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The Daily Edition for Thursday, May 21, 2020

To view this Daily Impact online, click here.

 

 

Welcome to your Daily Impact newsletter!

As a valued member of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, we plan to stay in touch with you every afternoon, through emails like this one and on Facebook and Twitter, until the pandemic passes. We intend to provide you with the latest state and federal information, as well as highlighting the creativity and innovation that is occuring here in Maine during this unpredictable and rapidly changing time. To assist you in navigating the uncertainties ahead, we have created a diverse and comprehensive collection of web-based resources to help you take care of yourself and your family, your employees, your business, and your community.

Do you have a question? ASK THE EXPERTS.

We are here to help in any way we can!

 

 

Governor Mills Announces New Major Federal Funding Will Be Used To Expand Lab and Testing Capacity Across Maine

The $52.7 million grant, previously announced by Maine's Congressional Delegation, has been received and will help expand State and rural hospital lab capacity and testing sites across Maine in the coming weeks and months

Governor Janet Mills announced today that the State of Maine has now received $52.7 million in Federal grant funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) to bolster epidemiological and laboratory capacity to respond to infectious diseases, particularly COVID-19. The State will use this funding to enhance its ability to prevent, detect, and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Maine by expanding lab capacity and testing sites across Maine in the coming weeks and months.

 

Governor Mills outlined the State's three primary goals for the $52.7 million investment, including:

* Expanding the State's Lab Capacity;

* Bolstering Rural Hospital Lab Capacity; and,

* Establishing Drive-Through Testing Sites.

 

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Maine CDC are in the initial planning stages and will unveil more detailed plans in the coming weeks. This funding builds on the Mills Administration's partnership with IDEXX to expand testing in Maine and allowing for the elimination of the testing prioritization system so that health care providers can recommend testing for anyone they suspect of having COVID-19. As announced earlier this week, clinicians may now order tests for symptomatic people and people without symptoms who may be at risk for transmitting COVID-19 to others.

 

Eight New Checklists Available For Businesses Reopening June 1

Yesterday, the state Department of Economic and Community Development introduced eight new checklists designed to help some of the Maine businesses allowed to resume operations June 1. The checklists provide health and safety guidance that businesses and activities must commit to in order to reopen, according to the state. New lists are available for day camps, overnight camps, community buildings, large gatherings, non-professional sports, tanning, construction, and motorcycle education. Guidance for religious gatherings is still under development and is expected to be posted Friday.

 

To reserve your banner ad in the Daily Impact, please contact Melody Rousseau
by emailing
[email protected], or by calling (207) 623-4568, ext. 102.

 

Reopening Checklist Help Offered By HospitalityMaine, EMCC

Mainebiz reported today that HospitalityMaine and Eastern Maine Community College are rolling out a course this week that will help restaurant owners and their employees master the four-page checklist necessary for reopening. A similar free course will soon be available for hotels and inns. Employee training was the one thing missing on the lengthy checklist put together by the state Department of Economic and Community Development. Once restaurant staff have completed the course, the restaurant gets a certificate that it can display online and on-site.

 

A big factor in reopening is customer confidence. This course will help customers feel that precautions are being taken seriously. The restaurant industry is already health-focused, according to HospitalityMaine, with a variety of regulations and processes under the ServSafe program of the U.S. National Restaurant Association. "The checklist is already what a lot of restaurants are doing for best practices."

 

SBA Releases Guidance on the Forgiveness Math

On Friday, May 15, the Small Business Administration published a new form entitled Loan Forgiveness Application Instructions for Borrowers which, at long last, provides a great deal of guidance on how to calculate loan forgiveness. In the absence of official guidance, advisors to small businesses filled the void with speculations about how best to protect a recipient's claim to forgiveness. This alert outlines what has changed since our previous articles on the Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness math based on the new instructions. If you have any questions, please contact attorney Greg Fryer or a member of Verrill's COVID-19 Response Team.

 

Reopening: It's Back To Business, But Not Business As Usual

As countries around the world loosen their coronavirus restrictions, it's becoming clear that without a vaccine, the disruptions could be long-lasting.

