Friday, March 27, 2020

Planning To Move April 1? You Still Can Under Illinois’ Stay At Home Order

A good article in Planning To Move April 1? You Still Can Under Illinois’ Stay At Home Order

Moving and relocation services is considered a "critical trade."
Published on Mar 24, 2020 1:05PM CDT
Logan Square, Humboldt Park, Avondale Primary category in which blog post is published
Mina Bloom
@mina_bloom_

Logan Square, Humboldt Park & Avondale reporter mina@blockclubchi.org   


CHICAGO — Those planning to move April 1 with the help of movers shouldn’t have any problems doing so under Illinois’ stay at home order.

Moving and relocation services is considered a “critical trade,” along with janitorial work, painting and HVAC work and other services that “are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operations of residences, essential activities, and essential businesses and operations,” according to Gov. JB Pritzker’s order.

The order calls for Illinois residents who don’t work at essential businesses to stay home through April 7 to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. Read the full order here.

RELATED: Here’s What’s Open And What’s Closed Under Stay At Home Order To Curb Coronavirus Outbreak

That date could be extended, though, officials have warned.

“I’m not going to tell you I know the end of April 7, that this is, in fact, the end date. We believe that that gives us time to see whether or not this social distancing and this stay at home is having the desired effect of bending the curve,” Prtizker said when announcing the order.

Anyone who leaves their home, including people who are moving and movers, is urged to practice social distancing.

Illinois had 1,285 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths as of Tuesday afternoon.
Symptoms

Coronavirus can be deadly, but the vast majority of cases have been mild. Those most at risk from the virus are people who are elderly or who have underlying health conditions.

Symptoms of coronavirus can appear two to 14 days after a person has been exposed to the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control. People with no symptoms may have the virus and spread it to others.

The virus spreads between people through coughing and sneezing, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The most common symptoms:

    Fever
    Cough
    Shortness of breath

People have also experienced body aches, nasal congestion, runny nose and sore throat, according to Harvard Medical School.

If you or someone else has difficulty breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, become confused, cannot be roused or develop a bluish face or lips, get immediate medical attention, according to the CDC.
How To Protect Yourself

The CDC only recommends those are already sick wear facemasks because they help you avoid spreading the virus.

Here’s what you can actually do to prevent getting ill:

    The CDC and other officials have said people should wash their hands often, including before, during and after eating; after using the bathroom; and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
    The CDC has a guide here for how to properly wash your hands. Remember: Wash with soap and water, scrubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds.
    If you can’t wash your hands with soap and water, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
    Avoid touching your face, especially your eyes, nose and mouth, with unwashed hands.
    Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces you touch frequently, like cellphones and light switches. Here are tips from the CDC.
    Stay home when you’re sick and avoid close contact with people who are sick.
    If you have to sneeze or cough with a tissue, throw it out immediately after using it, according to the CDC.

What To Do If You Think You’re Sick

Even if you’re not showing symptoms, the Chicago Department of Public Health recommends people coming from high-risk countries (here’s a CDC list) self-quarantine for 14 days after returning home.

If you do have symptoms of coronavirus, contact your primary doctor or a health care facility before going in. Explain your symptoms and tell them if you’ve come into close contact with anyone with coronavirus or traveled to an area where COVID-19 is widespread (here’s a CDC list) within the last 14 days, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

From there, the experts will work with your local health department to determine what to do and if you need to be tested for coronavirus, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

And, of course, if you think you’re sick with coronavirus, don’t risk exposing other people to the virus. Anyone who feels unwell has been ordered to stay home or risk getting a $500 fine.

Those with questions and concerns about coronavirus can call the Illinois Department of Public Health at 800-889-3931.

Block Club Chicago’s coronavirus coverage is free for all readers. Block Club is an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Covid-19 Update 3/24/20

"Stay at home advice" is so important to everyone to beat the Coronavirus.  A number of states have enacted this advice, and have told all business' but "essential business'" to close until April.  Moving and Relocation support services have been deemed "essential business'" and therefore most companies in this industry remain open to assist our moving and relocating clients and customers. Consumers Relocation, our Van Line partners, and most of their local agents are open for the time being.  All of us are following all the CDC guidelines, and staffing in our offices only essential employees who can not work remotely.

At Consumers Relocation, we are supporting our employees, and have all discussed and agreed on what essential employees should continue to work in the office, and which employees should work remotely.  We have taken measures to keep as few employees in the office as possible to reinforce social distancing and have others working remotely.

We will keep you updated as things develop.




Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Update Covid-19 and CRS operations

These are unprecedented times and changes are coming quickly.  Consumers Relocation takes this Coronavirus outbreak very seriously, and yet we understand our customers needs to continue with their plans to move and relocate.  We remain open while taking serious steps to protect our customer's and our employee's health.  Our commitment to our customers continues and we are taking all the steps necessary to march on in that regard.

We have as many of our staff working remotely as possible at this time and  have increased the space between those who need to occupy the office on as limited a basis as possible.  We are taking all recommended steps within our office building, a dedicated building only to Consumers Relocation, to distance employees and keep our work space clean and virus free.  Our business operates entirely on the phone and electronically so visitors and customers do not come in physical contact with our employees.  

All of our Van Line partners have made arrangements as well to either work off site or follow strict CDC guidelines.  Their crews and drivers have specific instructions on how to carry out their jobs in customers' homes following strict guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus.  We are including, with every new initiated order to our partners, suggested guidelines for cleanliness, reducing the number of people in a customer's home to a minimum, non use of any facilities in the customer's home, and use of sanitizer frequently.  We also are encouraging video surveys rather than in home surveys of  household goods eliminating the need for a surveyor to enter the home to provide an estimate.  

We hope that all of our clients, customers, employees and van line partners stay safe during this uncertain time.   We will keep everyone updated on any changes through our web page and access to our blog from our web page.  

Thank you for your trust in us.   Our relationships with our clients, customers and van line partners are vitally important to us and your safety is paramount .

Les Velte
Consumers Relocation Services

Friday, March 13, 2020

Special instructions to Drivers, crews and salesmen of our van line partners

Special instructions during the  COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak

During this difficult time, we are asking our van line partners on every referral we sent out and every booking notification to take these simple but special measures when serving our customers. 

Instructions to our Van Line Partners
moving household goods necessitates some contact between drivers, customers and crews. This is unavoidable. Here are some suggestions:
  • Providing staff, crews and drivers with plenty of hand sanitizer to be used regularly in between hand washing
  • Minimizing the presence of crews in customers’ homes when individuals are not specifically working
  • Whenever possible, minimizing the use of restrooms inside customers’ homes
  • Using hand sanitizer in front of customers so they understand we are taking everyone’s health and safety seriously
  • Encourage video surveys for estimates when practical.

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Remote Work enables employees to move to more affordable locations

In a recent study by Redfin, working remotely provides employees an opportunity to move to locations they want to live in or to more affordable ones. 

For 25% of Americans, telecommuting increases after a move.

With unemployment at the lowest level in decades and wages stagnant, the chance to telecommute is allowing U.S. workers to move to more affordable areas, while maintaining their salaries. Of those who do move to a new metro area, 1 in 4 work remotely more frequently after relocating, according to a new survey conducted by Redfin.
“The job market is very tight and employers want to hold on to people, so companies are much more willing now to allow workers to move,” said Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather. “Plus, technology has enabled employers to let staff work remotely in a cost-efficient and productive manner.”
Of all eligible survey respondents, more than half (51.1%) work remotely sometimes or always after their move, compared with just 44% who worked remotely before the move.

One way employers may be battling salary increases and supporting retention is by offering employees the ability to work remotely instead of higher wages, Fairweather said. For employees, the chance to work remotely allows them to move to a more affordable place while maintaining their salary.
Survey respondents listed varying reasons for packing up their lives. The most common primary justification was more affordable housing (25.7%). In second place came proximity to family/partners (21.2%), followed by retirement (17.9%).

While only a quarter of participants move for affordability, almost 60% said their ability to afford non-housing expenses and leisure activities improved after their relocation.
About 1 in 7 respondents said they wouldn’t have been able to move without the ability to work remotely. Of people who moved specifically for affordability reasons, a slightly higher share said they couldn’t have relocated without remote work, indicating that remote work has enabled workers to move to areas with more affordable homes.
The most common metros respondents migrated away from for affordability reasons were the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Seattle, while the most popular metros people moved to for affordability were Phoenix, Sacramento, CA and Portland, OR.
In the fourth quarter of 2019, 26% of Redfin.com home searchers looked to move to another metro area, up from 25% during the same period of the prior year, according to a Redfin report from February. That tied the all-time high for the national share of home-searchers looking to relocate that was set in the third quarter of 2019. Phoenix, Sacramento and Las Vegas saw the highest net inflows.
Among the survey respondents, younger people saw a greater increase in remote work after relocating than older people. Of participants 38 and younger, 55.5% worked remotely sometimes or always after moving, up from 46.9% before moving. Of participants 39 and older, 49.2% worked remotely sometimes or always after moving, compared with 42.7% before moving.

Methodology

Redfin conducted a survey in December 2019 of 272 U.S. residents who indicated that they either moved to a new metro area within the past year or have plans to do so within the next year. All respondents were asked about why they moved, where they moved to and from and how remote work played into their relocation. About 75% of people surveyed resided in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Seattle or Boston.
For more information about the survey and its findings, contact press@redfin.com.