INFORMATION YOU NEED TODAY AND TOMORROW
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Governor Extends State of Emergency Until July 16
Executive Order 2020-127 extends the state of emergency declaration related to the COVID-19 pandemic until July 16. In doing so, Governor Whitmer joins nearly every state in the country in maintaining a state of emergency to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the reduction in COVID-19 case counts, Governor Whitmer has relaxed restrictions over the last several weeks on business activities and daily life. On June 1, she announced that most of the state would move to Phase 4 of the governor’s Start plan, allowing retailers and restaurants to resume operations. Hair salons and other personal care services followed two weeks later. And on June 10, the Upper Peninsula and the region surrounding Traverse City were moved to Phase 5 allowing for the reopening of movie theaters, gyms and bowling alleys. If current trends continue the rest of the state will be moved to Phase 5 by July 4.
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Governor Announces Next Steps for School Reopening in the Fall
"Return to School Roadmap" with guidance for educators to be released June 30, 2020
On Wednesday, June 17, Governor Whitmer announced that Michigan schools may resume in-person learning in phase 4 of the MI Safe Start plan, with strict safety measures in place. The governor also announced that on June 30th, she will release an executive order and a robust document called “Michigan’s Return to School Roadmap” that will provide details on what will be required and what will be recommended for schools. The governor also highlighted the need for support and flexibility from the federal government to help ensure resources for students and educators.
The Return to School plan will align closely with the MI Safe Start Plan. The governor will consider the six phases of the MI Safe Start Plan and the Michigan Economic Recover Council’s 8 regions of the state to determine when, where, and how face-to-face instruction can resume. Districts, students, staff, and families must be nimble and be prepared to move backwards if there is evidence of community spread of the virus.
The Roadmap will set the minimum health and safety requirements, although districts may choose to enact more aggressive ones in consultation with local public health officials. These minimum requirements will apply to all schools, including traditional public, charter, private, and parochial schools.
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Executive Order Permitting Early Refills for Pharmaceuticals Extended
Executive Order 2020-124 continues to allow pharmacists to dispense emergency refills of prescriptions for up to 60 days’ worth of supply for patients and require insurers to cover early refills for up to 90 days’ worth of supply during the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The order will also allow pharmacists to dispense COVID-19 treatments according to government-approved protocols.
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Governor Extends Health and Safety Protections for Grocery Store and Pharmacies
Executive Order 2020-126 extends existing safety measure to protect consumers and employees at grocery stores and pharmacies through July 15, 2020.
The extension covers the following health and safety guidelines among others:
- Customers who can medically tolerate a face covering must wear one when entering a grocery store or pharmacy.
- Grocery stores and pharmacies must allocate at least two hours per week of shopping time for vulnerable populations.
- If an employee tests positive for COVID-19, the business must notify other employees without infringing on private health information.
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Governor Signals Support for SB 690 to Use $850+ Million of Federal Coronavirus Relief Fund Monies
Governor Whitmer has signaled her support for SB 690 which puts more than $850 million in federal Coronavirus Relief Fund monies into action across the state. The supplemental budget bill includes $120 million for direct care workers, providing an additional $2/hour from now through September to ensure direct care workers receive additional money, and it provides $125 million in day care subsidies to reduce child care costs for families right now.
According to State Budget Director Chris Kolb, "While we continue to push Congress to provide more flexibility in how we can use federal funding to address our budget shortfall, and while we await action from Washington to provide additional aid to states, this bill puts existing federal funds to work on items directly related to COVID-19,”
Other key investments included in SB 690 include:
- $100 million in small business restart grants to help small business owners and nonprofit organizations across Michigan get back on their feet, prioritizing minority-owned, women-owned and veteran-owned businesses
- $60 million in rental assistance and eviction diversion to help ensure that those in jeopardy of eviction can remain in their place of residence
- $25 million for water utility assistance
- $25 million for devices, wireless hotspots, and connectivity for school children and their families.
- $18 million for health and safety grants for schools
- $10 million in MIOSHA grants for protections to keep workers safe on the job
- $14 million for food banks and domestic violence shelters to help ensure our most vulnerable populations are supported
Development of the budget for next fiscal year will be delayed until September as the state awaits further information to be collected at a third revenue estimating conference planned for later this summer. The state is also waiting for decisions from the federal government about additional aid for all 50 states that will be critical to address the revenue shortfall in fiscal year 2021.
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Resources for Business and the Community
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The Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce maintains a list of federal, state, and local resources that provide aid and information for your business, employees and our community during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. This information is ever-changing, please check the Chamber's
website,
Facebook, and your email frequently.
We will add links, resources, and updates as information becomes available. We are also converting our At A Glance Newsletter to include Coronavirus links and information as well as local updates, job availability, member coupons and most importantly Member News. Please let us know what your business is doing and how you are functioning during this uncertain time. We need to stay connected and support each other.
Reopening Plan Templates, Playbooks, and Best Practices can be found on the Saginaw Chamber/Saginaw Future joint
Reopening Business Playbook page.
If you are offering a service to help the Saginaw County Community or local businesses weather this storm, please email your information to
info@saginawchamber.org.
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Thank you and stay healthy.
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