The latest from the Chamber, our members, and Jefferson County
The U.S. Chamber’s updated four-page Guide to PPP Loan Forgiveness may be viewed and printed via the button below. This guide reflects recent substantive changes made by Congress and the administration to the US Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program which will provide borrowers with more flexibility.
More than 65,000 children a day are expected to take part in Ohio’s Summer Food Service Program. With more than 1,500 sites across the state, many of the programs have set up new guidelines for distributing food to kids. Additional information can be found at education.ohio.gov/kidseat or by calling 866-3-HUNGRY.
Governor DeWine released the latest basic reproduction number or R0 (pronounced “R naught”) for eight regions of Ohio. The R0 represents the number of people, on average, that a person will spread a disease to. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that COVID-19’s R0, without interventions, to be 2.5. With Ohio’s interventions, the R0 for the state measured at 0.87 on June 7. Ohio is beginning to see the R0 plateau in Region 7 and 8. Click here for an updated R0 regional map.
The U.S. Small Business Administration reopened the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance program portal to all eligible applicants experiencing economic impacts due to COVID-19 today.(see article below).
To further meet the needs of U.S. small businesses and non-profits, the U.S. Small Business Administration reopened the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance program portal to all eligible applicants experiencing economic impacts due to COVID-19 today.
“The SBA is strongly committed to working around the clock, providing dedicated emergency assistance to the small businesses and non-profits that are facing economic disruption due to the COVID-19 impact. With the reopening of the EIDL assistance and EIDL Advance application portal to all new applicants, additional small businesses and non-profits will be able to receive these long-term, low interest loans and emergency grants – reducing the economic impacts for their businesses, employees and communities they support,” said SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza. “Since EIDL assistance due to the pandemic first became available to small businesses located in every state and territory, SBA has worked to provide the greatest amount of emergency economic relief possible. To meet the unprecedented need, the SBA has made numerous improvements to the application and loan closing process, including deploying new technology and automated tools.”
The Chamber’s “We Are All Essential” t-shirt project continues to grow as the the Chamber staff and volunteers delivered our “community pride” shirts this week to member restaurants, bakeries, retailers and more. And beginning today , you may purchase your own for yourself, staff, family or friends. Every purchase will help us keep our inventory big enough that all of our local member businesses have enough shirts for their staff. It truly is “members helping members.”
In addition, you may choose from THREE styles: a regular t-shirt, a long-sleeved tee and a hoodie. The cooler temperatures will be here before you know it and want to keep our message going strong for months to come. All shirts are high-quality, Hanes, pre-shrunk cotton.
A big thank you again to our very generous sponsors who made this exciting project possible.
Governor DeWine yesterday directed Ohio’s Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board to begin developing uniform minimum standards related to mass protests. Members of the collaborative will examine issues surrounding best practices for interaction between law enforcement and crowds that fail to disperse, when tactics involving tear gas, pepper spray, and non-lethal projectiles are necessary and when these tactics should be considered excessive, and how to better protect members of the media from injury.
Governor DeWine announced that the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy has clarified rules that allow pharmacists to order and administer tests for COVID-19. To help Ohioans find testing locations, a map has been added to coronavirus.ohio.gov that lists COVID-19 testing centers in Ohio.
Ohio has utilized COVID-19 testing priorities to manage limited testing capacity. Under the guidance of clinical experts, Governor DeWine announced that Ohio has modified these groups in light of changes in testing availability and evolving knowledge of COVID-19 and its impact on Ohioans. Testing must be first available to individuals described in Priority Groups 1, 2 and 3, but Ohio is expanding to allow partners and communities to test Ohioans in Priority Group 4 which includes testing “Individuals in the community to decrease community spread, including individuals with symptoms who do not meet any of the above categories.
Governor DeWine announced a plan to lift restrictions on visitation at assisted living homes in Ohio. Beginning June 8, 2020, properly prepared assisted living facilities and intermediate care facilities for individuals with developmental disabilities can begin to allow outdoor visitation. The lifted restriction do not yet apply to nursing homes.
Governor DeWine announced the formation of new Congregate Care Unified Response Teams to test residents and staff members in Ohio’s nursing homes. Medically-trained members of the Ohio National Guard will begin testing residents and staff within nursing homes beginning this week. This testing will help nursing home administrators gauge the status of the virus in their facilities and help isolate the virus to stop it from infecting their community. Here is more information on Ohio nursing home testing.
Testing will be conducted in facilities where residents or workers have confirmed or assumed positive cases. Testing will be conducted on all staff, and the testing of residents will be based on a clinically-driven strategy that targets those who have likely been exposed to COVID-19.
In addition, the Congregate Care Unified Response Teams will begin the testing of all residents and staff members in the state’s eight developmental centers to try to limit the spread of COVID-19 in congregate care settings.
In addition, the Congregate Care Unified Response Teams will begin the testing of all residents and staff members in the state’s eight developmental centers to try to limit the spread of COVID-19 in congregate care settings.
Below are the updates from the May 21st press conference with Governor DeWine, Lt. Governor Husted, and State Health Commissioner, Dr. Amy Acton. The next press conference is currently scheduled for Tuesday, May 26th.
Governor DeWine announced initial findings from his Minority Health Strike Force. The team was formed in April in response to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on African Americans who make up 14 percent of Ohio’s population, but represent 26 percent of positive COVID-19 cases, 31 percent of COVID-19 hospitalizations, and 17 percent of COVID-19 deaths in Ohio. The Minority Health Strike Force’s preliminary report will be available soon at coronavirus.ohio.gov. Final recommendations will be issued on June 11.
Examples of these recommendations include: establishing culturally appropriate and accessible COVID-19 exposure notification services for communities of color; expanding testing capacity and access for minorities and high-risk populations; using data to prioritize resources in the communities that have the highest need; developing and launching a statewide, culturally-sensitive outreach campaign that educates African Americans and communities of color on COVID-19, health disparities, and social determinants of health.
Governor DeWine released details of the new “Ohioans Protecting Ohioans Urgent Health Advisory” which replaces the Stay Safe Ohio order that was issued by the Ohio Department of Health on April 30, 2020. The health order replaces language requiring Ohioans to stay at home with limited exceptions with language that strongly recommends that citizens, especially those who are high-risk, stay at home as much as possible. The order does not change the mass gathering restrictions, which remain at a 10-person limit. The new health advisory also lifts overall travel restrictions and the requirement to quarantine if someone travels to or returns to Ohio. Unnecessary travel within or outside of Ohio is not encouraged. I will share a copy of the order as soon as possible.
Good Morning:
Below are updates from yesterday’s press conference with Ohio Governor DeWine, Lt. Governor Husted and Health Commissioner, Dr. Amy Acton. Today’s press conference is scheduled for 2:00 PM. You may watch live on the Ohio Channel or locally on WTOV9.