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The finish line on restrictions is in sight!

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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!

 

The finish line on restrictions is in sight!

We’ve been waiting a long time to be able to confidently write this – the end is near for capacity restrictions on McHenry County and Illinois businesses!
This Friday, Illinois will enter the “bridge phase” – the final stepping stone before the Phase 5 end of the Restore Illinois Plan in which all limits that have been imposed on businesses to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic will be lifted.
Even better, we have a date! If our metrics continue to move in the right direction, Governor Pritzker has set a June 11 date to enter Phase 5 and lift restrictions on businesses, schools, and public gatherings.
That’s great news! However, notice our choice of words: if our metrics continue to move in the right direction. If our positivity rate starts increasing and our hospital beds start filling back up, it might not happen.
No one wants to sprain their ankle within sight of the finish line; and if you’re a long-suffering Chicago sports fan, you know what it feels like when defeat is snatched from the jaws of victory.
This week’s edition is dedicated to ensuring that we keep doing what we’re doing. We’re almost there!

 

What does Bridge Phase entail?

In a sentence, “bridge phase” is a further step loosening capacity restrictions on businesses and gatherings; it’s a “Phase 4.5” between the current Phase 4 mitigation tier Illinois is in, and the final Phase 5 heralding the end of said restrictions.
Effective this Friday, capacity of retail, health and fitness centers, and personal care will increase to 60%, as will capacity for amusement parks, museums, theaters and spectator events. As for dining, current seated limits will remain in place, while capacity for standing areas will increase slightly.
A complete list of changes under the bridge phase taking effect this Friday can be found by clicking here.

 

Don’t put it off – get vaccinated!

If you’ve already gotten vaccinated against COVID-19, thank you for doing your part.
If you haven’t, and you have no medical condition precluding you from getting the vaccine, it’s time.
As we wrote in the introduction, the June 11 lifting of capacity restrictions is not automatic. It only happens if we stay the course. And we stay the course by getting as many people as we can vaccinated to help prevent future infections before they start.
If you’ve been waiting because of the supply issues in the early months of the vaccine rollout, those issues are gone. Vaccine scarcity is history – there’s plenty to go around. The McHenry County Department of Health, as well as CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart pharmacies, now take walk-in appointments, which makes it easy for you to get inoculated and make a difference.
It’s time. Illinois is in the home stretch. McHenry County’s summer festivals, many of which were canceled last year, are reopening; keep reading this week’s edition for the return of McHenry Fiesta Days! But we can’t be sure we’ll get there without everyone doing their part. So let’s get vaccinated and reopen McHenry County and the rest of Illinois as planned!
Even though the MCDH is taking walk-ins, it’s a good idea to make an appointment – you can make one for an MCDH clinic or other government-run vaccination site by visiting the state’s vaccine registration page at https://covidvaccination.dph.illinois.gov. For a list of retail pharmacies offering the vaccine, visit http://coronavirus.illinois.gov, or the MCDH vaccine locator page at http://bit.ly/MCDHFindVaccine.
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. If you have a neighbor or relative who needs assistance, please help them make an appointment or help them contact the Call Center.
If you know someone who hasn’t gotten vaccinated yet, please forward them this email.

 

It’s (still) Not Too Much to Mask

Even though Illinois is set to enter the bridge phase this Friday – and end capacity limits June 11 if all goes as planned – the state mask mandate is still in place, until the IDPH relaxes its mask guidelines.
This is an important part of getting to Phase 5, just like getting the vaccine, which like any other vaccine takes time to work.
Let’s continue to wear masks in public places and continue to maintain physical distancing. And as a reminder of one of the benefits of getting inoculated, guidelines have been relaxed so that people who are fully vaccinated don’t need to wear a mask outdoors, except in crowded settings.
However, we’ll end this article on a positive note – as more and more people get vaccinated, the likelihood increases that the Illinois Department of Public Health will revisit mask guidelines. So again, if you don’t like masks and haven’t been vaccinated yet, you can help reach that goal by getting inoculated.

 

PPP has run out of money

The Paycheck Protection Program that is set to expire on May 31 has run out of money for most borrowers.
The US Small Business Administration will continue to fund outstanding approved applications from other lenders, but will no longer be accepting new applicants.
The PPP since its March 2020 creation in the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown has given out more than $780 billion in forgivable loans to more than 10.7 million borrowers.
Businesses still have access to other aid, such as the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan, and others. Clicking on the links will take you to the application portals, and as always, you can find an exhaustive list of resources for businesses and employees at the Resume McHenry County website.

 

Fiesta Days returns to McHenry

Nothing says “McHenry” like Fiesta Days, which will make its triumphant return this summer!
The 73-year-old festival will take place from July 8 to July 18, starting off with Cask and Barrel Night, followed by Music Fest Weekend and family-friendly Beach Bash Sunday.
The week and a half of arts and crafts fairs, food vendors and beer tents will end July 18 with the Fiesta Days Parade. Remember parades? We can’t think of a better one to jog your memory!
Besides increased safety measures, ticket sales are being capped to ensure that venue capacity is in accordance with existing guidelines; each night of Music Fest will be capped at 2,500, and Cask And Barrel Night is being capped at 350 people.
Tickets for these events go on sale starting tomorrow (Wednesday, May 12) at the Fiesta Days website at www.mchenryfiestadays.com.
Fiesta Days is sponsored each year by more than 70 organizations; sponsorships can be purchased by calling the McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce at 815-385-4300.

 
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.