#ReOpen Carbon County

Last update: 07/15/2020 @ 12:00 PM

During this time of uncertainty, The Chamber’s Public Policy team will continue to provide you with the most up to date state and federal information that you can use right now for your business and your employees. We thank our public officials for recognizing that businesses need immediate assistance as you work to stay above water and be helpful to your employees.

We continue to be in daily communication with our legislative leaders and staff to monitor progress and will update you immediately on results from which you may be able to benefit.

Please contact us (contact information at the bottom of this email) with any questions you may have.

July 2, 2020

3 Major Changes that Could Affect your Business

Still time for you to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program...
U.S. Senate focuses on liability protection for business…
Speaking of liability... could you use 20 minutes of FREE legal advice?

1) Still time for you to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program…
Last night, the U.S. House unanimously passed legislation that would extend the deadline to apply for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans through August 8. The U.S. Senate passed the extension on Tuesday and now it is on the President's desk for signature. We anticipate as early as today he will sign the extension into law. Of the $660 billion in total funding for the program, approximately $130 billion is still available.

The Chamber would like to thank all of our federal representatives - U.S. Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey - and our members of Congress - Matt Cartwright, Tom Malinowski, Dan Meuser and Susan Wild - for supporting the extension.

More big news on the PPP front…
If the proposed PPP Small Business Forgiveness Act is passed, your PPP loans of $150,000 or less will only require a simple, one-page attestation form to your lender for forgiveness. The Chamber supports this legislation introduced by North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer that would also benefit chamber members in the following ways:

The borrower shall be held harmless from any enforcement action if the borrower’s attestation contained any falsehoods.
The borrower attestation will include a means by which a borrower, on a voluntary basis, will provide the following demographic information: sex; race; ethnicity; and veteran status of owner.

2) “…any bill that passes the Senate will have liability protections in it.”
Those words were said on Tuesday night by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell regarding stimulus legislation. While no specifics have been given by McConnell, he has indicated the legislation would include significant liability protections against lawsuits anyone may bring because of the COVID-19 pandemic, unless in cases of gross negligence and intentional misconduct. The Chamber has heard your concerns loud and clear and will continue to express to our legislators at the federal and state levels that businesses have had it hard enough the past few months and needs to be protected against frivolous legal action. The Senate will recess today and return July 20. Chamber staff will keep you updated as we continue to work with our congressional offices.

3) Speaking of legal action…could you use 20 minutes of FREE legal advice?
To support our members, The Chamber is offering member businesses a FREE 20 minute legal consultation with one of our four Chamber Law Firm Partners:

Lesavoy Butz & Seitz FOR Business, Corporate, Real Estate, Estate Planning & Litigation Needs
King Spry Herman Freund & Faul FOR Employment and Labor, Employee Benefits;
Zator Law FOR Estate Planning, Bankruptcy, Business/Commercial Law, Real Estate, Criminal Defense, and Workers’ Compensation
Gross McGinley FOR Business, Corporate, Employment and Real Estate

This new benefit is designed to provide our members with access to general legal guidance concerning the required safety regulations and procedures on the reopening of their business.

To take advantage and to be connected with one of our firms, please contact Alison Pickel, SVP of Member Relations, at (610) 739-1512.
Disclaimer:
Information discussed during the Chamber legal consultation call is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The legal consultation call does not create an attorney-client relationship between the attorney and caller. Likewise, none of the information discussed during the initial consultation call is covered by attorney-client privilege. If more information or legal guidance is needed beyond the legal consultation call, you may formally retain an attorney who can examine the complete facts and provide a legal opinion on your matter.

PA STATE UPDATE:

The COVID-19 Relief Statewide Small Business Assistance Program is Now Open
Pennsylvania is now accepting applications for grants to help small businesses recover financial losses caused by the statewide business shutdown order due to COVID-19. Small businesses in Pennsylvania can apply for grants of between $5,000 and $50,000 to affected businesses that have 25 of fewer employees and meet other eligibility requirements. The application period opened June 30 and will remain open for 10 days. Information on the grant program including eligibility requirements and application details can be found at the Rising Tide Community Loan Fund.

