Virginia Chamber of Commerce Weekly COVID-19 Update:
May 15, 2020
A Message from Virginia Chamber President & CEO, Barry DuVal
Last week, Governor Ralph Northam signed Executive Order 61 and announced Phase One of the “Forward Virginia” plan to reopen the Commonwealth. The new executive order modifies public health guidance in Executive Order 53 and Executive Order 55. The Governor has noted that the timing of the three-phase plan will be based on certain health data.
While Phase One officially starts today (May 15), Governor Northam has signed Executive Order 62 granting the City of Richmond, Accomack County, and several localities in Northern Virginia with an exemption to the state-mandated easing of the Phase One restrictions, per the localities’ requests. Under Executive Order 62, these localities will begin Phase One no sooner than midnight on Thursday, May 28. Additional information about the specific guidelines for Phase One can be found below.
Earlier this month, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce announced the launch of the “Blueprint for Getting Virginians Back to Work” initiative. Intentionally named to complement our existing business plan, Blueprint Virginia 2025, Blueprint for Getting Virginians Back to Work will provide guidance for businesses and policymakers to help move the Commonwealth beyond the term ‘essential business’ to a plan that eventually allows all businesses to reopen.
Members of the business community are encouraged to participate in the survey by close of business TODAY, May 15. Take the survey here. The Virginia Chamber will release its Blueprint for Getting Virginians Back to Work after compiling all responses. The final plan, along with a host of other important resources for businesses, will be on our Virginia Chamber COVID-19 Resource Center.
Virginia businesses have stepped up to support our communities during these challenging times. Each week, we will highlight one member of the Virginia Chamber for their efforts to give back during the COVID-19 pandemic in the “Member Spotlight” section included below.
This week, the Virginia Chamber is pleased to recognize Verizon for its efforts to support small businesses and community members across the Commonwealth during COVID-19. Verizon, along with several of the Chamber’s other telecommunications members, have come together and taken the Federal Communications Commission’s Keep Americans Connected pledge. As part of this pledge, they have committed to not terminate service to any residential or small business customers because of their inability to pay their bills due to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, waive any late fees that customers incur and open Wi-Fi hotspots to any American who needs them. Verizon has announced that they have extended this commitment through June 30.
In addition to this pledge, Verizon is giving back in many ways, including additional community investments, employer-to-employer connections to bring together companies laying off or furloughing their employees with companies in urgent need of workers, and continually developing new small businesses resources. More information on this week’s “Member Spotlight” can be found below.
Member Spotlight: Verizon
This new section in the Virginia Chamber’s Weekly COVID-19 update will highlight Chamber members who have stepped up to support our communities during these challenging times. This week on our Member Spotlight, we are highlighting Verizon for their continued efforts to support Virginians during COVID-19.
Below you will find an overview of some of their COVID-19 initiatives.
- Verizon has extended their commitment to increase wireless data, waive overage charges for wireless customers impacted by COVID-19, and provide new discounted plans for low-income customers through June 30. These updates are in addition to their long-standing practice of no data caps for wireline services.
- Donated $7.5 million to establish the Verizon Small Business Recovery Fund, operated by Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), to provide grants to help small businesses fill urgent financial gaps until they can resume normal operations or until other more permanent financing becomes available. The application deadline to apply for round 3 is Wednesday, May 20 and grant information and FAQ can be found here.
- Cofounded “People + Work Connect” to help people get back to work. This employer-to-employer initiative brings together companies laying off or furloughing people with companies in urgent need of workers.
- Developed a small business webinar series featuring different experts providing their insights on how to respond to new challenges due to COVID-19, based on their professional expertise. All past webinars can be found on demand and are available for download, including presentation materials.
More information can be found on their COVID-19 Response Center
Virginia Chamber 2020 Event Updates
Due to the COVID-19 crisis and ever-evolving situation, the Virginia Chamber made the decision last week to postpone all of our scheduled events for the spring. We have secured new dates for each of these events later in the year.
Please find below an updated tentative event calendar for the fall months. Additional details on each event with be released in the coming weeks.
