COVID 19 Update 77
Reopening Update
The Western NY region moved to phase two of reopening yesterday. The Capital District region will move to phase two today. The Mid-Hudson is on track for phase 2 next week. Phase two industries include offices, real estate, essential and phase two in-store retail, vehicle sales and rentals, retail rental, repair and cleaning, hair salons and barbershops, and commercial building management. Dentists were able to open statewide Tuesday.
The New York City region is on track to begin phase one of reopening on June 8th. This will mean more than 400,000 jobs are eligible to return.
The Governor announced that summer day camps can open on June 29th, but no decision has been made on sleep-away camps.
Here is the guidance for phase two industries
Read the governor’s press release
Racism, Protests, Looting, and Manufacturing
At the Governor’s briefing issues related to the coronavirus were once again overcome by the events and social unrest resulting from the death of George Floyd.
Respect, diversity, empathy, fairness. These are just some of the words that come to mind when we think of the Hudson Valley Manufacturing Community and its workforce. They are the cornerstones of the leadership training the Council of Industry has provided its members for decades. While we do not condone violence or destruction of any kind, we stand with all those who seek respect, fairness and the right to equality of opportunity that our nation has promised for centuries but has not yet been delivered to all our citizens.
We share this sentiment from NAM CEO Jay Timmons: “This is not a time to sit back and wait for action from others. It’s not enough to say ‘this doesn’t concern me,’ or ‘this isn’t my job, my cause, my fight.’ The manufacturing community, and the larger business community—made up of people from every background, every race, every state and every neighborhood in the country—has a responsibility that is as urgent now as at any time when our nation seemed on the edge of destruction. We must be part of the solution—to end the polarization and division that routinely manifests in our country. We must bring our people together in common purpose, to strengthen the values that bind us together, to rebuild our communities, to reinstill faith in ourselves and to ensure that all of our citizens have a right to live safely and securely.”
Council members have long taken the lead in our communities. Let’s continue to build workplaces and communities based on respect, diversity, empathy, fairness and justice.
Read all of Jay Timmons’ statement
Advocating for Liability Protections
Congress is listening to manufacturers and considering liability protections to protect essential businesses that are doing the right thing and following the best available guidance for operating during the COVID-19 crisis. But they still need to hear directly from manufacturers that this is a priority that requires swift action. You can send your federal lawmakers a message using this tool and urge them to move forward with commonsense and targeted liability protections for manufacturers that have acted in good faith to protect employees while delivering critical products and services.
Study: Manufacturers View Supply Chain as Differentiator
The majority of manufacturers say supply chain planning is a competitive differentiator, according to a study by Kinaxis and International Data Corp. The research also found that 65% of businesses say they are already highly resilient, but resiliency will still be a continued priority for the next one to three years. 65% of companies also said they believe that their supply chain planning capabilities are a source of competitive differentiation today. This number falls to 35% by 2023, suggesting that companies either do not view their supply chains as adaptable or they are unconvinced that the resources they have in place today will service them well into the future.
Read the full story at CSCMP’s Supply Chain
Plan to Attend the Council’s Supply Chain Webinar
IRS Guidance: The Employee Retention Credit
The IRS has released new information on an employer tax credit called . “The refundable tax credit is 50% of up to $10,000 in qualified wages paid to an employee by an eligible employer experiencing economic hardship related to COVID-19. This credit is for wages paid from 3/13/2020 through 12/31/2020.”
More information on the tax credit can be found here.
Congress, White House Consider a “Return to Work” Bonus
The incentive would pay $450 per week to people who return to work this summer.
Republican lawmakers have repeatedly expressed concern that the increase in unemployment benefits approved by Congress in March rewards workers for staying home and could lead to increased unemployment. Lawmakers are now considering the bonus to make returning to work more attractive than remaining on unemployment. The idea is to offer an off-ramp from public assistance, without abruptly eliminating federal financial support for millions of people.
There are concerns, however, the bonus money might lure some people back to work who should stay home for health reasons. Other experts wonder if it is unfair to give a bonus to people who have stayed home the last two months instead of rewarding those who have worked through the pandemic at dangerous ‘essential’ jobs, including at grocery stores, hospitals and testing facilities.
Read more in the The Washington Post (subscription)
Dutchess County Public Transit Returns to Full Service on Saturday, June 6th
Dutchess County Public Transit (DCPT) has announced full bus service will resume for all 13 fixed routes, as well as rail link services, this Saturday, June 6th. Extensive social distancing and cleaning protocols are in place to protect the health and safety of riders and drivers and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Bus fares for all services have been temporarily suspended for a pilot period to allow passengers to adjust to the various safety protocols.
Reopenings Increase Demand for Protective Materials
Organizations looking to reopen to the public are straining manufacturers’ supply of protective barriers, face masks and hand sanitizer, and some deliveries may take months. Kimberly-Clark is returning to the protective mask market, while Lydall is operating 24 hours a day with more machines to meet demand for its filtering material that goes in face masks.
Read more in The Wall Street Journal
