COVID-19 Resource List for Leaders Part 2

COVID-19 Resource List for Leaders Part 2
20 Mar 2020

COVID-19 RESOURCES FOR LEADERS

We currently exist in a rapidly changing landscape where information can be both untrustworthy and outdated in a short period of time. To assist you with your decisions I’ve compiled a list of trusted, verified information that will be updated regularly. Please use what you need, skim past what you don’t and stay healthy.

OPERATING IN OUR NEW NORMAL
GENERAL BUSINESS PROTOCOLS & RESOURCES
PENNSYLVANIA RESOURCES
FEDERAL RESOURCES
VIRUS TRACKING & TESTING
IMPORTANT FACTS

OPERATING IN OUR NEW NORMAL

Your Toolbox

Articles to Spur Your Thinking

Summary of All State Actions

 

FEDERAL RESPONSE

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act

  • CARES Act full text on congress.gov. Click here.
  • U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship – The Small Business Owner’s Guide to the CARES Act. Click here.
  • U.S. Chamber of Commerce guide for small businesses, sole proprietors and independent contractors. Click here for the guide and Click here for the state-by-state interactive map.
  • Vistage Research Center post on CARES Act. Click here.
  • Vistage Research Center video dated 3.30.20 detailing CARES Act & SBA lending. Click here.
  • American Dental Association analysis of Small Business Interruption Loans. Click here.

Federal – Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)

The Act was signed by President Trump late Wednesday, 3.18.2020. See below for analyses of the Act.

  1. Department of Labor’s Temporary Rule re Paid Leave Under the FFCRA. Click here.
  2. Paid FMLA, Paid Sick Leave, and Other FAQs. Law firm Cohen Seglias is helping employers navigate the maze of employment laws that are implicated by coronavirus. Click here for their overview of the paid FMLA and paid sick leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Also included are several relevant employment law frequently asked questions.
  3. Legal Analysis Law firm McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC analyzes the FFCRA. Click here.
  4. Paid Leave. Who qualifies? Click here to learn more.
  5. Inc. Magazine’s high-level overview. Click here.
  6. National Law Review analysis re Summary of Amendments. Click here.
  7. U.S. Department of Labor Resources.
    1. Q & A. Click here.
    2. Fact Sheet for Employers. Click here.
    3. Fact Sheet for Employees. Click here.
    4. FFCRA Poster. Click here for a poster detailing employee’s rights under the FFCRA.

IRS News

  • April 15th deadline extended. Click here for the most recent IRS guidelines on this matter and Click here for more information from accounting firm SEK.
  • 2019 Tax Penalties Waived for 90 Days. Click here for The Hill’s analysis IRS releases guidance on deferring tax payments due to coronavirus.

Federal – Defense Production Act

  • Click here for the National Law Review’s overview of the Defense Production Act (DPA).
  • Click here for AEI’s article on DPA with thoughts about how it might be utilized.

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

  • PPP Information Sheet for Borrowers from U.S. Treasury. Click here.
  • PPP Sample Application Form from SBA.GOV. Click here.

 

PENNSYLVANIA RESPONSE

Process to Reopen Pennsylvania

  • Process to Reopen Pennsylvania. Click here for regularly updated information from Governor Wolf.
  • Preliminary Guidance for Phased Reopening of Pennsylvania Schools. Click here to visit the Pennsylvania Department of Education website and access the guidance documents for K-12 as well as Postsecondary and Adult Education.
  • Business Operational Guidelines re Worker Safety. Effective 8pm on April 19, 2020, new guidelines are effective for operating Pennsylvania businesses. Click here to access the specific order or Click here for the press release.
  • PA Hospital Preparedness Dashboard. This dashboard provides at-a-glance county-level information on COVID-19 in Pennsylvania including the number of available beds and ventilators in use at facilities across the state. Click here for the desktop version or Click here for the mobile version.
  • PA Manufacturing Call to Action Portal. Click here.

Closure of PA Business Physical Locations on 3.18.2020

When Pennsylvania businesses were closed on March 18, 2020 guidance on what that meant evolved. Learn more below.

