COVID-19 News Updates for April 23, 2020:

 

30 Days to Slow the Spread

President Trump announced updated guidelines to continue slowing the spread of Coronavirus in America. This 30-day window will be crucial: If every American does his or her part, the latest model suggests we could save 1 million or more U.S. lives. Please click here for more information: 30 Days to Slow the Spread (Español)

 If you are a healthcare worker and would like to volunteer to assist in New York City, please find more information here.

 White House COVID-19 Updates

·         Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing – 4/23 (VIDEO)

·         Daily 1600: Who we’re fighting for (HERE)

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers: Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) (HERE)

·         The CDC is working with other federal partners in a whole-of-government response. This is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation and CDC will continue to provide updated information as it becomes available.

HUD Awards $130 Million to Revitalize Four Neighborhoods (HERE)

·         Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced four communities across the country will receive a combined $130 million to redevelop severely distressed public housing and to revitalize surrounding neighborhoods. Provided through HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, these grants, and the more than $1.5 billion they will stimulate from other sources, will transform long-struggling neighborhoods and distressed HUD-assisted housing. Read more about these transformation plans.

COVID-19 FAQs for Public Housing Agencies (HERE)

·         HUD continues to update resources for stakeholders to help guide decisions on their response to COVID-19.

FHFA Supports Small Business by Allowing Federal Home Loan Banks to Accept Paycheck Protection Program Loans as Collateral (HERE)

·         To support small and community banks, the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced that Federal Home Loan Banks (FHL Banks) can accept Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans as collateral when making loans, called advances, to their members.

HHS Awards Nearly $5 Million to Poison Control Centers as Calls Spike Due to COVID-19 (HERE)

·         Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), awarded nearly $5 million to Poison Control Centers across the country to improve their capacity to respond to increased calls due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

HHS Announces CARES Act Funding Distribution to States and Localities in Support of COVID-19 Response (HERE)

·         The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is announcing upcoming action by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide additional resources to state and local jurisdictions in support of our nation’s response to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Health Providers: Join the Telehealth Revolution (HERE)

·         Healthcare providers have a unique opportunity to integrate telemedicine into their practice. As part of this effort, HHS has launched telehealth.hhs.gov.

Trump Administration Releases COVID-19 Telehealth Toolkit to Accelerate State Use of Telehealth in Medicaid and CHIP (HERE)

·         Today, the Trump Administration released a new toolkit for states to help accelerate adoption of broader telehealth coverage policies in the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) during the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

o   CMS News Alert – April 23, 2020 (HERE)

NIAID Strategic Plan Details COVID-19 Research Priorities (HERE)

·         A new strategic plan from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, details the institute’s plan for accelerating research to diagnose, prevent and treat COVID-19.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Court Grants FDA’s Request for Extension of Premarket Review Submission Deadline for Certain Tobacco Products Because of Impacts from COVID-19 (HERE)

·         COVID-19 is impacting all FDA-regulated industries, including tobacco product manufacturers. The agency has received numerous inquiries from the tobacco industry expressing concern they will be unable to complete premarket applications by the original May 12 deadline due to disruptions at all stages of preparation, including preventions or disruptions to in-person laboratory work and clinical studies or necessary foreign travel, or from the shuttering of manufacturing facilities abroad.

o   FDA Daily Roundup – April 22, 2020 (HERE)

The United States and ASEAN are Partnering to Defeat COVID-19, Build Long-Term Resilience, and Support Economic Recovery (HERE)

·         Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are enduring strategic partners as we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and plan for economic recovery. We commit to continue our collaboration with ASEAN to beat this pandemic and get back to the business of building a bright future for the region together.

U.S. EPA Calls on Eight Technology Companies to Address Fraudulent COVID-19 Disinfectants (HERE)

·         Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is advising eight technology companies that unscrupulous dealers are using their platforms to sell illegal disinfectant products. The companies include Facebook, Ebay, Alibaba, Shopify, Qoo10, JoyBuy.com, Wish.com and banggood.com.

Secretary DeVos Makes Available Over $13 Billion in Emergency Coronavirus Relief to Support Continued Education for K-12 Students (HERE)

·         U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced today that more than $13.2 billion in emergency relief funds are now available to state and local education agencies to support continued learning for K-12 students whose educations have been disrupted by the coronavirus.

Tucson, Arizona, Company to Pay Back Wages after Denying Paid Sick Leave to Worker Whose Doctor Ordered Coronavirus Quarantine (HERE)

·         After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Bear Creek Electrical – an electrical company based in Tucson, Arizona – will pay one employee $1,600 for refusing to provide him sick leave under the newly passed Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act after health care providers ordered him to self-quarantine with potential coronavirus symptoms.

Statement by Secretary Of Labor Eugene Scalia on Unemployment Insurance Claims (HERE)

·         “Today’s unemployment report shows continued, elevated unemployment claims caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The Department of Labor is continuing to provide guidance and support to the States as they implement the enhanced unemployment benefits under the CARES Act, with 44 States now paying the $600 additional weekly benefit provided by the Act. The Department also continues to implement the paid leave requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, and has now initiated hundreds of cases to ensure workers receive what they’re entitled to under the law. As American businesses look to open up again under the guidelines presented by the White House last week, the Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration will continue to provide guidance and support to protect workers and ensure safe workplaces, backed up as necessary by appropriate use of OSHA’s enforcement authorities.”

Cincinnati CBP Seizes 2,000 Counterfeit 3M Masks (HERE)

·         U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers at an Express Consignment Operations hub in Cincinnati examined a package from China that listed its contents as mask April 3. When the officers inspected the package they discovered 2,000 counterfeit 3M masks, an Intellectual Property Rights violation.

Individual and Households Program: Remote Inspections (HERE)

·         Due to the COVID-19 nationwide emergency declared by President Trump and the need to protect the safety and health of all Americans; FEMA will conduct remote home inspections for disaster survivors until further notice.

Alaska National Guard Adopts Proactive Response Posture to COVID-19 (HERE)

·          President James Buchanan said, “The test of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.” In that spirit, Alaska National Guard leaders have built on their preemptive measures to mitigate the potential harm done by the COVID-19 coronavirus. 

Army Has Long History of Combating Diseases (HERE)

·         Army researchers are working to rapidly develop and test experimental vaccines to combat COVID-19, Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy said.

Troops’ Skill Sets during Pandemic Sharpen the Sword (HERE)

·         More than 56,400 Defense Department personnel are on the front lines of the war against the silent enemy known as the COVID-19 virus that’s affected the nation, a DOD spokesman said.

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