The order requires essential businesses remaining open to:
Set limits of how many people can be in a store at one time, 5 people per 1,000 square feet of retail space or 20% of fire marshal posted occupancy limits.
Mark 6 feet of distance for areas where people gather like checkout lines.
Implement specific cleaning measures for retail stores.
It also includes directives for long-term health and nursing facilities, such as:
Canceling communal activities, including group meals
Taking the temperature of employees and essential personnel when they enter the facility
Requiring specific personal protective equipment in the facility
Requiring monitoring of residents for COVID-19 symptoms like body temperature
The order makes it easier for employers to file a batch of unemployment claims, on behalf of their employees. This will get unemployment benefits into people's hands faster.
New Hanover Regional Medical Center has begun to accept the donation of cloth masks to protect staff that are continuing to go to work to support the facility's operations but do not work directly with patients. NHRMC has produced this helpful step-by-step guide to aid those looking to donate their time and materials for the production of masks.
The Treasury Department and the IRS have announced the extension of more than 300 additional tax filing, administrative and payment deadlines. For example, tax returns and payments for tax-exempt organizations and fiscal year businesses due between April and June are postponed until July 15, 2020. The extensions also affect certain estates and trusts. Read more info from the Treasury Department here.
Reminder: The deadlines to FILE and PAY federal income taxes have already been extended to July 15, 2020.
Note: If you receive Social Security retirement benefits you do NOT need to use this tool. No further action is needed by taxpayers who filed tax returns in 2018 and 2019 and most seniors and retirees.
The Department of Health and Human Services has posted information outlining how the Provider Relief Fund, which was part of the CARES Act, will be allocated. The Provider Relief Fund will make direct payments to eligible providers throughout the American healthcare system. The first $30 billion of the fund will go out starting today. About 6,900 North Carolina providers will receive some $919 million in relief payments. Learn more here.
The Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department announced the establishment of the Main Street Lending Facility, a loan program that will provide relief and liquidity for mid-size employers larger than 500 employees. More on the program from the Federal Reserve is available here.
With so many schools and daycares closed across North Carolina, I know many parents are struggling to locate high-quality, educational digital contentforkids that are staying home. These resources, made available by the Committee on House Administration, link to quality educational content produced by the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress.
On Thursday, the National Institutes of Health launched a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of adults hospitalized with COVID-19.
The CDC has a page with a variety of useful tools and resources to help individuals manage stress, anxiety, fear and other mental health issues. This outbreak is a stressful situation for both adults and children, and people have different ways of coping.
If you, or someone you care about, needs help, you can visit the Disaster Distress Helpline, call 1-800-985-5990, or text TalkWithUs to 66746.
The Department of Health and Human Services has issued new guidanceauthorizing licensed pharmacists to order and administer COVID-19 tests authorized by the FDA. More than 1.9 million people in the United States have been tested for COVID-19 so far.
The National Federation of Independent Business says that already, 70% of American small businesses have applied for a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program. Of the 30% of businesses that haven't applied, about a third plan to apply within the next month.
For today's good news story, I want to highlight Bitty and Beau’s Coffee, a Wilmington-based chain of coffee shops that was among the first businesses to successfully receive a Paycheck Protection Program loan. Amy and Ben Wright founded Bitty and Beau's to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities, and it now has 120 employees across four states. Their PPP loan has enabled them to rehire 120 employees they were forced to lay off at the outset of the crisis.
