Surviving the COVID-19 Pandemic
We wish all of you wellness in this time of sickness and safety in this time of mass hysteria and panic. We also hope that you’re able to hold onto your livelihoods despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
On March 15, 2020, Governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency in Washington and today he ordered all restaurants, bars, entertainment facilities, and sports facilities to close until March 31. The Governor clarified that takeout and delivery are still allowed.
On March 16, 2020 Governor Kate Brown announced via Twitter that restaurants and bars would move to a takeout and delivery model effective March 17 until April 17. Governor Brown also canceled all events with over 25 people for the next 4 weeks.
While this measure should save lives and prevent our woefully unprepared healthcare system from being overwhelmed, this is terrible news for small businesses and workers in these industries. For the past two weeks, many of our clients have experienced sharply declining sales and have asked what they can do to ride out this (hopefully brief) wave.
Financial Assistance
The good news is that there is some financial relief available. The Governor’s office is continuing to update its website with more resources. We will continue to update this blog as we learn more.
- Government Assistance
- The Small Business Administration has an Economic Injury Disaster Loan program with $7 billion in funding for disaster loans for businesses affected by Covid-19.
- The Washington Department of Revenue (DOR) will grant extensions for excise tax returns if you request the extension prior to the deadline. Restrictions apply if the extension is not due to the Covid-19 declared state of emergency. Contact the DOR at 360-705-6705
- The DOR will waive penalties for late filers if you request a penalty waiver. Restrictions apply if the penalty waiver is not due to the Covid-19 declared state of emergency.
- Washington state is compiling a list of businesses and banks who are allowing customers to defer bills, offering debt and penalty forgiveness, and offering low-interest loans to Covid-19 affected small businesses.
- Unemployment benefits for Washington workers who are temporarily laid off or whose hours are temporarily reduced.
- Paid medical leave in Washington for workers who are experiencing a serious health condition or who need to care for a family member experiencing the same. A doctor’s certification is required to obtain this benefit.
- Commercial Liability Insurance
- If you have an existing commercial liability insurance policy, it might cover income interruptions, loss of income, disasters, and “acts of god.”
- Some insurance policies require that the government declare a state of emergency or a shut down before they will cover loss of income or acts of god. Now that both Governors Inslee and Brown have declared states of emergency and are mandating a shut-down, these insurance policies should kick in.
- If you need help understanding your insurance policy, we’re here for you. We read complicated legalese all day every day and can help you make sense of your policy.
Is there anything else you can do?
- If you’re a restaurant, you can still offer takeout and delivery.
- You can reduce your staff temporarily. If you need help breaking the news to employees, we can review letters you’re thinking about sending or we can draft one for you.
Reminder: Protect yourself from computer viruses and scams when working from home
Please remember that every emergency spawns an avalanche of spam, fraudulent offers, phishing requests and malware. Especially if you are now adjusting to working from home, remember to view all incoming email with a critical eye, and never click on links or open attached files unless you are certain the email containing them has come from a legitimate sender. One virus is more than enough.
Watch specifically for scammers trying to trick you into giving away passwords and personal information. Do NOT open emails from strange accounts with files attached. Do NOT accept strange online meeting requests. Report any fishy behavior to your IT person or mark the email as spam so your email provider can filter out those kinds of messages in the future. It’s better to prevent a virus rather than treat a virus.
For a comprehensive overview on Telework Security visit the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
We hope this passes sooner rather than later. We hope you stay safe in the meantime.
