COVID-19 Facts and Resources

HEALTH AND SAFETY
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends workers and employers follow these general practices to help prevent exposure to novel coronavirus (COVID-19):

• Frequently wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• If soap and running water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with sick people.

Employers of workers with potential occupational exposures to coronavirus should follow these practices:

• Assess the hazards to which workers may be exposed.
• Evaluate the risk of exposure.
• Select, implement, and ensure workers use controls to prevent exposure, including physical barriers to control the spread of the virus; social distancing; and appropriate personal protective equipment, hygiene, and cleaning supplies.

For the latest information on the symptoms, prevention, and treatment, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention coronavirus webpage at cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.

For additional guidance and other resources on protecting workers from coronavirus, visit OSHA’s COVID-19 webpage at osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19.

RESOURCES FOR WORKERS

UNEMPLOYMENT

• Illinois Unemployment go to www2.illinois.gov/ides/individuals/UnemploymentInsurance.

• Missouri Unemployment go to labor.mo.gov/unemployed-workers.

Federal law does not require an employee to quit in order to receive benefits due to the impact of COVID-19. Visit your state’s Unemployment Insurance website to find additional details.

The AFL-CIO has also pulled together state resources and benefits available for workers who have been impacted by COVID-19 at aflcio.org/covid-19/state-resources.

HEALTH COVERAGE
If you need help getting health insurance because you’ve lost your employer-sponsored coverage or for any other reason, there are resources that may be available to you.

• Medicaid is a federal and state health insurance program for people with a low income. To see if you are eligible, visit usa.gov/medicaid and select your state. Not all states participate in an expanded Medicaid program as part of the Affordable Care Act. Illinois does, Missouri does not.
• The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) offers health coverage to children whose parents are low income, but make too much to qualify for Medicaid. To see if your children are eligible, visit usa.gov/Medicaid.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

• $5 for the Fight – The St. Louis Labor Council’s $5 for the Fight Fund, administered by the United Way and funded by union members, provides assistance to union families facing financial hardship. Call 314-539-4189.
• The United Way’s 2-1-1 line provides the most comprehensive source of local social services information in the U.S. Call 2-1-1 from any cellphone or landline to speak with a community resource specialist in your area who will help you find services and resources that are available to you.