  • Governor Wolf’s Order. Click here to read Governor Wolf’s Order closing ALL non-life sustaining businesses.
    • Press release re Order. Click here to read the release regarding Governor Wolf’s Order.
    • Life sustaining businesses. Click here for the list published on DCED or Click here to access Pennlive’s searchable database of life sustaining businesses.
    • Order of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health Directing Building Safety Measures. Click here.
  • Business Closure Order Enforcement Guidance. Click here for the official document relied upon by Pennsylvania law enforcement regarding enforcement.
  • CISA Guidance Memorandum. Click here to access the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency’s Advisory Memorandum on Identification of Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers During COVID-19 Response.

PA “Stay at Home” Orders

Learn more about the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s “Stay at Home” orders.

  • Official posting. Click here for the official state posting.
  • “Stay at Home” Guidance. Click here for guidance on what the “Stay at Home” Order means.
  • Governor Wolf’s Original Order. Click here for the Order.

All State Actions

With changes arriving hourly, it can be difficult to understand how different states are combating the virus. Fortunately, the National Governor’s Association (NGA) is documenting the front line fight. Click here for their resource page and scroll down to the section What Steps Have States Taken To Address Coronavirus? which contains two helpful sections including one titled State/Territorial Resource Pages And Other Select State Actions.

BUSINESS PROTOCOLS & RESOURCES

Federal Protocols for Business

  1. CDC Guidance for Businesses & Employers. Click here to learn more.
  2. OSHA/HHS Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19. Click here to learn more.
  3. EEOC Pandemic Preparedness in the Workplace & the ADA. Click here.
  4. CDC COVID-19 Posters.Many workers are still not taking the situation seriously and reminders like posters are a great way to reinforce the message. The CDC offers a variety of posters for download that you may use at your place of business (unless you’ve gone 100% remote). Click here to access the CDC Poster page.

Disinfection Guidelines

  1. Cleaning & Disinfecting Guidelines for Buildings from PA Department of Health. Click here for the memorandum and then Click here for the legal analysis Are You Cleaning Your Buildings Adequately? PA Secretary of Health Imposes Cleaning Protocols on Landlords.
  2. How to Clean a Facility. Click here for the CDC Guidelines on disinfecting facilities.
  3. How to Clean & Disinfect Your Home. Click here for the CDC guidelines on disinfecting your home to protect against the virus
  4. Cleaning Services. The following services are qualified to disinfecting facilities exposed to COVID-19. Please click on the company name to visit their website.

Free Resources

  • HBR COVID-19.
    • Free access to Harvard Business Review (HBR) COVID-19 Resource Page. Click here to access it.
    • HBR ebook: Coronavirus and Business: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review. Click here.
  • Boston Consulting Group. Click here for BCG’s COVID-19 Rapid Crisis Response Checklist.
  • Chief Outsiders. Click here for Chief Outsider’s COVID-19 Strategic Response Resources.
  • Legal Resources. The following PA-based law firms now offer COVID-19 resource pages:
  • Accounting Guidance. Click here for accounting firm RKL’s article Emergency Financing and Loan Options for Your Business.

Mental Health

  • Working Remotely During COVID-19 from the American Psychiatric Association. Click here for the article which includes great tips on how to maintain central and physical wellness during these trying times.
  • Handling isolation. Few people know more about how to handle isolation than submariners. Click here for the article These Royal Navy Submariners Know A Thing Or Two About Isolation. Here’s Their Advice. to help you prepare for your own version of 40,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Building Guidelines

  • Building Water Quality and Coronavirus: Flushing Guidance for Periods of Low or No Use – Environmental Science, Policy & Research Institute (ESPRI) and AH Environmental Consultants, Inc. (AH). Click here.
  • Guidance for Building Water Systems – CDC. Click here.

Corporate video messaging

Arne Sorenson, President and CEO of Marriott International, has crafted THE BEST and most effective crisis communication and messaging video I’ve seen from a leader. Click here to view his message and if you’re considering video messages to your organization, note the structure, content, pacing and tone of Arne’s.