PA Unemployment Extension
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry has announced that unemployment compensation benefits are being extended. Individuals who have exhausted their regular Unemployment Compensation (UC) and federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) may qualify for 13 additional weeks of payments through the state’s Unemployment Compensation Extended Benefits (EB) program. The Extended Benefits payments will begin to be rolled out at the end of next week and eligible individuals will receive notification by mail. More information about eligibility and how to file claims for extended benefit can be found here

Don’t Forget Your Mask
Governor Tom Wolf is reminding all PA residents and businesses that masks are mandatory the entire time while visiting a business. Also, yesterday the PA Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine signed an executive order mandating that Pennsylvanians wear a mask anytime they are in a public setting.

State agencies have sent communications to PA businesses this week outlining mask requirements. The state’s business guidance outlining mask wearing requirements can be found here

NEW JERSEY UPDATE:

Governor Phil Murphy has announced that indoor dining, which was initially set to open today, July 2, has been postponed indefinitely. Governor Murphy announced the restrictions will remain in place due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in other states driven in part by the return to indoor dining.

For the most up to date information regarding COVID-19 and resources available in New Jersey please here

Need Help Finding Workers? PA CareerLink Lehigh Valley is Here to Help

PA CareerLink Lehigh Valley is here to help provide you with skilled workers. The employment, training, and labor market services you receive through their workforce delivery system are professional, comprehensive, and on-target. These services come at no cost to you.

To learn more about employment and training programs, call 610-437-5627, extension 136, or email BEST@careerlinklv.org

The Green Phase Order includes these highlights:

- Large gatherings of more than 250 prohibited.
- Restaurants and bars open at 50% occupancy.
- Personal care services (including hair salons and barbershops) open at 50% occupancy and by appointment only.
- Indoor recreation, health and wellness facilities, and personal care services (such as gyms and spas) open at 50% occupancy with appointments strongly encouraged.
- All entertainment (such as casinos, theaters, and shopping malls) open at 50% occupancy.
- Construction activity may return to full capacity with continued implementation of protocols.
- Visitation to prisons and hospitals may resume subject to the discretion of the facility. Visitors who interact with residents and patients must be diligent regarding hygiene. Given the critical importance of limiting COVID-19 exposure in nursing homes, personal care home and long-term care facilities, visitation restrictions will initially remain in place.
Restaurants in the green and yellow phase of reopening could add dine-in services in outdoor seating areas under restaurant industry guidance available HERE. Restaurants in green-phase counties are permitted to offer dine-in services both indoors and outdoors now, so long as social distancing and sanitation measures are in place. Dining venues in yellow-phase counties can begin offering outdoor dine-in services on June 5. PLCB Guidance for Licensees in “Green” Counties is available HERE. Additionally, PLCB guidance on the sale of Sale of Prepared Beverages and Mixed Drinks To Go (Act 21 of 2020) is available HERE.
In addition, new guidance could allow professional sports to resume in counties in the green or yellow phase of reopening if teams develop a COVID-19 safety plan. Spectators would be prohibited on the interior or exterior of the venue property. Click HERE for the governor’s announcement.
Updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the Wolf Administration’s business guidelines are available HERE.
Guidance for Businesses Permitted to Operate During the COVID-19 Disaster Emergency to Ensure the Safety and Health of Employees and the Public, is available HERE. It provides business guidance for protecting employees and, additional guidance for any business that serves the public inside a building or other defined area. This guidance applies to all businesses in all industries and sectors of the economy (including non-profit entities) in the Commonwealth, which are permitted to conduct in-person operations, unless they are otherwise more stringently regulated under separate industry-specific guidance. For instance, health care providers are governed by DOH’s guidance provided to health care providers and its HANs (Health Alert Network guidance).
The Wolf Administration also released Summer Recreation, Camps and Pools Guidance in the form of frequently asked questions (FAQs) for parents, summer camp operators, public bathing places, part-day school-age programs, and other entities that provide necessary child care and enrichment and recreational activities for children and youth during the summer months. This guidance is especially helpful as most counties are moving to yellow or green and is available HERE.
Philly Mayor Kenney also released a plan detailing Philadelphia’s strategy for reopening some businesses when the city’s stay-at-home order is expected to be lifted on June 5. The plan called, “Safer at Home” is available HERE. The plan includes industry-specific guidelines businesses must follow during the reopening process.
Guidelines for school districts in helping them decide how to reopen schools could be available as early as next week.

