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Information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to be issued at a rapid pace. In order to stay up to date and access accurate information, members are encouraged to utilize the below links.
ABC National dedicated website to COVID-19: abc.org/coronavirus The Office of Governor Tate Reeves has a dedicated website to COVID-19: governorreeves.ms.gov/covid-19
Educational Webinars: ABC National is hosting the following webinar series on Coronavirus. They are for ABC members only and your Academy login is required. ABC Mississippi has a dedicated web page to this list of webinars that includes both upcoming webinars and replays. Click here to access the page.
Update July 29, 2020: New Mask & Social Distancing Requirements in Selected Counties Based on the Governor's executive order 1507, the following counties must practice enhanced safety protocols, including the use of a mask or face covering in public and additional limits on social gathering sizes, beginning July 20, 2020.
Update July 27, 2020: White House Guidelines:Opening Up America Again President Trump has unveiled Guidelines for Opening Up America Again, a three-phased approach based on the advice of public health experts. These steps will help state and local officials when reopening their economies, getting people back to work, and continuing to protect American lives.Read More.
Update June 30, 2020: Senate Passes Extension of Application Deadline for PPP Small Business Loans On June 30, the Senate passed legislation by unanimous consent that would extend the application period for the small business Paycheck Protection Program through Aug. 8. The application period ended on June 30, and the bill still needs to be approved by the House and signed into law by President Trump. Read More.
Update May 8, 2020: New OSHA COVID-19 Resources New information has been released from OSHA regarding COVID-19. The resources include: (1) a poster listing Ten Steps All Workplaces Can Take to Reduce Risk of Exposure to Coronavirus, which has been translated into Spanish; (2) a new video and poster on how to properly wear and dispose of respirators; and (3) a new OSHA Alert for the construction industry. Links to these new products are available at this link.
Update April 22, 2020: OSHA COVID-19 Training Resources Please click here to download an OSHA PowerPoint to be used for training employees on methods for protecting the safety and health of workers. Please click here to download a 8.5x11 formatted flyer on COVID-19 Jobsite Practices. If you would like this flyer converted to another size that you can print, please contact [email protected].
Update April 14, 2020: Blood Services Request Our Chairman, Dupree Petty, would like to remind our members about the urgent request for blood donations to Mississippi Blood Services (MBS). As the Coronavirus pandemic continues, MBS is urging individuals to donate blood to ensure the continued adequacy of the blood supply. Healthy individuals are asked to donate to minimize disruptions to the blood supply and ensure blood is available for patients. Blood products are always needed for: surgeries, traumas, catastrophic and long-term illnesses and cancer. If you think you have been exposed to COVID‑19, have recently had a fever or been exposed to an individual with a fever, or have any symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider for medical advice before coming to donate. The main phone number is 601-981-3232 and locations are in Flowood, Cleveland and Oxford. Click the following links for directions to each location: Flowood | Cleveland | Oxford
Update April 13, 2020: New OSHA COVID-19 Recordability Guidance Provides Necessary Clarification for Contractors, Says ABC Associated Builders and Contractors Vice President of Health, Safety, Environment and Workforce Development Greg Sizemore today issued the following statement on the release of Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s April 10 guidance on recording cases of COVID-19: “ABC is pleased OSHA has clarified its position regarding the recordability of COVID-19 cases under its recordkeeping rules, which provides greater certainty to our member contractors. As a member of the Construction Industry Safety Coalition, we expressed in a March letter to OSHA significant concerns about putting construction contractors in an almost impossible position of determining whether a particular case of COVID-19 that presents in the workplace is considered ‘work-related.’ The updated OSHA guidance will continue to let contractors focus on the taking the necessary steps to ensure compliance with health recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and overall jobsite safety, which is paramount for ABC and its 21,000-plus members.”
Update April 2, 2020: SBA 7(a) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Application Thank you to HORNE LLP for this update. The PPP application was released on March 31, 2020 and you can click here to download the file. Time is critical. If you'd like to work with HORNE on this please submit this application to the HORNE Construction Team so they can get you to the front of the line when banks start accepting applications on April 3, 2020. Along with the signed form, please indicate whether you have already started the process or have a preference to use an existing banking relationship and provide that bank contact information, or if you would like to use one of HORNE's banking partners. While they encourage you to use a HORNE banking partner for streamlining and efficiency reasons, they will attempt to use your preferred bank if possible.
Update April 1, 2020: The "Shelter-In-Place Order & Construction A statewide “shelter-in-place” order has been issued by Governor Tate Reeves, effectively placing the state on lockdown with the exception of essential businesses. So, which businesses fall into that category? News Mississippi recently published an article outlining which businesses are defined as essential (read full article). The following bullet is what this means for the construction industry: "Construction and construction related services including building and construction, lumber, building materials and hardware, electricians, plumbers, exterminators, cleaning and janitorial, HVACR and water heating industry, painting, moving and relocating services, other skilled trades, and other related construction firms and professionals for maintaining essential infrastructure." Learn More
Update March 29, 2020: Paycheck Protection Program Business Q&A On Friday President Trump enacted the Paycheck Protection Program, which will allow banks to issue SBA forgivable loans to small businesses that can attest to suffering economic hardship as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Many Mississippi banks are preparing now to make these loans and the Mississippi Bankers Association has prepared information on the program for ABC Mississippi to share with our members. Download PDF
Urgent Need: N95 Face Mask Donations As you are aware, health care personnel need N95 face masks. On Tuesday, March 17, Vice President Mike Pence urged construction companies to donate construction-grade N95 masks and forego additional orders as the nation’s hospitals work to procure masks for healthcare workers. ABC Mississippi was contacted that afternoon, along with AGC of Mississippi and a large Mississippi-based construction company, asking for donations as well. If you have extra N95 masks that you can donate, please take to one of the drop-off points listed at this link.
Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for more information on the coronavirus, including the resources below:
The following resources are from the U.S. Department of Labor including the required poster published by the U.S. Department of Labor. This information is provided to keep ABC Mississippi members abreast of obligations under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Please contact Bill Gault with Nippes, Healy & Gault, PLLC with any questions at 601.952.2592.
Courtesy of BKD: COVID-19 Tax & Accounting Resource Center BKD will be offering weekly webinar series to help mitigate the inevitable financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The webinar this week may be particularly interesting to your members as it addresses small businesses & general business planning opportunities. A schedule is below.
Courtesy of Butler Snow: Congress Passes the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act On Friday, March 27, the United States Congress passed and President Trump signed an unprecedented $2 trillion economic stimulus package to benefit the U.S. economy. The bipartisan agreement comes after several days of intense negotiations and provides emergency financial assistance for individuals, families, and businesses affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. The legislation includes a plan to send $1,200 checks to many Americans, unemployment insurance for those who lose their jobs in the crisis, a $500 billion Treasury fund to shore up industries damaged by coronavirus and $349 billion in small business loans. Visit the links below for more information.
Visit ABC general counsel Littler Mendelson’s coronavirus webpage, which includes the resources below:
Visit the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) website for additional employer resources:
Visit the Occupational Safety and Health Administration website for interim guidance on preventing exposures and infection:
ABC Insurance Trust Resources & Recommendations:
Legal Resources Courtesy of Bradley Arant: