-
Follow Local News Online
-
-
CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE AND RESOURCES
During this unprecedented time, the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce remains a support and advocate for a healthy and robust business climate.
As we face this unprecedented experience together, please note the following reliable resources that will help keep you, your business, your co-workers and your family informed. Bookmark our website and check back regularly for updates about the health crisis and resources specific to the business community.
Stay safe, stay well, stay positive, and we'll all get through this together!
Resources for Businesses
Click on the boldface headline to be directed to the web link.
-
SBA COVID-19 Loans - On March 16, the Small Business Administration announced that low interest federal disaster loans are available for working capital to small businesses.
-
US Chamber of Commerce - "Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES): What Small Businesses Need to Know"
-
National Town Hall - "What the $2 Trillion Stimulus Means for Your Business" - On March 27, Inc. Magazine and the US Chamber of Commerce hosted a live expert Q&A on what you need to know about the package and its $367 billion program for small businesses. Click here to view the 58-minute video.
-
National Restaurant Association - How the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) affects the restaurant industry
-
California Chamber of Commerce - Excellent source of information for employers
-
Morrison & Foerster: The CARES Act Resource Center
-
Facebook Small Business Loans - On March 17, Facebook announced it will be offering $100 million in cash grants and ad credits for up to 30,000 eligible small businesses in over 30 countries where it operates.
-
California State Senate passes "Coronavirus Response Act" requiring employers of 500 or less to provide Emergency Paid Leave - Article from The National Law Review
-
California Support for Workers and Employees - FAQ's
-
California Department of Labor & Workforce Development - Benefits for Workers Impacted by COVID-19
-
"Essential Businesses in Santa Clara County Required to Publish Social Distancing Protocol" - download Word document
-
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) "Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19" - Download PDF
-
Small Business Resilience Toolkit - Find best practices, tools and a self-assessment to help protect your business from interruptions.
-
Quick Action Guide - Plan your emergency response and develop plans to minimize downtime.
-
"Shelter in Place" - What Does It Mean? - What is and isn't permissible under the mandatory Shelter in Place order? What defines an "Essential Business" or "Essential Activity?" Read the official definitions here. View document.
Resources for Residents
Click on a boldface headline to be redirected to the link.
Local restaurants open to serve you during the Shelter in Place
Latest list compiled and updated by Embarcadero Media.
- County of Santa Clara extends the Shelter in Place and Non-Essential Business closure order through May 1st.
-
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) official Coronavirus Information site including late-breaking developments
-
State of California's master Coronavirus website
-
Breaking news from Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
-
County of Santa Clara Dept. of Public Health Covid-19 update page
-
County of Santa Clara Dept. of Public Health - Shelter in Place Order
-
FAQs about Shelter in Place order - Also available in Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog and Chinese (scroll to bottom on linked page).
-
County of Santa Clara Public Health Department’s Facebook page - for live streams of press conferences and instant updates
-
City of Palo Alto
-
-
News You Can Use
We monitor many websites and information outlets daily and will share with you a digest of those we find most relevant. Click on the boldface type for links.
URGENT NEWS: FAMILIES FIRST CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE ACT (FFCRA)
The full text of the FFCRA can be found here.
The FFCRA is a new federal law that requires employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide two new paid leave benefits for eligible employees affected by the COVID-19 virus in 2020. This applies only to those employees (not already laid off) who are home sick. The leave requirements generally provide paid sick time or paid leave under certain circumstances (as described more fully in the notice poster, link #4, below). The FFCRA also provides tax credits that may help employers provide the paid leave benefits.
FFCRA helps the United States combat the workplace effects of COVID-19 by reimbursing American private employers that have fewer than 500 employees with tax credits for the cost of providing employees with paid leave taken for specified reasons related to COVID-19. The law enables employers to keep workers (who are home sick with COVID-19 related illness and unable to work, even remotely) on their payrolls, while at the same time ensuring that workers are not forced to choose between their paychecks and the public health measures needed to combat the virus. The Department’s Wage and Hour Division administers the paid leave portions of the FFCRA.
If an employer has fewer than 50 employees and providing the paid leave benefits would jeopardize the viability of the business as a going concern, the small business exemption may apply. Employers who believe they qualify for the exemption should document why the business meets the exemption criteria unless and until the Department of Labor issues additional guidance on claiming the exemption.
Effective April 1, 2020, employers are required to properly notify their employees of the new FFCRA leave benefits and implement the requirements.
Below are links to important resources that contain compliant employee notices, guidance, and recommendations for employers subject to the FFCRA.
- Department of Labor: COVID-19 and the American Workplace
- Fact Sheet: FFCRA – Employee Paid Leave Rights (in English)
- Fact Sheet: FFCRA – Employer Paid Leave Requirements (in English)
- Compliant FFCRA notice poster for private-sector employees (in English)
- Department of Labor FAQ for the FFCRA employee notice poster
courtesy of Montgomery & Hansen, LLP
SYNOPSES AND EVALUATION OF FEDERAL CORONAVIRUS RELIEF BILL-
New York Times: "Small Businesses Will Get Help Paying Workers, If They Can Wait", 3/27/20
-
Wall Street Journal, "What's In the Senate's $2 Trillion Coronavirus Bill", 3/26/20
-
CNBC, "Here's What's In the $2 Trillion Economic Relief Bill", 3/25/20
PALO ALTO COMMUNITY FUND MAKES EMERGENCY GRANTS TO NONPROFITS
The Palo Alto Community Fund announces a COVID-19 Relief Fund, created to quickly deploy financial resources to help nonprofit organizations serve the most vulnerable in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto and Menlo Park. Learn more and contribute here.
