacies, and you can find a list of participating pharmacies and their locations at http://coronavirus.illinois.gov, or in the MCDH vaccine locator page at http://bit.ly/MCDHFindVaccine.
Recipients who are 16 or 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who will be required to sign the consent form at the appointment. Proof of age (a state-issued ID or birth certificate) will be required and verified at the appointment. Pfizer is the only vaccine that has received the emergency use authorization for 16- and 17-year-olds.

 

Coming soon…

It’s not too much to VAXX!

Shortly after Resume McHenry County was created to help our business community, we created the “It’s Not Too Much to Mask” campaign to encourage mask wearing, hand washing and social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19.
We’re breathing new life into the campaign to ensure that people stay vigilant and not become lax, either because of pandemic fatigue or because they’ve gotten the vaccine.
Also, as vaccine availability increases to meet McHenry County‘s distribution system, be on the lookout for our upcoming campaign, “It’s Not Too Much to Vaxx,” which will encourage people to sign up and get inoculated against the disease. We’ll need your help to get out the word and get people who may be hesitant about receiving the vaccine off the fence and into a clinic.
Until then, you can help us promote mask wearing by joining our social media campaign:
·    Wear your mask (the proper way over your mouth and nose). It’s the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
·    Next, take a picture and post to your social media sharing why you mask and use the hashtags #MaskOnMcHenryCounty and #ResumeMcHenryCounty.
It’s as easy as that! If you really want to impress people with your graphic design skills, you can click here to open up a customizable social media graphic template in Canva to add your picture to our message! If you don’t have a free Canva account, it will take you a matter of seconds to create one through the link.
If you’re shy, but want to help spread the message, you can click here for a ready-to-go Resume McHenry County masking graphic for social media.

 

Woodstock Farmer’s Market returns to the Square

The renowned Woodstock Farmer’s Market is coming back to the Square, and earlier than usual!
The market opens this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. While it normally starts in May, organizers moved up the opening by two weeks to provide a safer and more comfortable environment for vendors and shoppers.
Not only is this year’s market opening earlier, but it’s also bigger, with seven new vendors added to its lineup of local producers.
While the market is open Saturdays, its Tuesday morning sessions will not begin until June 1. And yes, live music will return as well!
Vendor tables will be placed at least six feet apart, and customers will not be able to touch products before purchasing them. You can click here to learn about the other safety precautions that will be in place.
The Woodstock Farmer’s Market last year was voted the best farmer’s market in Illinois, and the fifth best in the US, by the American Farmland Trust. It also was voted Best Farmer’s Market in McHenry County in last year’s Best of the Fox Awards. Visit www.woodstockfarmersmarket.org to learn more.

 

Illinois Railway Museum

McHenry County has taken another step toward a return to normalcy with the reopening of the storied Illinois Railway Museum.
The Union museum reopened last Sunday, and will be open Sundays starting at 10 a.m. through April. Its schedule will expand to Saturdays as well in May, and will be open on Memorial Day.
Tickets must be purchased in advance to help the museum comply with capacity limits, and can be done by visiting tickets.irm.org. Guests must submit to a temperature check and health screening upon entry, and must wear face masks and adhere to physical distancing requirements.

 

Rental Assistance Program applications open

Qualified renters who have fallen behind on their rent or utilities because of pandemic-related hardship can now apply for relief through the McHenry County Emergency Utility and Rental Assistance Program.
The online application portal, which went live yesterday, can be found at www.McHenryRent.com. Renters who do not have Internet access can call the McHenry County Housing Authority at 815-338-7752, or Consumer Credit Counseling Services at 815-338-5757 for Spanish speakers. It is anticipated that the web portal will soon have a translation function for Spanish and other commonly spoken languages.
McHenry County received $9.1 million in federal COVID-19 stimulus funding to help qualified renters. The assistance program aims to reduce or eliminate pandemic-related evictions, prevent homelessness, avoid damaged credit that could hurt future housing opportunities for renters, and repair landlord/tenant relationships strained because of lack of payment.
Renters who qualify (and landlords can apply, too) can receive rent and utility assistance for up to six months in arrears, and up to three months in advance. Awarded funds are paid directly to the landlord or the utility company.
Qualifying households must be at or below 80% of their area median income – households at 50% or lower or that include dependents or seniors 62 years and older will get priority. They also must be able to demonstrate a loss of income or employment as a result of COVID-19. Immigration status is not a factor in determining eligibility.
More information on the program can be found on the online portal. Please help us spread the word to get this assistance out to people in need.
We hope we got your attention. We need your help reaching more McHenry County residents and businesses to share this important information about the COVID-19 response and connect them with vital resources.
Please take these four steps:
1. Share/forward to your email/newsletter contacts.
2. Post information to your website.
3. Follow us on social media (see below); share our posts with your followers.
4. If you are not on the McHenry County Constant Contact list, please subscribe here

 

Follow McHenry County Government On Social Media

Staying connected and informed is more important now than ever! Follow McHenry County on social media for regular updates on COVID-19 in our region, resources to help you navigate the pandemic, safety tips and more!

 

What is Resume McHenry County?

Resume McHenry County is a collaborative initiative being implemented by McHenry County and the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) in partnership with the McHenry County community, including cities and villages, businesses and residents. The goal is to ensure a successful reopening of our economy so that we can return to our lifestyles safely and responsibly.