TUESDAY, JUNE 23
City of Chicago Phase IV - Occupancy Clarifications
Last week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) Commissioner Rosa Escareno announced that the city of Chicago will begin Phase IV - Gradually Resume on Friday, June 26.

Restaurants will be permitted to resume indoor dining at 25% occupancy per room - or 50 people per room (whichever is fewer) - at the beginning of Phase IV.

BACP has provided the following clarifications and guidance related to occupancy:

  • In order to determine 25% occupancy:
  • Use occupancy placard and divide by 4
  • OR, calculate square footage of indoor space and then divide by 60.
  • Restaurants should use total square footage to determine 25% occupancy, not just dining room space
  • Business owners may determine how a "room" is defined. The city's intention is that all rooms are fully separate
  • Staff should not be included in the 50 per room or capacity calculations
  • Tables and seats in a room where 50% or more of a wall can be removed via the opening of windows, doors, or panels do not count toward indoor occupancy, provided that dining tables are within 8-ft from such outdoor openings 

Click here to read the Phase IV - Gradually Reopen guidelines for restaurants and bars.

The IRA will continue to advocate for increases in indoor dining occupancy during Phase IV with necessary safety measures in place.

Key points from the Phase IV guidelines that are updated from the Phase III guidelines:

  • Each indoor room / floor is limited to no more than 50 individuals, while practicing social distancing, or 25% capacity (whichever is fewer)
  • No more than 10 people per table
  • For event venues / banquet halls, adhere to capacity and gathering restrictions for indoor / outdoor spaces (depending on setting)
  • All patrons must be seated; counter / bar seating allowed if 6 ft distancing can be maintained between customers (consider use of Plexiglas between customers and bartenders)
  • Cafeterias, buffets, or self-serve food may resume if an employee is serving the food and wearing proper PPE

Read more:


Guidelines Chicago Restaurants and Bars Need to Know

The IRA has compiled the various operational guidelines that Chicago restaurants and bars must be aware of as they reopen, including: sidewalk café and expanded outdoor dining FAQs, federal paid sick leave requirements, cocktails to go regulations, 11:00 p.m. ending time for alcohol sales notice, and more. Click here to review the guidelines.
CPDH Guidance - What to Do When a Confirmed COVID-19 Case Has Been in Your Facility

The Chicago Department of Public Health has developed guidance that provides general recommendations on steps to take when an individual with COVID-19 has been in your facility. This includes notification of contacts, cleaning and reporting clusters of cases to the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Click here to review the guidelines.
Updated PPP Forgiveness Guidelines

Last night, the Small Business Administration (SBA) and U.S. Department of Treasury released updated Loan Forgiveness rules . The improvements of the PPP Flexibility Act, new details on loan forgiveness timing, and required documentation for “business activity” exemptions from loan forgiveness reduction are included below.
 
New Improvements – Confirmed for PPP Recipients
  • Extends the PPP covered period from eight to 24 weeks, or an additional 16 weeks for current PPP recipients.
  • PPP recipients who obtained a loan before June 5, 2020 can choose to use the original eight-week period.
  • To maximize forgiveness, 60% of PPP loan funds must be spent on payroll expenses (this updates the previous 75% requirement).
  • For loan maturity, the minimum maturity is five years for PPP loans made on/after June 5, 2020. Lenders and borrowers can extend the maturity date of earlier PPP loans by “mutual agreement.” 
 
Clarity on Timing for Loan Forgiveness Process
A restaurant can submit its loan forgiveness application before the end of the covered period if the restaurant has used all of the loan funds for which the business is seeking loan forgiveness.
  • The lender has 60 days after receiving a PPP loan forgiveness application to issue a decision on forgiveness to the SBA.
  • In turn, the SBA will remit the appropriate forgiveness amount to the lender, plus any interest accrued through the date of payment, no less than 90 days after the lender issues its decision on PPP loan forgiveness to the SBA.
  • The lender must inform the borrower of the loan forgiveness amount and the date on which the borrower’s first payment is due, if applicable. 
 
Documentation Required to Demonstrate “Business Activity” Disruption and Obtain an Exemption from Loan Forgiveness Reductions Regarding FTE Rehiring
  • PPP recipients must certify in “good faith” documentation that their reduction in business activity during the PPP covered period is due to compliance with COVID Requirements or Guidance
  • If PPP recipient maintains this documentation, they are exempt from any reduction in loan forgiveness due to a reduction in FTE employees during the covered period.
  • Documentation must include “copies of applicable COVID Requirements or Guidance” for each business location and relevant borrower financial records.
  • SBA and Treasury believe this includes “both direct and indirect compliance with COVID Requirements or Guidance,” because much of the reduction in business activity due to COVID Requirements or Guidance is the result of state/local government closure orders that are based in part on guidance from the three federal agencies.
 