ReOpen Carbon County | Back to Business
Process to Reopen Pennsylvania

A Message from the CCEDC:

We at the Carbon Chamber & Economic Development Corp. are excited to move safely with you, our fellow Carbon County residents & business owners, into the green phase on Friday, June 12, 2020. In an effort to move forward safely, we have partnered with the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau, Jim Thorpe Tourism Agency, the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Pocono Chamber of Commerce and other partners throughout the area to help provide information, resources and tips to a safe reopening of Carbon County. We are looking forward to getting back to business together!

If you plan on re-opening safely, please let us know so we can update our community via the CCEDC COVID19 Support Local page. You can email us at info@carboncountychamber.org Please include the following information: Company Name, Contact Person, Address, Website, Phone, Hours of Operation, and Offerings/Special Announcements.

WHAT IS OPEN ? CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT!

Jim Thorpe Businesses Phase Openings

Helpful Links

Pocono Promise

Pocono businesses, join the CCEDC and sign the Pocono Promise today!

From restaurants and bed and breakfasts to waterparks and wineries, businesses of all shapes and sizes are struggling to survive amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau is committed to supporting our businesses through these unprecedented times and encouraging them to sign the Pocono Promise.

By pledging to keep the Pocono Promise, businesses voluntarily vow to follow certain guidelines that protect employees and customers once it is time to reopen. Those guidelines include aggressive cleaning protocols, health surveys for staff before starting their shift, special training, and using personal protective equipment when possible. In return, businesses ask employees and customers to follow certain guidelines as well, which include following social distancing protocols and staying home/visiting another time if feeling sick.

“The more businesses that adopt this promise, the more solidarity we demonstrate to our residents and our visitors,” said Chris Barrett, President/CEO of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau. “Together we’ll attest that the Pocono Mountains is doing everything possible to overcome this crisis in the safest and best way possible.”

Ready to sign the Pocono Promise?

Learn more about the Pocono Promise and get access to a variety of printable signage and other resources after you sign.

I'm Ready to Sign

Protective Equipment & Supplies

BrightStar Care, INC of Stoudsburg & Allentown 570-223-2248

www.brightstarcare.com/Stroudsburg-Allentown

Safeguard Your Employees and Your Business During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The CDC has recommended employers conduct COVID-19 screening including temperature checks for workers. This step is already in place for many healthcare workers. Employers in other industries who are keeping their operations open are adopting similar COVID-19 screening practices. Typically, this occurs at the start of shifts as employees are reporting to work and allows the employer to identify anyone exhibiting symptoms and proactively send them home to avoid possible spread of the virus on the employer’s premises.
How BrightStar Care® can help
BrightStar Care, known for providing home care services at a higher standard, also provides medical staffing services and is able to help you protect your workforce and your company. BrightStar Care on-site COVID-19 screening services can be tailored to your company’s needs including:
Interviewing employees with health screening questions
Taking vitals such as temperature
Documenting employee answers for HR files
Screening staff at the beginning of their shift
Each assignment will be conducted by either an RN, LPN, RPH, DCW. Each screening is 4 hours minimum, and it can be canceled at any time with 24 hours’ notice.

Steri Sweep- Phone: (862) 220-0753