Yesterday, the Associated Press reported from New York that "This is what 'normal' will look like for the foreseeable future." With contributions from reporters around the globe, the article offered insight from both national and global perspectives.

 

As the U.S. and other countries loosen their coronavirus restrictions, it's back to business, but not business as usual. In fact, it is becoming all too clear that without a vaccine against the scourge, the disruptions could be long-lasting and the economy won't be bouncing right back.

 

Some of new rules for dining out echo reopening guidelines released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They are intended for child care centers, schools, day camps, mass transit systems, restaurants, bars and other businesses and organizations.

 

Amid the wave of reopenings, many Americans remain wary, according to a new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll says 83 percent of Americans are at least somewhat concerned that lifting restrictions in their area will lead to additional infections.

 

About 5 million people worldwide have been confirmed infected, and over 325,000 deaths have been recorded, including over 93,000 in the U.S. and around 165,000 in Europe, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University, based on government data. Experts believe the true toll is significantly higher. With the virus far from vanquished, the reopenings could prove to be a stop-and-start, two-steps-forward-one-step-back process.

 

Ford temporarily halted production at two of its assembly plants Tuesday and Wednesday in Chicago and Dearborn, Michigan, after three autoworkers tested positive for the virus. Work was stopped to sanitize equipment and isolate those who were in contact with the infected employees. Detroit's Big Three automakers restarted their U.S. factories on Monday after a two-month shutdown.

 

Education, too, is facing radical changes. Cambridge became the first university in Britain to cancel all face-to-face lectures for the upcoming school year, saying they will be held virtually and streamed online until the summer of 2021. Other institutions have taken different tacks. The University of Notre Dame in Indiana will bring students back to campus but redesigned its calendar to start the semester early in August and end before Thanksgiving.

 

In South Korea, hundreds of thousands of high school seniors had their temperatures checked and used hand sanitizer as they returned Wednesday, many for the first time since late last year. Students and teachers were required to wear masks, and some schools installed plastic partitions around desks. France is limiting spaces in its primary schools, giving priority to the children of essential workers and those in need. Some younger students even go on alternating days, while high schools remain closed.

 

People's gratitude at being able to shop or eat out again is mingling with worries about job security. British aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce announced plans to cut 9,000 workers as it grapples with the collapse in air travel. In general, those jobs come with good pay and benefits, and losing them is a sharp blow to local communities.

 

Use The Maine State Chamber's Blog And Daily Impact To Tell Your Story!

Numerous Maine companies are stepping up or pivoting nimbly, as Maine people resourcefully address the challenges of this pandemic. Share your perspective and experience with us and with the rest of the business community. How are you facing and overcoming the challenges posed by this pandemic? What are you and your employees doing in this dramatically different economy? Tell us about the innovations your company or employees are making or ways you have adapted your company to meet your customers' needs.

 

Each blog entry should be 300 to 500 words. Join us in creating a written history of the business community's resilience and innovation during this extraordinary time. Please submit your entries to [email protected]. For more information or questions, please contact Mark Ellis by emailing [email protected] or by calling (207) 623-4568, ext. 109.

 

Today's Bottom Line Podcast With Special Guest, David Barber

David Barber, business development specialist at Tyson Foods, was this week's special guest on The Bottom Line podcast. Mr. Barber joined The Bottom Line co-hosts Dana Connors of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and John Williams of Williams Broadcasting to discuss the company's response to a COVID outbreak among workers in Tyson's Barber Foods plant in Portland. The company's commitment to their employees and their swift action, aided by Maine CDC, has set the standard for how to manage a workplace outbreak.

 

To learn more, listen to the full episode in the archived shows section of the Maine State Chamber's website.

 

Please Join Us For The Maine State Chamber's Regional Breakfast Series,

A Virtual Update

 

The Maine State Chamber of Commerce, together with local and regional chambers of commerce, invites you to our Regional Breakfast Meetings, held virtually on Zoom. As a local business leader, your valuable insight is instrumental to this open dialogue about issues that affect your business, your community and your state. We need your expertise and input to make recommendations and to identify opportunities for moving Maine's economic future in a positive direction.

