 Today’s News and Links Small business owner, self-employed contractors: NEW Unemployment Assistance for the Self-Employed and others, act now! Governor Kate Brown Lays Out COVID-19 Testing and Contact Tracing as Keys to Reopening Oregon Here’s How Many People Oregon Counties Must Be Able to Test and Track Before Governor Will Consider Reopening Businesses What does “re-opening look like around the country? Two FREE national small business townhalls this week Gov. Kate Brown Lays Out COVID-19 Testing And Contact …The governor warned reopening Oregon wouldn’t happen all at once and would be slower than what anyone wants. RELATED COVERAGE … Here’s How Many People Oregon Counties Must Be Able to …May 15 is the first day Oregon Gov. Kate Brown can imagine rural counties reopening if they have not been impacted by many COVID-19 cases. Read more here...Nearly half of the U.S. will reopen in some form beginning this week About a dozen states tentatively returned to public life on Friday, the first mass reopening of businesses since the coronavirus pandemic brought America to a standstill six weeks ago. More restrictions are expected to loosen on Monday. Above, Council Bluffs, Iowa. At the same time, portions of the country, including much of the West Coast and the Northeast, remain shuttered, causing clashes over how, when, and whether to reopen. Protesters gathered in the capitals of Kentucky, Oregon, and Florida, following other demonstrations this week in Illinois, California, and Michigan. Here are the states that have opened, and the ones that are still shut down. Ultimately, whether or not businesses reopen comes down to the individual. And the decision for Americans has not been easy, weighing what feels like an impossible choice. National Small Business Town Hall — FreeRegister for the next exclusive National Small Business Town Hall, May 8th, co-hosted by Inc. and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where their panel of experts will answer your questions live. UPS Webinar: May 6 How to Overcome the Supply Chain Challenges of today—and Tomorrow FREE Register now for the webinar Learn what’s going on inside the global supply chain and how you can adapt how modes of transportation—like air and ocean—are being affectedConsiderations for supply chain strategy moving forward Whether you’re a small business or a multinational corporation, the coronavirus crisis has undoubtedly caused disruptions to your supply chain. And with so many variables in play across the globe—geography, transportation, capacity, availability of goods—getting the supplies you need can be daunting. UPS is here to help. We’ve teamed up with Boston Consulting Group for an insightful webinar, How to Overcome the Supply Chain Challenges of Today—and Tomorrow. We’ll share our inside view of what’s happening around the world, and give you ideas on how your business can best adapt to the current situation and plan for the future. Join Philippe Gilbert, UPS President, Supply Chain Solutions, and Rich Hutchinson, Boston Consulting Group Managing Director & Senior Partner, for a lively discussion about: What’s happening with the global supply chain today when and how the economic recovery could happen how modes of transportation—like air and ocean—are being affectedConsiderations for supply chain strategy moving forward REGISTER NOW Small business owners, self-employed contractors — Think you can’t file for unemployment, think again. File now! The Employment Department has issued a news release (link to PDF) announcing the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. This is the most recent in a series of agency activities to get more unemployment benefits to the greatest number of workers affected by COVID-19 business closures. Oregonians who are eligible for this program include individuals who do not qualify for or cannot collect benefits on a regular unemployment insurance claim. This includes Oregonians who:• Are self-employed and not subject to unemployment insurance tax;• Perform work as an independent contractor;• Perform work not subject to unemployment insurance tax, such as agricultural workers;• Did not earn enough in wages or work enough hours to qualify for regular unemployment benefits;• Exhausted regular unemployment benefits and are not eligible for another extension. The PUA program provides unemployment benefits to a group of workers who have never before been eligible for benefits, using processes and tax and other documentation the Employment Department has never worked with before now. The agency has recruited and trained staff to process PUA claims. Still, we know this program will be met with tremendous need. The PUA process can take as little as one week or several weeks, depending on the claimed complexity. These benefits are retroactive to the first week a worker was impacted by a qualifying COVID-19 reason, potentially from the week starting February 2, 2020, through the week ending December 26, 2020. The news release and the Unemployment Department’s CARES Act page provide detailed information for filing PUA claims. Columbia County Economic Team (CCET) and Keep It Local are working to assist businesses to navigate through the Coronavirus pandemic and resulting in economic disruption….and plan for recovery. Business survival and retention is a top priority. We all want to emerge from the other side of this able to restore our businesses, livelihoods, and economy. Reaching out countywide, Columbia County Economic Team will be communicating with you regularly. If you have received this email as a forward from a friend and wish to receive future COVID business retention, resiliency and recovery updates from CCET, please contact us at wnegelspach columbiacountyoregon.com or click here to be added to our list.to be added to our list. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn by clicking the buttons below. Paul Vogel Interim CEO Columbia County Economic Team |