SBA Example:  A PPP borrower is in the business of selling beauty products both online and at its physical store. During the covered period, the local government where the borrower’s store is located orders all non-essential businesses, including the borrower’s business, to shut down their stores, based in part on COVID-19 guidance issued by the CDC in March 2020. Because the borrower’s business activity during the covered period was reduced compared to its activity before February 15, 2020 due to compliance with COVID Requirements or Guidance, the borrower satisfies the Flexibility Act’s exemption and will not have its forgiveness amount reduced because of a reduction in FTEs during the covered period, if the borrower in good faith maintains records regarding the reduction in business activity and the local government’s shutdown orders that reference a COVID Requirement or Guidance as described above.

Click here to review the updated rules.
State of Illinois Releases Phase IV Guidelines for Restaurants and Bars: Six Feet Spacing Required, No Occupancy Cap
Yesterday, Governor J.B. Pritzker released the  Restore Illinois Phase IV Guidelines for Reopening  for various industries, including restaurants and bars.  Click here  to read the full announcement. All four regions of the state are currently on track to move into Phase 4 on June 26.

Click here  to read the Phase IV Guidelines for indoor and outdoor dining at restaurants and bars. The earliest effective date of these regulations is Friday, June 26.

There is no set capacity cap for restaurants and bars based on percentage of occupancy or number of people during Phase IV. Seated area capacity of restaurants and bars should be determined by arranging seating to provide a minimum of six feet between tables or other designated patron service areas.

Indoor dining can reopen with groups of 10 or less, with tables spaced 6-feet apart in seated areas and with standing areas at no more than 25% of capacity. Capacity restrictions will be reassessed based on the latest science and public health metrics on an ongoing basis throughout Phase IV.

Additional guidelines to note:

  • For booth seating, employers may use consecutive booths to serve patrons of unrelated parties only if employer installs an impermeable barrier with a height of 6-ft or greater from the floor between booths. Use of barriers should not impede entry/ exit or impose a fire risk. Use of plexiglass is a best practice.
  • Buffets and self-service food stations (e.g. hot and cold bars, bulk items, baked goods) are permitted, and should adhere to minimum additional guidelines.
  • Hotel meeting rooms and ballrooms, as well as other indoor and outdoor event venues (excluding arenas, stadiums, and other mass gathering venues) must adhere to the state's Meetings and Social Events Guidelines.
  • Meetings and social events are limited to lesser of 50 guests with or 50% of overall room capacity.

A state of Illinois Phase IV reopening toolkit for restaurants and bars is also available  here .

Restaurants and bars located in the city of Chicago must follow the city's  Phase IV - Gradually Reopen guidelines  for restaurants and bars. Restaurants and bars should refer to local authorities and health departments for additional guidelines during Phase IV.

Read more:

City of Chicago Together Now Grant Applications Now Open
The city of Chicago is now taking applications for the Together Now fund grant allocations which will help small businesses and not-for-profits in Chicago that have experienced economic distress and significant operational losses due to COVID-19, or have experienced damage from events of the weekend of May 29 and beyond.

The online application is open to any eligible establishment throughout the City, and it will stay open until Monday, June 29, with grants distributed after the application deadline through a lottery system. The $15 million fund directly targets small businesses that otherwise may not be able to reopen quickly or at all without additional funding, given the loss of revenue due to COVID-19.

Businesses that have experienced damage from the events related to the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd will be eligible for infrastructure grants of up to $10,000 to repair physical infrastructure damage. Businesses that have experienced at least a 25% revenue loss due to COVID-19 will be eligible for grants of up to $4,000 to cover operating costs that arose as a result of economic losses experienced due to the pandemic.

To be eligible for either grant, businesses may not have more than 100 employees at any one specific location. Businesses applying for an infrastructure grant will need to provide proof of damage, including photos of damage, repair quotes or any other available materials. Each business owner is eligible to apply for up to one infrastructure grant and one operational grant. Certain institutions, such as regional or national chain businesses, including franchises, branch banks and payday loan stores are not eligible. More information is available on the application.

Click here to learn more and apply today.
State of Illinois Business Interruption Grant Application Available Friday, June 26

The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) will launch the first round of Business Interruption Grants (BIG) on Friday, June 26. The BIG program will provide $60 million to businesses experiencing losses or business interruption as a result of COVID-19 related closures.

