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Governor imposes mask mandate for schools

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Governor imposes mask mandate for schools
Last week, Governor Pritzker announced an indoor mask mandate for all Illinois students, from preschool through high school, in response to the rapidly spreading delta variant of COVID-19.
Local school boards in recent weeks have wrestled with masking with the start of school approaching; while some districts made the mask optional, others required them.
Pritzker also announced that workers at state-run care facilities will be required to get vaccinated, and urged nursing homes to do the same in response to low vaccination rates among employees.
We sound repetitive here at Resume McHenry County, but the best way to protect yourself against COVID-19, and to prevent mitigations like the school mask mandate from returning, is to get vaccinated. To find a vaccination location near you, please visit vaccines.gov.
If you’re a business owner, you can bring the vaccine to your employees by hosting a vaccination clinic through the McHenry County Department of Health – read on in today’s edition to learn how.

 

Eviction moratorium extended
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, under mounting pressure to stop a wave of evictions in the wake of its expired eviction moratorium, extended it for another two months, to Oct. 3.
The extension applies to counties with “substantial” or “high” spread of COVID, which includes McHenry County, and by one estimate, about 80 percent of counties nationwide.
We’re not going to weigh in on the controversy surrounding whether the CDC has the constitutional ability to impose a moratorium. And while this gives breathing room to tenants, we recognize the tremendous financial strain this moratorium puts many landlords under.
However, McHenry County has established a rental relief program that renters – and landlords as well – can apply for, and we urge them to do so.
The McHenry County Emergency Utility and Rental Assistance Program gives qualifying tenants or landlords suffering COVID-related financial hardship up to 18 months of assistance with future bills, or up to 12 months of past-due payments, provided they meet the eligibility and income guidelines. Immigration status is not a factor, and is not asked of applicants.
The online application portal 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.

 

PPP forgiveness portal, but some banks opt out
In order to speed up Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness, the Small Business Administration last week opened the portal by which businesses that borrowed $150,000 or less can apply.
You can find the portal by clicking here.
However, while more than 900 lenders have agreed so far to participate in the portal, others have not, especially larger banks that gave out a significant share of the 11.8 million PPP loan; businesses that borrowed through those institutions will still have to apply for loan forgiveness through them. A list of PPP lenders participating in the portal can be downloaded here.
About $800 billion in forgivable PPP loans were given out to help employees cope with mass business shutdowns as the nation locked down to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 90 percent of them were less than $150,000, according to SBA data, hence the portal to streamline the process.

 

Businesses can now host MCDH vaccine clinics
Are you a business owner or member of a community group or organization that wants to help get people vaccinated?
Did you know you can host a vaccine clinic through the McHenry County Department of Health? That’s right – besides doing your part, you can bring the vaccine to your employees!
If your business or organization is interested in holding a vaccine clinic, you can apply by completing the “Request a Clinic” form available on the MCDH’s COVID-19 Vaccine Locations page, which you can find by clicking here.
Your business or organization will need to have the physical space required to accommodate the estimated size of the clinic, as well as access to tables and chairs. It is up to the individual business or organization to notify employees or specific populations, but the MCDH can assist with promotion if the clinic is open to the community.
If you have questions or need assistance to complete the form, please call the MCDH COVID-19 Call Center at 815-334-4045.

 

McHenry County Conservation District turns 50
In 1971, voters approved a referendum creating the McHenry County Conservation District with the goal of preserving open space and providing environmental education and recreation programs to the public.
Since then, they have grown from their first 50-acre purchase in 1973 to managing 25,623 acres across the county. Thirty-five of these sites are open to the public and offer walking, biking and horse trails, boating and canoeing, picnic areas, and of course, unlimited opportunities to take in and enjoy nature.
The MCCD is holding its 50th birthday bash from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday at Fel-Pro RRR, in Cary, to thank the public for its half century of support. The family event, free and open to all ages, will include games and activities, giveaways, food, music, and more. You can learn more by clicking here.
Besides visiting its website, you can learn more about MCCD by following them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube!

 

Music Under the Trees returns to the Dole
Resume McHenry County is highlighting the return of McHenry County’s iconic attractions with the June lifting of COVID restrictions.
Music Under the Trees, an annual concert series to support The Dole and its mission to support the arts in Crystal Lake in McHenry County, returns this year with a series of four shows.
The first show takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. tomorrow evening, and features the music of Cassandra Vohs-Demann and Denny Svehla. The other three concerts will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 25, Sept. 8 and Sept. 22.
Click here to learn more and to buy tickets, which are $20 online and $25 at the gate.
All proceeds from the fundraisers help The Dole serve the community through arts, music, history, and education. You also can learn more about The Dole on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

 
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 to 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.

 

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