I hope all of you had a happy and safe Easter weekend. Here's the latest update on the COVID-19 outbreak:
New Hanover County announced today that it will extend its Stay at Home Order until April 29 at 5 p.m. with some modifications. Specifically:
Public and private marinas and boat ramps can be opened.
Public and private tennis and pickleball courts can be opened.
Additionally, “Safety, security, clothing and communication” have been added to the list of essential retail that can be open.
Stores providing essential goods will no longer be asked to close off sections that are deemed non-essential. So all aisles of essential retailers can be open if they so choose, but dressing rooms should remain closed.
Auto dealerships, boat dealerships and other motor vehicle sales points are allowed to operate but must comply with an 11-point safety test that will be shared as part of the final, signed declaration.
The Paycheck Protection Program continues to be in high demand: More than 800,000 loans have been distributed to small businesses, more than $200 billion in loans have been processed, and nearly 4,500 lenders have participated. But the reality is that the needs our small businesses have are so great that the program will soon run out of funding currently allocated by Congress — likely by the end of the week.
There's no doubt that other components of the CARES Act will need additional funding down the road, but our first and most immediate priority should be to replenish the Paycheck Protection Program so that it stays up and running for our small businesses and their employees.
As I mentioned last week, the Federal Reserve announced the establishment of the Main Street Business Lending Facility to help mid-size businesses that have more than 500 employees and therefore are ineligible to participate in the PPP. More information about the program is available from the House Financial Services Committee here.
The Treasury Department and the IRS will be launching a "Get My Payment" web app this week, a free app that will be available at IRS.Gov. It will enable taxpayers who filed their tax return in 2018 or 2019, but did not provide their banking information on their return, to submit direct deposit information. This means taxpayers can get their CARES Act stimulus payments in their bank accounts quickly, instead of having to wait for a check to come in the mail. More information about the app is available here and I'll be sure to link to it in a future update when it goes online.
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has set up a regularly-updated COVID-19 resource page for our producers and farm families. They've also set up a COVID-19 Agriculture Hotline at 1-866-747-9823. You can also e-mail COVID-19 questions regarding agriculture to Covid19questions@ncagr.gov. The hotline is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
For our veterans: the VA has set up an extensive Frequently Asked Questions page with information for vets on appointments, medical procedures, benefits claims and more. The page is regularly updated as the outbreak continues. View it here.
For today's good news story, I want to highlight the dozens of people who came out on Saturday to show their support for our health care workers on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus outbreak. Former nurse Diana Topjian organized "honking for heroes", as folks drove past New Hanover Regional Medical Center and honked their horns to show their appreciation for our doctors, nurses and support personnel.