August 19 – Virginia Veterans & Military Affairs Conference
September 17 – Virginia Conference on Energy Diversity & Corporate Sustainability
October 7 – Virginia Health Care Conference
October 27 – Virginia Education & Workforce Conference
November 5 – Virginia Chamber Annual Dinner
December 4 – Virginia Economic Summit
Governor Announces Details for Phase One of “Forward Virginia”
Last week, Governor Ralph Northam signed Executive Order 61 and announced Phase One of the “Forward Virginia” plan to reopen the Commonwealth. The new executive order modifies public health guidance in Executive Order 53 and Executive Order 55. The Governor has noted that the timing of the three-phase plan will be based on certain health data.
While Phase One officially starts today (May 15), Governor Northam has signed Executive Order 62 granting the City of Richmond, Accomack County, and several localities in Northern Virginia with an exemption to the state-mandated easing of the Phase One restrictions, per the localities’ requests. Under Executive Order 62, these localities will begin Phase One no sooner than midnight on Thursday, May 28.
Below you will find an overview of the information outlined for Phase One:
- The ban continues on social gatherings of more than 10 people and maintains recommendations for social distancing, teleworking, and wearing face coverings.
- All businesses should make modifications to maintain six feet of physical distancing, increase cleaning and sanitization of high contact surfaces, and provide enhanced workplace safety measures.
- Retail establishments will be allowed to operate at 50 percent occupancy.
- Restaurant and beverage establishments may offer outdoor dining at 50 percent occupancy.
- Personal grooming services may begin operating by appointment only, with only one appointment per service provider at a time.
- Fitness centers may offer outdoor exercise services.
- Campgrounds may also begin taking reservations for short-term stays.
- Places of worship may continue holding drive-in services, and services may be held inside at 50 percent capacity.
Additional guidance for businesses and religious services can be found below.
Governor Northam Calls for Increased COVID-19 Testing in Two Federally-Run Detention Facilities
Governor Ralph Northam today urged the federal government to implement additional screening and testing for COVID-19 in two federally-run detention centers in Virginia, the Farmville Detention Center and the Caroline County Detention Center, and offered state support to do so.
In a letter to Virginia’s congressional delegation, Governor Northam wrote that testing everyone in the facilities, including detainees, staff, and contractors, will help protect the health of those living in the facilities, as well as the surrounding communities.
Both detention centers are operated by the federal government, and the Commonwealth has limited authority to enter them. However, these facilities are congregate settings, where COVID-19 spreads more easily. The Virginia Department of Health is supporting point prevalence surveys in other congregate settings, such as long-term care facilities and correctional facilities. Increased testing in those settings helps mitigate the spread of the virus, both within the facility and in the communities in which the facilities are located.
The full text of the Governor’s letter is available here.
Upcoming COVID-19 Webinars:
Visit the Virginia Chamber COVID-19 Resource Center for a weekly overview of the available webinars for the business community.
Virginia Chamber members are encouraged to share any additional webinar resources and opportunities that should be highlighted in this section by contacting our team at policy@vachamber.com
SBA Resources: Sustaining Business and Nonprofits
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) — use the Lender Match tool to find lender where can apply. Entities can obtain zero-fee loans up to $10 million running from February 15, 2020 through June 30, 2020. Up to 8 weeks of average payroll will be forgiven if the business retains its employees and their salary levels.
Emergency Economic Injury Grant — use the Economic Injury Disaster Loan application. It includes $10 billion to provide an advance of up to $10,000 for businesses and nonprofits that apply through SBA within 3 days.
Small Business Debt Relief Program — use the Economic Injury Disaster Loan application. Once an entity applies for EIDL, the SBA has three weeks to respond. EIDLs are loans up to $2 million with interest rates of 3.75% for businesses and 2.75% for nonprofits. If an entity receives the loan January 31 to June 30, 2020, it can apply for a PPP loan or refinance for PPP.
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Information Sheet
The U.S. Department of Treasury shared new information regarding the Paycheck Protection Program. Please review the resources provided by the U.S. Department of Treasury below and visit their webpage for additional information.
