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* Every two weeks seems like a lot of time between tests, but whatever. It’s a start…
Due to a recent increase in COVID-19 cases, Secretary of State Jesse White announced that beginning Sept. 1, Secretary of State employees who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 will be required to submit to repeated COVID-19 testing.
“As the pandemic continues to surge nationally, we must do all we can to maintain the safety of our customers and employees and this is an important step in doing that,” said Secretary White. “I am proud of our staff for their hard work as we continue to provide essential services during this challenging time.”
Employees will be required to show proof of their vaccination status. Employees who are not vaccinated will be required to submit the results of COVID-19 tests every two weeks.
This announcement follows the implementation of White’s policy requiring all employees and customers at Driver Services facilities, Secretary of State Offices and the Illinois State Capitol Complex to wear masks while inside those locations.
White stressed that it is imperative for his facilities to remain open to serve the public to reduce the heavy customer volume caused by the COVID-19 pandemic over the last year. White said reinstating the mask policy for employees and customers, as well as this new initiative will help achieve this goal.
White is reminding customers that his office extended expiration dates for driver’s licenses and ID cards until Jan. 1, 2022. As a result, expired documents will remain valid until Jan. 1, 2022, so customers do not need to rush into a facility. This extension does not apply to commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) and CDL learner’s permits.
* And this was announced while I was on break, so I figured I’d post it now…
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White is launching a comprehensive plan to address the heavy customer volume at Driver Services facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. White’s plan includes two key elements:
• Expanding the appointment pilot program in September to include most Driver Services facilities in the Chicagoland area.
• Expanding remote renewal over the next six months to allow approximately 1 million more people to renew their driver’s licenses and ID cards online, by phone or by mail. Letters will be mailed out to those who qualify beginning in September until the end of February 2022.
“During the pandemic, my office has continued to serve the public, including face-to-face transactions, in a safe and responsible manner,” said White. “Throughout this time, we also greatly expanded online services. This next step will allow many more people to renew their driver’s licenses or ID cards remotely instead of visiting a Driver Services facility. To further address the heavy customer volume at facilities, my office is expanding the appointment program in September to include most Chicagoland facilities, so customers who must visit a facility can schedule an appointment. Certain designated facilities will still accommodate walk-in customers.”
Expanding the Appointment Program
Beginning the first week of September, customers will be required to make an appointment to visit the following three Chicago facilities: Chicago North, 5401 N. Elston Ave.; Chicago South, 9901 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive; and Chicago West, 5301 W. Lexington St. The days and hours of operation at these facilities will be Tuesday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. beginning Aug. 2.
Lake Zurich, Melrose Park, Midlothian and Woodstock have been serving as appointment facilities since early this year. These facilities, which also operate Tuesday through Saturday, will continue requiring appointments.
The week of Sept. 7th, many other metro Driver Services facilities will also require appointments. These facilities include Schaumburg, Bridgeview, Lombard, Des Plaines, Waukegan, Naperville, Aurora, Plano and Joliet.
Appointments will be required for customers applying for or renewing REAL IDs, standard driver’s licenses and ID cards, and for behind-the-wheel road tests at these facilities. Customers can visit www.cyberdriveillinois.com to schedule an appointment up to 10 days in advance during this phase of the program. New appointment slots will be available each day at www.cyberdriveillinois.com.
All 16 facilities will have the same standardized days and hours of operation: Tuesday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Secretary White emphasized that seniors, persons with disabilities and expectant mothers will be served as walk-ins at all 16 of the designated appointment facilities.
Beginning in September, customers can schedule an appointment online or by calling the appointment helpline at 844-817-4649. The Secretary of State is partnering with the Chicago Lighthouse to provide these call center services. The Chicago Lighthouse’s call centers offer career opportunities for people who are blind, visually impaired, disabled, veterans and economically disadvantaged.
Larger central and downstate Illinois facilities will implement a customer scheduling system in the near future.
Walk-in Facilities
White noted that not all facilities will go to the appointment-based system. Many small, rural facilities will not require the appointment system because they do not encounter the heavy customer volume that large facilities encounter.
Additionally, some Chicagoland facilities will remain accessible to walk-in customers. These facilities include Deerfield, Elgin, Chicago Central (James R. Thompson Center) and the temporary facility at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights.
Expanding remote renewal to address heavy customer volume
Beginning in September and running through February 2022, White’s office will be expanding remote renewal for driver’s license and ID card holders. During this six-month period, the office will mail letters to eligible customers with expired driver’s licenses and ID cards, requiring them to renew online, by phone or by mail. The office estimates that this will eliminate the need for approximately 1 million people to visit a facility.
In addition, White’s office will continue mailing remote renewal letters to drivers and ID card holders 90 days before their cards expire. Through this innovative approach, most customers will be able to renew remotely and avoid visiting facilities. Customers who must visit a facility include first time driver’s license or ID card applicants, first time REAL ID applicants and drivers ages 75 and older who are required by state law to visit a facility when renewing their license.
White continues to encourage people to conduct other business online at www.cyberdriveillinois.com. Aside from driver’s license and ID card renewals for those who qualify, online services include obtaining a duplicate driver’s license or ID card, ordering a driver record and purchasing license plate stickers.
As a reminder, White has extended all driver’s license and ID card expiration dates to Jan. 1, 2022. This extension does not apply to commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) and CDL learner’s permits.
