Illinois Uses Emergency Alert to Find Healthcare Workers During COVID-19 Pandemic
Residents across Illinois received an emergency alert on their phones Tuesday as the state seeks additional healthcare workers to help in the fight against the novel coronavirus.
The alert, pushed to all phones via the emergency alert system, asked for licensed healthcare workers to sign-up at a state-run website to help deal with what is expected to be a surge in cases of COVID-19.
Recently, Governor J.B. Pritzker called for recently retired health care professionals to renew their licenses in an effort to help treat patients afflicted with COVID-19. The order was designed for those who have retired within the last five years, or who have let their medical licenses lapse during that time.
Workers who signed up via the website provided in the emergency alert could be “contacted to work in a hospital surge or alternative housing setting,” according to the website.
Tuesday is not the first time that the alert system has been used during the ongoing pandemic. Last week, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered that the Lakefront Trail and 606 running trail in Chicago be closed due to residents not adhering to social distancing guidelines, and an alert was sent out to all residents saying that Chicago police would be enforcing those guidelines by breaking up large groups of residents.