Normally, attending one of our annual statewide breakfast series meetings is an ideal way for you, the Maine business leader, to interact with business associates, new and prospective Maine State Chamber members, and state representatives in a relaxed setting. This year, due to the COVID-19 situation, we will be hosting this event online as a coffee, so fill your cup and join the conversation from the comfort of your home.

THANK YOU TO OUR SERIES SPONSORS:

Casella Waste Systems, Inc.; Central Maine Power Company; Maine Department of Economic & Community Development; Northeast Delta Dental; Versant Power; VHB

NEXT WEEK!

 

Presque Isle Area

Thursday, May 28

from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.

 

 

Register here

COMING SOON!

 

Augusta Area

Wednesday, June 3 from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.

This session is a program of

the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce

 

Register here

This morning, in conjunction with the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce, the Maine State Chamber hosted our Bangor Area Regional Breakfast, the third in our virtual update series. The Chamber's Advocacy team reviewed the work of the session, prior to its abrupt adjournment in mid-March, as well as making a few predictions about a possible special session, the coming election season, and even how the 2021 session might look given the pandemic.

 

Thank you to our Series Sponsors listed above and to the following sponsors of this morning's Coffee Hour: our Premier Sponsor, Eaton Peabody; our Presenting Sponsors, Bangor Savings Bank, Emera Maine, and Northern Light Health; and our Official Sponsors, MEMIC, Poland Spring Water Company, and Sargent Corporation.

 

REGISTER TODAY!

2020 Maine State Chamber Health Care Forum

Wednesday, May 27 | 10:00 to 11:15 a.m.

 

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

 

Premier Sponsor: Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Sheild

 

Program Sponsors:

Cross Insurance, Martins Point Health Care and University of New England

 

Supporting Sponsors: MaineHealth and Northern Light Health 

The 2020 Maine State Chamber Health Care Forum will focus on the changing nature of coverage in Maine; both through legislation and through innovation. The program will be virtual, and roughly an hour in length. We will begin with a presentation by Denise McDonough, President of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine. Her presentation will focus on innovation in the marketplace, and cost saving initiatives being undertaken by Anthem. After that, there will be a panel discussion that includes Kristine Ossenfort, Senior Government Relations Director at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine, and the Maine Superintendent of Insurance Eric Cioppa, to discuss the legislative events of this past session, and the policy changes that were enacted by lawmakers that are likely to impact the individual and small group markets, both in terms of policies, coverage and price. Join us for what promises to be an interesting and informative session. 

 

 

To join these advertisers in the Daily Impact, please contact Melody Rousseau
by emailing
[email protected], or by calling (207) 623-4568, ext. 102.

 

TO UNSUBSCRIBE, CLICK HERE.

NOTICE: In an ongoing effort to thwart the activities of online hackers, the Maine State Chamber
has researched and tested the links in this document and determined that they are safe.

 

Copyright Maine State Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved.
 128 State Street | Suite 101 | Augusta, ME 04330-5630
 Phone: (207) 623-4568
For media inquiries, please contact Katie Clark (207) 233-2230
For membership inquiries, please contact Mark Ellis. (207) 623-4568
  • About Us
    • Connect with Us
    • Affiliates & Partners
    • Meet the Team
    • Our Board
    • Local Chambers of Commerce
  • Membership
    • Benefits of Membership
    • Join the Chamber
    • Member Companies
    • Member Search
  • Public Policy
    • Public Policy Committees
    • Grassroot Resources
    • Find Your Legislator >
      • Representatives
      • Senators
  • Events
    • Calendar of Events
    • Annual Meeting and Dinner
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
    • Business Day at the Statehouse
    • Board Meetings & Board Events
    • DC Fly-In
    • Legislative Strictly Social
    • Regional Breakfasts
    • Scramble for Scholars
    • Webinars by The Maine State Chamber of Commerce
  • Initiatives
    • Education Foundation
    • Keep Maine Competitive
    • Maine Economic Research Institute (MERI)
    • Senior Leaders of Tomorrow Development Program
  • Newsroom
    • Impact Newsletter
    • The Bottom Line
    • The Maine Take
    • Making Maine Work
    • MERI Roll Call
    • OneVoice Maine Magazine
    • Policy Brief Series with Educate Maine
    • Press Kit
    • External Social Media Policy
  • Member Login