In addition, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has extended the federal REAL ID deadline to May 3, 2023.
You’ll recall that SoS candidate Alexi Giannoulias said last month that he would expand that appointment pilot program if elected.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 12:21 pm
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Throw down the gauntlet. Make anyone who refuses a vaccine pay for their testing. $500 per test seems reasonable.
No forced/mandated vaccinations needed.
The republican side of the isle should support this too, since it lines up nicely with their screaming pole regarding unfunded mandates.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 12:28 pm
The only diff I would have is every four workdays for testing.
If making it inherently inconvenient as well as a safety issue is needed to get to vaccination I’d be in favor of that strategy.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 12:41 pm
There’s no need to cast these decisions as mandates. Simply say if you want to work here you’ll need to get a vaccine or submit to regular Covid-19 testing. Do you have to? Only if you want to work here.
Comment by Pundent Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 12:50 pm
Two weeks is too much time - testing is supposed to be an alternative to being vaxed and having a strong likelihood of being virus free. I don’t think there should be an onerous, even any, fee for the testing (at least until FDA gives the vaxes final approval) but there’s no need for it to be hassle free.
Comment by lake county democrat Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 12:55 pm
Should be testing every 48 hours, and at the expense of the state employee.
You’re free to refuse the vax, sure — but that doesn’t mean you’re free from financial and legal responsibilities on the job.
Don’t like it? Quit state employment.
Comment by Mr K Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 1:04 pm
“if you want to work here you’ll need to get a vaccine or submit to regular Covid-19 testing”
Period. Regular testing is a concession to those who won’t or can’t get vaccinated. I’d prefer more frequent testing than every two weeks, but whatever health experts recommend could or should be considered.
Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 1:07 pm
I like this idea, but I wonder how reliable it will be, especially if they use Shield. I went for my shield test yesterday and they somehow LOST my vial. Or the results. Either way several phone calls later and I had to go get retested by the hospital because the Shield program had no answers.
Comment by Still waiting Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 1:08 pm
This is the kind of thing Pritzker should have put in schools instead of mask mandate.
Comment by Blake Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 1:10 pm
=This is the kind of thing Pritzker should have put in schools instead of mask mandate.=
Right because school boards wouldn’t be screaming about an unfunded testing mandate. Masks make sense for kids. They’re preventative. Testing on the other hand is simply a means of detecting an infection. And that in turn will trigger quarantines and a constant switch to e-learning.
I say all of this as the parent of a kid who attended private school last year fully masked. We had a couple of pivots to elearning but nowhere near as many as we would have had without the masking policy. The parents and the kids saw it as a small price to pay to keep them protected and in school.
Comment by Pundent Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 1:19 pm
===This is the kind of thing Pritzker should have put in schools instead of mask mandate.=====
Children can’t get the vaccine, but they can wear masks. Also, testing isn’t free so it would be an unfunded mandate. Masks don’t cost anything, unless the school provides them, and even then they are cheaper. Boxes of masks could be included among the things that teachers ask parents to provide for classroom use, such as kleenex and crayons.
Comment by bkhartbnjo Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 1:21 pm
===This is the kind of thing Pritzker should have put in schools instead of mask mandate.===
“I don’t trust government testing my child”
The mask mandate does more for those under 12 in safety then testing maybe after the fact of infection.
To the SoS situation… it’s at least trying to hold accountable those that are talking “personal responsibility”
It’s a different angle than vaccines for work at this juncture but I can’t imagine anti-vaccine folks enjoying, even every two weeks, being tested to work.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 1:30 pm
- Pundent - Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 12:50 pm:
“There’s no need to cast these decisions as mandates. Simply say if you want to work here you’ll need to get a vaccine or submit to regular Covid-19 testing. Do you have to? Only if you want to work here.”
Aha! The old “consideration” argument. I like it.
Comment by Elijah Snow Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 1:47 pm
From yesterday, Illinois Department of Public Health expands free COVID-19 testing to all K-12 public schools in Illinois. Plus, the virus is showing hospitalizations & deaths in a much lower percentage in children. It’s a very different risk scenario than with adults.
Comment by Blake Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 2:19 pm
=Plus, the virus is showing hospitalizations & deaths in a much lower percentage in children.=
Cases amongst kids up 84% last week and they now account for 19% of all hospitalizations. And they aren’t even back in school yet.
Maybe public policy isn’t your forte.
Comment by Pundent Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 2:27 pm
https://gis.cdc.gov/grasp/covidnet/COVID19_5.html has 3.2% not 19% for week ending July 31, 2021
Comment by Blake Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 2:33 pm
get vaccinated. and wear a mask anyway. save yourself the trouble of being tested AND save lives, including your own.
Comment by Amalia Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 2:36 pm
Hey Mr. White, the appointment thing is nice. It will cut down on wait times, but if you’re trying to cram 10 lbs of potatoes into a sack that only holds 5, you’re not solving anything. Here’s 2 ideas for you:
Expand office hours to Mondays.
Expand office hours on Tuesdays through Saturdays.
Only by adding CAPACITY to the system will you be able to accomplish more.
Comment by Anon Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 4:31 pm
I think at least Springfield’s Dirksen Parkway facility, as well as at least a Rockford, Peoria, and a Metro East-area facility, should have also been included in the first round of the SOS appointment system.
Comment by EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham Thursday, Aug 5, 21 @ 8:00 pm