To be referred to the Committee on Workforce Development
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the hotel and hospitality industry has been a critical component of the economic growth of the City of Chicago, and a critical source of income and stability for thousands of Chicago workers and their families, since its foundation;
WHEREAS, hotels and travel facilities were deemed essential business at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic and in subsequent stay-at-home orders to combat the pandemic;
WHEREAS, hospitality workers have shown relentless dedication to serving their communities and those that have had essential travel needs;
WHEREAS, the hotel and hospitality industry has experienced a dramatic decrease in demand due to the precautions necessary to reduce the pandemic, with an 86% reduction in Chicago hotel revenues alone since the start of the pandemic;
WHEREAS, in the State of Illinois, the lack of revenue has led to furloughs and layoffs resulting in the drop of direct employment in hotelsTrom 60,643 in 2019 to 39,205 in 2020, a nearly 34% decline in hospitality jobs;
WHEREAS, in January 2021 alone, the demand for hotel rooms and services dropped by 78.4% as compared to pre-pandemic levels;
WHEREAS, amid the crisis, several hotels and their staffs have partnered with state and local governments to house patients who have tested positive for COVID-19, as well as other vulnerable populations;
WHEREAS, hotel and hospitality workers have been on the front lines during the pandemic, with increased exposure to potential infection due to COVID-19, alongside other frontline essential workers;
WHEREAS, hotel and hospitality workers are a segment of the workforce which is heavily BIPOC and female, who are deserving of the efforts towards vaccination equity as is being advanced in Chicago and around the United States;
WHEREAS, the rapid creation of vaccines to fight and prevent the spread of COVID-19 has provided the opportunity to protect ordinary Chicagoans, and provide an outlet by...
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