SOCIAL DISTANCE GUIDELINES EXTENDED & OTHER UPDATES

Dear Friends,I hope the weekend brought everyone some much needed respite from the onslaught of information related to COVID-19. Although we are in an unusual time, we have already seen our community band together to help one another in this crisis.

Over the weekend, President Trump extended social distancing guidelines at least until April 30, 2020. While this is concerning and keeps us from doing business as usual, this is a necessary step to flatten the curve in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. As we look to other American communities in New York, Tennessee, Florida and Louisiana, we can see the strain on healthcare workers and systems that is a byproduct of not implementing such aggressive measures.

GLI will do our best to continue to identify resources to help your business, your employees and yourselves be as informed as possible, as well as to provide you the necessary contacts to be able to access funding and other employer-related assistance through this crisis.

To that end, if you are a company that has supplies that can easily transition to the healthcare sector (like face masks, face shields, hand sanitizer, gloves, or equipment that could be useful to hospital personnel in this time of need), please contact John Launius and he will coordinate an introduction to the supply chain leaders at the various hospital systems.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

• As we look at how we as a community move forward from the economic impact of Covid-19, data skills connected to artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the internet of things are going to form the backbone of the new economy. As we learned in the strategic planning process, these skill sets will be particularly needed in Louisville’s strong healthcare and manufacturing clusters. GLI is partnering with Louisville Forward and the Microsoft Future of Work Initiative to survey which specific skills employers think will be most important to their businesses going forward. Please complete this quick survey to help us understand the gaps that exist as we prepare for Louisville’s workforce of the future.
• Is your company doing something innovative to help our community during the COVID-19 crisis? We would like to hear from you so we can spread the good word and shine a light on all of the good work our region does. Click here to tell us. #BetterTogetherINKY

Other Updates:

• GLI has developed a guide to new small business loans under the CARES Act. Find the latest information on the Paycheck Protection Program and more here.
• Infectious disease workers at the University of Louisville, in partnership with regional hospitals, are working to study COVID-19 to gain more knowledge about how the virus is spread, who becomes ill and how the illness progresses.
• Over the weekend, President Donald Trump approved Kentucky’s request for a federal disaster declaration. Learn more here.
• Stay updated with the latest COVID-19 information from Kentucky and Indiana.
• Abbott Laboratories has unveiled a new five minute COVID-19 test and plans to supply 50,000 tests a day beginning on April 1, 2020.

GLI is collecting the questions we’ve been asked about how COVID-19 impacts your business. To see those responses, click here. If you have a question that you would like answered, submit that below.

SUBMIT A QUESTION

Investor Question of the Day: Is it true that because of the Family First Act I will have to provide two weeks of paid sick time at 2/3 of the salary (capped at $2K) in addition to the sick leave benefits I already offer if I have an employee with children that cannot be sent to daycare or school due to the Coronavirus?This is correct. The law made it clear that this paid time is in addition to any existing paid time off policies. Remember, this paid sick time has a waiting period of 10 working days and begins on the 11th day the employee is off work.  Jennifer Wheatley, President, HR Affiliates

We will continue to work diligently to present the best, most informative information to you on a regular basis.

Stay safe & healthy,
Sarah Davasher-Wisdom