Be Well
While group gatherings and close contact are limited at this time, in response to the County’s legal order, you can stay in touch with others and maintain a sense of normalcy while observing a “social distance” of at least six feet. Remember that exercise, diet, sleep, and an active social life are important for a healthy lifestyle and help support a healthy immune system. This is a good time to get outside and go for a walk around the neighborhood, and hike or bike in some of our beautiful parks. Learn a new fitness routine you can do at home. Check on your neighbors, other family members, and connect with friends through social media, phone calls, and video chats. Please ensure you are observing social distancing. Visit the City’s coronavirus webpage for other ideas and online resources
Family Resources
Keep yourself and others at home entertained by downloading a movie, book, or video game through Palo Alto Library’s e-library. Palo Alto's e-Library is available 24/7 with tons of digital resources, including eBooks and Audiobooks, streaming movies, TV, music, online learning, and digital subscriptions to newspapers and magazines. Find a new recipe to cook. Read about wellness routines the whole family can do together to reduce stress. View more tips and resources.
Stay Informed
The City of Palo Alto has set up a webpage to keep the community informed as this public health situation evolves. Go to cityofpaloalto.org/coronavirus for the latest news and how to subscribe for email updates. Follow the City on Twitter, Facebook, Nextdoor, and subscribe to our e-newsletter for other City details. Santa Clara County Public Health information is available at www.sccgov.org
What To Do If You're Sick
Stay home if you are sick. Watch for symptoms and contact your medical provider if you fall ill. Most coronavirus testing facilities require a physician’s referral. Find information on the CDC website to help detect symptoms of coronavirus.
Business Resources
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) anticipates funds will become available to help small businesses in California affected by a slow economy due to the coronavirus outbreak. More information will be available at sba.gov. The CDC has also put out guidance for businesses to help prevent exposures to respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19. The City will update its coronavirus webpage with details on any City programs to assist businesses during this time.
FROM THE CALIFORNIA RESILIENCY ALLIANCECOVID-19 has spread across the United States and there are now positive cases in all states. Governors have made Emergency declarations, closing down non-essential government services, businesses, schools and other functions and mass gatherings of people. This paper is offered in an effort to better understand not just the way a pandemic affects various critical infrastructure sectors, but to illustrate the cascading and escalating effects across our nation in various ways. Each of the following sectors lists observations and assumptions, along with current gaps in known information. View full report.
Sector Analysis
- Chemical Sector
- Commercial Facilities Sector
- Communications Sector
- Critical Manufacturing Sector
- Dam Sector
- Defense Industrial Base Sector
- Emergency Services Sector
- Energy Sector
- Financial Service Sector
- Food and Agriculture
- Government Facilities Sector
- Healthcare and Public Health Sector
- Information Technology Sector
- Nuclear Reactors, Material, and Waste Sector
- Transportation Systems Sector
- Water and Wastewater Sector
on a lighter note...
CORONAVIRUS AND YOUR EVENT: TIPS FOR MOVING YOUR EVENT ONLINEOriginal content provided by EventBrite
Some types of in-person events can work just as well virtually, in the form of an online event.
Over 100,000 online-only events were hosted on Eventbrite in 2019, with a variety of topics including work/life balance webinars, real estate livestreams, and online training courses for court interpreters.
To host an event online, you will want to decide which digital format will work best for your event. For example, you can use a webinar if you have content or slides you want to share with your attendees, or a livestream for events with a larger audience. It’s then fairly simple to set up your virtual event on Eventbrite.
We’ve outlined step-by-step instructions for setting up an online event here. If you’ve decided to host a webinar, this article will help you set up your event with webinar access using tools like Zoom. You can also use Eventbrite’s Digital Links feature, which makes it easy for your attendees to access virtual content and materials related to your event.
Tips for postponing your event
If you’ve made the difficult decision to postpone your event, some tips on how to do it gracefully while continuing to put your attendees first.
- Be sure to have a replacement date and venue in place to spread the word
- Offer to transfer attendees’ spots to the new event
- Offer a refund as well, as your new event date or location may not work for everyon
If your event is already on Eventbrite, follow the steps in this Help Center article to postpone and reschedule your event.
View EventBrite’s Resources for Event Creators
FREE WEBINAR FOR CAREGIVERS: SENIOR CARE IN THE TIME OF COVID-19
Recorded live on 3/19/20 by Chamber member HOME CARE ASSISTANCE
-
Concerned about creating a safe and clean home, restaurant or place of business?
Did you know...
- The CDC has set guidelines for cleaning your household and how frequently it must be done, plus what cleaning should be done if someone has COVID-19 in the home.
- The EPA has issued a list of disinfectants that combat COVID-19.
If you're interested in learning about sanitizing your home, restaurant, office, school, daycare center or any other environment, we recommend the following companies, both of whom are highly reputable members of the Chamber of Commerce. Click on the names to be directed to their website.
Islas Maintenance
Ismael Islas - (650) 924-0113
Green Source Janitorial
Daniel Petrosian - (650) 488-8100
A HELPFUL REFERENCE
Centers for Disease Control, "What Every American Can Do Now to Decrease the Spread of Coronavirus"- Helpful tips for keeping people safe in the workplace, school, home or commercial establishment. (Download the PDF)
* Thanks to Islas and Green Source for their help in compiling this information *