COVID 19 Update 42
Bloomberg to Spearhead Virus Tracing in New York – Pledges $10 Million to the Cause
Mr. Bloomberg will help the state design and build a contact tracing program, intended to enable authorities to understand where and how the virus is spreading and take necessary countermeasures to contain it. Contact tracers locate people who have been infected and then track all others with whom they have had recent contact.
Robust contact tracing systems have helped Germany, Singapore and South Korea weather the pandemic with relatively fewer casualties and less economic disruption than other nations. Standing up a similar regime in New York and the surrounding states has been deemed critical by Mr Cuomo — as well as business leaders and public health officials — for the state to reopen its economy.
Read More at the Financial Times
New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli Has Released a Report that Concludes the Following Regarding the Fiscal Impact of the Coronavirus on the State’s Finances:
- The fiscal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic will be with us for some time.
- More federal assistance is essential.
- The State ended SFY 2019-20 with a higher-than-projected General Fund balance of $8.9 billion, but could face a cash crunch starting early in the new fiscal year.
- Long-term borrowing should only be used as a last resort, and if so should be limited in scale and duration.
- Planned Medicaid savings remain uncertain.
- Extraordinary flexibility to control spending requires extraordinary transparency and accountability.
- The State must start as soon as possible to prepare for the next fiscal crisis.
Survey: Global CEOs See U-Shaped Recession Due to Coronavirus:
Around 60% of chief executives are preparing for a U-shaped recovery – a long period between recession and an upturn – compared with 22% who predict a double-dip recession, according to an April 15-19 poll of 3,534 chief executives from 109 countries conducted by YPO, a business leadership network.
The survey found that 11% of chief executives see coronavirus as a risk to the survival of their firm, while a further 40% say the pandemic poses a severe threat.
There are some beneficiaries, with 10% of sector-specific retail and wholesale leaders as well as heads of production firms in agriculture, factories, mines and utilities reporting a positive impact to their revenue.
However, most chief executives expect things to get worse before they get better.
Return to Work Guidance
One of the most frequently asked questions we receive is regarding return to work protocols. The CDC offers guidance for employers in return to work situations that include:
- At least 3 days (72 hours) have passed since recovery defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and
- Improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath);
- and, At least 7 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.
Though many of the options for occupational health and medicine in the Hudson Valley have been reduced or are no longer available Council of Industry friend and Associate Member Emergency One Urgent Care and Occupational Health continues to provide occupational health and medicine during this coronavirus pandemic.
If you have questions on the CDC guidelines you can also email Jim Devit at jdevitt@eoneurgentcare.com.
Strategies to Optimize the Supply of PPE and Equipment
While written for healthcare providers these strategies can also be adopted by manufacturers who need to stretch supplies and keep workers safe.
“CDC’s optimization strategies for PPE offer options for use when PPE supplies are stressed, running low, or absent. Contingency strategies can help stretch PPE supplies when shortages are anticipated, for example if facilities have sufficient supplies now but are likely to run out soon. Crisis strategies can be considered during severe PPE shortages and should be used with the contingency options to help stretch available supplies for the most critical needs.”
Those guidelines can be found here.
NAM “Count Us In” Video Honors Manufacturers and Manufacturing Workers
Watch the NAM’s new video “Count Us In.” The video rolled out April 22nd on NAM social media, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram, to honor the everyday manufacturing heroes responding to COVID-19 and enhance the public’s understanding of manufacturers’ role in the response, recovery and renewal of our country.
Manufacturing is Essential and The Council of Industry is very proud of all its members. We encourage you to share the video on your social media platforms.
Liability Policy Recommendations For the COVID Crisis
As businesses respond to COVID-19 with speed and improvisation, manufacturers are pushing for liability policies to fit the moment. Here are its broad recommendations from the new plan:
- Create rational rules: “For many manufacturers, [this crisis] has generated nearly impossible legal compliance quandaries. They are simply doing their best to follow guidance from the CDC, OSHA and state agencies. Congress should protect the essential companies that have operated in good faith to help sustain the country during this crisis.”
- Strengthen Good Samaritan protections: “State and local Good Samaritan protections vary widely . . . . Congress should remove barriers to producing important materials and protect those who act in good faith, consistent with CDC guidance.”
- Preventing inappropriate state tort expansion: “As America prepares to return to work, Congress should act to protect essential manufacturers from . . . abusive forms of litigation advanced by special interests.”
