Illinois Businesses Must Adhere to Restore Illinois Phase 3 Safety Guidelines

Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued Executive Order 2020-39 on May 29, 2020 which states that businesses must follow the guidance first published by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) on May 24, 2020, regarding safety measures during Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois plan. Until this order was released, it was unclear whether the DCEO guidelines were mandatory or merely recommendations.

The DCEO released Phase 3 guidelines and toolkits for ten different industry categories. Each toolkit includes signage, training checklists and other resources to ensure businesses conduct themselves in accordance with the latest public health recommendations. Per the DCEO, “a common set of guidelines are expected and encouraged among all employers and activity types, as well as workplace and program-specific guidelines.”

The order states that businesses must follow the guidance published by DCEO regarding safety measures. As Phase 3 guidelines include both “minimum guidelines” and “encouraged best practices, employers in Illinois should evaluate their reopening plans to ensure they comply with the “minimum guidelines” set forth by DCEO. Encouraged best practices remain just that – encouraged.

Review DCEO Phase 3 guidelines.