PA Unemployment Compensation.

The Pennsylvania Office of Unemployment Compensation has published updated guidelines and resources in response to the COVID-19 crisis – including a waiver of the one week waiting period. Click here to access the new guidelines and Click here to access their main page.

STATUS UPDATES

Virus Tracking & Modeling

Track the status and spread of the COVID-19 virus.

  • COVID-19 modeling. COVIDActNow.org models virus spread and offers easy to understand state-specific data to help leaders understand how their state is faring in the fight – and when their respective healthcare systems may be overwhelmed. Click here to access COVIDACTNOW.ORG
  • Infection heatmap. Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Research does an excellent job of tracking the spread of the virus. Learn more here.
  • WHO Updates. The World Health Organization Situation (WHO) issues regular reports about the status of the virus worldwide. Learn more here.
  • CDC Summary. The CDC regularly updates information about COVID-19. Learn more here.

Testing Sites

Find a testing location near you.

  • Testing Sites. A comprehensive map of testing locations does not yet exist in Pennsylvania (or nationally). One of the more comprehensive sites, however, is through GISCorps. Click here to find a testing location near you.
  • Testing Dashboard/Metrics. American Enterprise Institute (AEI) has done an excellent job tracking our testing ability. Click here for AEI’s CV19 Lab Testing Dashboard.

IMPORTANT FACTS

  1. Hospitalization Rates and Characteristics of Patients Hospitalized with Laboratory-Confirmed Coronavirus Disease. Click here to access the first study by the CDC of the effect COVID-19 has on different demographic groups. (Released 4.08.2020).
  2. COVID-19 Information for Employers. Noted infectious disease specialist, Paul Auwaerter, MD, MBA, Clinical Director at the Division of Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins held special webinars for Vistage members on 3.13.20 and 3.27.20. Click here for the transcript from the 3.13.20 session and Click here for the 3.27.20 transcript.
  3. Go Deeper on COVID-19. Scientists are only now beginning to unlock our understanding of SARS-CoV-2. Click here if you’d like a deeper knowledge base about the virus including why handwashing is effective, how it’s related to the other members of the coronavirus family and much more.
  4. Virus Transmission. The virus is spreading quickly in certain geographic areas and there are three known methods of transmission.
    1. Person-to-person contact. Virus spread from people within six (6) feet of each other appears to be the main source of transmission.
    2. Person-to-person airborne. Respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes will transmit the virus when they land in a passerby’s nose or mouth – and possibly through inhalation into the lungs.
    3. Infected surfaces. Someone may become infected with the virus by touching a virus-covered surface or object but this is not thought to be a main method of transmission.
      Learn more about the transmission of COVID-19 here.
  5. Virus Lifespan & Transmissibility. A study published Tuesday, 3.17.20 in the New England Journal of Medicine confirms that the COVID-19 virus will live for up to 72 hours on stainless steel and plastic and up to 24 hours on cardboard. Click here for the article Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1.
  6. Handwashing. Effective handwashing is your most important line of defense against the transmission of ANY virus. Unfortunately, most of our handwashing techniques are ineffective. Be sure to wash your hands frequently and properly following the CDC’s recommended five-step process that includes scrubbing your hands for at least twenty (20) seconds. (Singing “Happy Birthday” to yourself twice is approximately 20 seconds). Learn more about effective handwashing here.
  7. Mortality rate. Mortality rates for the disease are being reported at anywhere from 1%-3%. A study of 72,000 COVID-19 cases by China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention was released on 2.24.2020 suggesting that the average case-fatality rate is 2.3%. Additionally, a study of 1099 Chinese patients published in the New England Journal of Medicine on 2.28.2020 pegs the mortality rate at 1.4%. By comparison, the average mortality rate for the flu is 0.1%
    1. Learn more about the Chinese study here.
    2. Learn more about the New England Journal of Medicine study here.
    3. Learn more about how COVID-19 compares to the flu here.


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