  • The BIG Program is available for up to 3,500 businesses that experienced a limited ability to operate due to COVID-19 related closures.
  • DCEO will begin distributing funds to qualifying businesses in early July.
  • The total program funding will amount to at least $540 million in grants for small businesses, $270 of which has been set aside for childcare providers, and is funded by the CARES Act.
 
In the first wave of grants, priority will be given to small businesses that have been heavily restricted or completely shut down during the pandemic and are located in  disproportionately impacted areas ( DIAs).

  • Businesses eligible for the program must have experienced extreme hardship, demonstrated by eligible costs or losses in excess of the grant amount, since March and may continue to face depressed revenues or closure.
  • Businesses must also have been in operation for at least three months prior to March 2020.
  • An emphasis will also be placed on those businesses that are located in areas that have experienced recent property damage due to civil unrest, exacerbating the economic impacts of COVID-19.
 
Specifically, the program includes support for:
  • Businesses in DIAs - $20 million for businesses that are located in a subset of DIAs that have recently experienced significant property damage, providing 1,000 grants of $20,000 each
  • Bars and Restaurants - $20 million for bars and restaurants unable to offer outside service, providing at least 1,000 grants of up to $20,000 each
  • Restaurants and bars with under $3 million in annual sales will be eligible to apply
  • Barbershops and Salons - $10 million for barbershops and salons, providing 1,000 grants of $10,000 each
  • Gyms and Fitness Centers - $10 million for gyms and fitness centers that have lost significant revenue due to COVID-19, providing 500 grants of $20,000 each
 
DCEO will begin accepting applications on Friday, June 26. Until the 26th, DCEO is posting the application questions and required documents for businesses and business support organizations to read, review and prepare.

President Trump to Suspend New H-1B, Other Work Visas

The Trump administration is introducing a series of new restrictions on visas that allow immigrants to temporarily work in the United States.

The new limits are part of a concerted effort to roll back the visas available to people overseas as a result of high unemployment in the US resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, a senior administration official told reporters Monday.

In a May 27 letter addressed to President Trump, nine Republican senators, including Sens. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) and John Cornyn (R., Texas) urged him to reconsider broad new restrictions on temporary work-visa programs, which the senators said would ultimately hurt U.S. businesses.

Click here to read more from CNN.
Presentation in Spanish - Cómo Prepararse para el Perdón del Préstamo PPP
Acompáñenos este jueves 25 de junio a las 10:00 AM CT para una presentación en español: “Cómo prepararse para el perdón de préstamo PPP” (Programa de Protección de Pago de Cheques)

Descubra cómo su pequeño negocio puede prepararse para que su préstamo PPP sea perdonado. Cubriremos los siguientes temas:
  • Información actualizada del Programa de Protección de Pago de Cheques (PPP)
  • Proceso de perdón del préstamo PPP
  • Otros recursos disponibles para negocios en Cook County, IL
  • Panel de expertos en el tema responderán sus preguntas

Este seminario web es parte de una iniciativa lanzada por la Presidenta de la Junta del Condado de Cook, Toni Preckwinkle, para proporcionar recursos de préstamos y asistencia técnica a empresas del Condado de Cook, contratistas independientes y organizaciones sin fines de lucro que podrían beneficiarse de préstamos perdonables a través del programa federal de protección de pago. La programación es posible a través de una asociación conjunta con el Condado de Cook, la Asociación Nacional para Nuevos Americanos (NPNA), la Coalición de Illinois de Empresas Pro-Inmigración (IBIC), la Asociación de Restaurantes de Illinois y Self Help Federal Credit Union.

Download the Illinois Restaurant Pledge for Your Business
In partnership with the IRA and health officials across the state, restaurant owners and operators make these commitments to earn this endorsement during the COVID-19 recovery period. 

When customers see this endorsement, they can be comfortable that the restaurant is taking all necessary steps to protect their employees and customers and is committed to playing a leadership role in protecting our communities.

Click here  to download the poster for your establishments.
Free ServSafe Reopening Training Videos Available
The IRA is committed to helping you address information and training needs related to the coronavirus pandemic. ServSafe and the National Restaurant Association have prepared free training videos outlining the steps restaurant line level employees are encouraged to utilize in returning to full-service operations.

Watch the videos on demand below:

Please  visit our website  for the latest COVID-19 updates, in addition to the above resources and information for your business. Updated as of 3:50 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23.