Information on the Coronavirus

Dear Neighbor,

The effects of COVID-19 have changed the way every American lives their lives and earns their livelihood. As a result, Congress has taken a number of significant steps to help protect businesses, employees, individuals, and families from economic injury that occurred through no fault of their own and get needed supplies and resources to healthcare providers and frontline fighters of this terrible virus.

That response has thus far come in three phases.

Phase 1 addressed the immediate public health and safety concerns caused by COVID-19. The $8.3 billion legislative package focused on the healthcare aspects of COVID-19 and included money for testing, vaccine development, therapeutics, personal protective equipment, state and local government response efforts, and mitigation of the disease abroad.

Phase 2 is the $2.5 billion stimulus effort that passed Congress in mid-March. The package includes relief for families and individuals who might need to take paid leave from work in order to care for themselves or family members while providing tax credits to small businesses, boosts unemployment compensation funding for those who may be laid off as a result of COVID-19’s economic impacts, increases funding to low-income nutrition assistance programs, and provides flexibility to child nutrition programs.

Phase 3 was the $2.2 trillion relief package that provided direct rebates to Americans, created the Paycheck Protection Program to help keep businesses open, provided needed funding for front-line healthcare providers to acquire needed supplies, and provided significant funding to help with regional response efforts.

While the effects of this legislation are many, I want to make sure you have the state and federal information and resources you need to navigate through these changes and find the help you may need.

Below, find a list of federal and state resources that are important to getting that help at this time, as well as other places you may find additional helpful tools to navigate through this crisis.

Our offices remain open and ready to help you. We ask that you call or email before stopping in the office. The contact information for our offices can be found on this website’s home page.

Federal Resources:

General Questions About Coronavirus

Treasury Department – Business Guidance Portal

U.S. Small Business Administration – Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Paycheck Protection Program Information

U.S. Department of Labor – Family Medical Leave and Sick Leave

Internal Revenue Service – Portal for Economic Impact Payments

FEMA - Rumor Control

FEMA - How to donate medical supplies

FEMA - How to sell medical supplies

Department of State – For Travelers Abroad

Department of Education - Student Loan Information

State Resources:

Pennsylvania Unemployment Coronavirus Homepage

Pennsylvania Unemployment Self-Service Portal

Pennsylvania Unemployment Tips for Filing a Claim

Pennsylvania Unemployment Scenarios and Benefits Guide

Pennsylvania Unemployment Frequently Asked Questions

Pennsylvania Unemployment How to File a Claim Videos

Pennsylvania's Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Portal - Contact for Questions about Portal Access

FAQ on Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation

Business Categories Subject to Gov. Wolf’s shutdown order

FAQs for Businesses Regarding Gov. Wolf’s shutdown order

Email to submit questions about business waivers re Gov. Wolf’s order

PEMA Mission Request form for needed PPE

Manufacturing Call to Action Portal

PLEASE BE ADVISED, AS OF MARCH 12, 2020, THE FOLLOWING FEDERAL FACILITIES HAVE SUSPENDED PUBLIC TOURS/ACCESS:

Arlington Cemetery
Pentagon Building
Smithsonian Institution
White House
U.S. Capitol Building
Library of Congress
National Archives
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
U.S. Supreme Court
FBI
Treasury Building
Kennedy Center
Ford’s Theatre
Washington Monument

If you arranged a tour of one of these facilities with our office, please contact our Washington, D.C. office for more information on rescheduling.

At this time, I encourage everyone to continue to be vigilant in their everyday preventative protections of thorough hand-washing, limiting unnecessary contact with those that are sick, and remaining home for work or school if sick.

These are simple and effective ways to prevent the spread of any communicable disease.

The best way to receive updates from our office on the Coronavirus is to subscribe to our weekly eNewsletter and follow us on social media: