LATEST UPDATES
Murphy to Release Blueprint to Reopen NJ: At his daily press briefing today, Governor Murphy announced that he intends to “lay out a blueprint” in the “coming days” on how the state plans to proceed with reopening that state.
Murphy said, “In the coming days I will announce the benchmarks we will need to see and the principles we need to follow to reopen our state and begin our reemergence from this pandemic.”
Coronavirus-related Hospitalizations and Death Stabilize in NJ: Governor Murphy announced that the numbers of New Jerseyans hospitalized and dying from COVID-19, seems to be on a downward trajectory.
"Just a few weeks ago, in some areas of the state, cases were doubling in a matter of days. Now we’re seeing those rates slow to where we can measure them in the numbers of weeks, " said Murphy.
Good news for Independent Contractors: NJ Dept. of Labor issues New Emergency Rule concerning PUA Eligibility: Last week, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) issued new guidance to help self-employed, independent contractors, gig workers, and platform workers apply for, economic assistance.
The new emergency rule permits the Department to accept an individual's self-certification of self-employed status for the purpose of establishing that individual's eligibility for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. Click here to read the NJDOL’s Emergency Rule.
Senator Menendez Sponsors Legislation to send $500 billion in State Relief: Today, US Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) joined Sen. Bill Casidy (R-La.) announced a “bipartisan breakthrough,” a legislative proposal to send billions of dollars in COVID-19-related economic relief to states and local governments. This type of dedicated funding was excluded from the latest round of aid considerations.
Menendez and Cassidy said their plan would satisfy a request from the National Governor’s Association, which has warned that the states will need at least a half a trillion dollars to make up for devastating budget shortfalls incurred during the pandemic.
Fulfill NJ Develops Tool to Connect People with Local Food Banks: Fulfill NJ, formerly the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, is offering a new tool to help needy people find their nearest food pantries. By texting “findfood” in English or “comida” in Spanish to 888-918-2729, texters will be prompted to provide their zip code and will receive responses in their chosen languages.
Good Neighbor Spotlight: David Tepper billionaire businessman, philanthropist and owner of the Carolina Panthers was recently featured in a Forbes Magazine article, that detailed, among other things, his continued involvement in assisting New Jersey residents with COVID-19 response, through the Tepper Foundation.
Latest NJ COVID-19 Statistics: The number positive coronavirus test results in New Jersey has increased to a total of 88,806. The number of statewide coronavirus-related deaths is currently 4,377.
COVID-19 RESOURCES
All NJ residents with questions or concerns about COVID-19 and resources available to them should visit: www.covid19.nj.gov
US Small Business Administration Loans: New Jersey’s small businesses and private non-profit organizations facing hardship due to the coronavirus outbreak are eligible to apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans. These working capital loans are designed to help small and most non-profits meet their ordinary and financial business obligations during the pandemic.
Applicants may apply online and download applications at https://www.disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.
CARES Act: The programs and initiatives in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that was just passed in Congress are intended to assist small business owners with whatever needs they have right now. For more information on the small business owner’s guide to the CARES Act, click here.
Jobs and Assistance: A new online portal to provide information to impacted small business owners. The portal includes information on Executive Orders, regulations impacting small businesses and access to financial assistance from the US Small Business Administration (SBA).
Testing Sites: There are currently 66 COVID-19 testing sites open across the state, including state-sponsored and private facilities. Click here to get updated information and locations of public testing sites.
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